THE SICILIAN POPULATION IN 1277: NEW ESTIMATES

Giuseppe Ruggeri

No azube, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: A crucial element in the calculation of the Sicilian population prior to the periodic census enumerations (riveli) that began in 1505 is the tax rate on the revenue collected on a per household (fuoco) basis. There is no general agreement on which rate is the most appropriate for the estimation of the Sicilian population in 1277. For example, Bresc (1986) used a value of 6 tarì per household, Epstein (1992) applied 3 tarì, and Marrone (2002), who based his estimates on Peri (1978), employed a value of 2 tarì and 15 grani. The different values of the average tax rate affect both the level of the Sicilian population and its distribution among cities, towns, and villages. I suggest a reconciliation of these estimates based on a multi-rate tax structure based on the size of the revenue collected in each community. My estimates show a shift of the population from the Val di Mazara to the Val di Noto and a substantial increase in the population of the Valdemone.

Date: 2023-04-20
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:azube

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/azube

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