Abstract: Naples always seemed to observers a demographic ?monster? unequaled in Italy; until the end of the 18th century, Venice, Milan, and Rome each had at most half the population of Naples. The fast growth of the population posed three major challenges, of which both the municipal and Spanish governments were well aware: the increased cost of food provisions; the need to maintain social control of the territory; and the consumption of urban space, inside and outside the walls. This chapter concludes that the Spanish control of capital and kingdom wa...
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Topics: 
Economy
Political economy