Abstract In the sixteenth century Spain developed Europe’s first global empire, an empire underpinned by the beliefs and structures of Catholicism, and driven by pursuits of God and of gold. The Casa de Contratación became the commercial and administrative hub of the Spanish Empire, a position which made it an important node in the network of the charitable spiritual economy. This article will show that charity was an important part of the daily business of the Casa de Contratación and that this charity was important to the fabric of the Spanish Empire in three ways. Firstly, charity is a mechanism for maintaining social order and the crown used the Casa de Contratación to give a benevolent face to empire and prevent unrest. Secondly, the bonds of charity were at the foundation of Christian communities, and by administering long-range charity the Casa de Contratación helped to maintain these communities across the empire, forming the new global Catholic communities of the Spanish Empire. Thirdly, the Casa de Contratación provided a legal framework for people within the empire to claim that they were poor and access resources by requesting different types of charity.

中文翻译：

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西班牙帝国的慈善债券：作为慈善机构的 Casa De Contratación

摘要 在 16 世纪，西班牙建立了欧洲第一个全球帝国，这个帝国以天主教的信仰和结构为基础，并受到对上帝和黄金的追求。Casa de Contratación 成为西班牙帝国的商业和行政中心，这一地位使其成为慈善精神经济网络中的重要节点。本文将说明慈善事业是 Casa de Contratación 日常业务的重要组成部分，并且该慈善事业在三个方面对西班牙帝国的结构很重要。首先，慈善是维护社会秩序的一种机制，王室通过“Contratación”给帝国一个仁慈的面孔，防止动乱。其次，慈善的纽带是基督教社区的基础，通过管理长期的慈善机构，Casa de Contratación 帮助维持了整个帝国的这些社区，形成了西班牙帝国新的全球天主教社区。第三，Casa de Contratación 为帝国内的人们提供了一个法律框架，可以通过请求不同类型的慈善机构来声称他们是贫穷的并获得资源。