Onomastics and mobility of the population in Cáceres (13th century-1525)

This study analyses demographic mobility in Cáceres from its Christian conquest in 1229 to the early 16th century, with particular focus on immigration. During the 13th and 14th centuries, settlement was gradual and driven primarily by immigrants from León, Galicia and Castile, whose presence is also reflected in local toponymy. By the 15th century, although León continued to be the main source of settlers, migration became more diversified, including arrivals from New Castile, Galicia, neighbouring Extremadura towns, Andalusia and Portugal. Unlike earlier centuries, immigration in this period no longer responded to the structural need to repopulate newly conquered lands, but rather to economic opportunities, service in noble households, and artisan or labour mobility. Although the town no longer experienced a structurally positive migratory balance, the continuous arrival of newcomers contributed to the renewal and consolidation of Cáceres as a key urban centre in late-medieval Extremadura