Topographic Relations of Philip II
Topographic Relations of the towns from Spain, made under the command of Philip II (Spanish: Relaciones topográficas de los pueblos de España, hechas de orden de Felipe II) is the name by which is commonly known a statistical work supported and encouraged by Philip II of Spain. The data has been translated from Old Spanish to modern Spanish, published in 2022 and made available for researchers.[1]
The result was a broad survey of aspects of the ecology of Spain as of the 1570s.[2] The original aim of the project was to offer a detailed description of all the settlements of the kingdoms under his command. By royal order, an extensive questionnaire was sent out, but only a limited number of settlements were actually described in the completed work.
References
- ^ Duarte S. Viana; Francisco Blanco-Garrido; Miguel Delibes; Miguel Clavero (June 6, 2022). Michener, William K. (ed.). "A 16th-century biodiversity and crop inventory". Ecology. Wiley Online Library. 103 (10). Wiley: e3783. Bibcode:2022Ecol..103E3783V. doi:10.1002/ecy.3783. ISSN 1939-9170. PMC 9787667. PMID 35668026.
Version of Record online: 02 August 2022
- ^ Viviana Flores (August 4, 2022). "Surveys commissioned by 16th century Spanish king provide unprecedented ecological snapshot: Inventory of plants and animals could be used for modern conservation efforts". Science. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
In the 1570s, when King Philip II of Spain sent emissaries to survey the flora and fauna of villages in central and southern Spain, he wasn't thinking about ecological networks or extinction. He just wanted to know exactly what he owned. So, he asked at least two people in each village to describe the land, flora, and fauna of their territory to his surveyors.