Noble Burgos

I can only come to the conclusion that after we pass Navarre and La Rioja and go on into Burgos and Castile y León the wise pilgrim will relate to those waiting to receive us there in a bit more deferential manner. I am reading a marvelous book on European history-16th 17th centuries and have stumbled across many fascinating historical experiences. Not too much on Santiago but quite a bit on northern Spain. "The need to defend Christendom against its external enemies was only one reason for finding more nobles at the margins. The periphery also never experienced feudal overlordship, so nobility was personal and not restricted by the legal constraints of holding a tenured barony"…"In 1591, nobles made up over 46 per cent of the population of the provinces of Burgos and Leon, a majority of those living in Burgos had achieved noble status"(!)…In Castile, municipalities created nobles by accepting a head of household as a commoner knight (caballero villano) and thus exempt from taxation on the local register in return for a fee." Why do you think Don Quixote is fantasy? All this means that many of the people casually walking about beautiful downtown Burgos are descended from nobility! A lot of history has passed since then, no reason to bow or touch a forelock but it is a fascinating peek into Spanish culture, mores, and society. The book which I currently have my nose poked into deals with the collapse of 1500 years of Christendom due to Martin Luther, the Reformation, and just when parts of Catholic Europe was regaining their feet along comes the French Revolution to finish off whatever had been and brought about the modern church, entitled "Christendom Destroyed Europe 1517-1648" by Mark Greengrass. A word of warning, the book weighs in at just 700 pages, not to be taken lightly especially if it falls on your foot! A very informative and intriquing read for those with the interest and time.