My career began with my undergraduate studies in Geography and History at the University of Córdoba, Spain (1974-1979) which I completed successfully and obtained my degree after having presented a dissertation on El señorío de Benamejí durante el siglo XVI under the supervision of Dr José Manuel de Bernardo Ares (Department of Modern and Contemporary History, Córdoba, January 10th 1983). After meeting professors Manuel Torres López and José Manuel Pérez-Prendes (of the Universidad Complutense of Madrid) I studied for a degree in Law at that university (1984-1990).
Manuel Torres López had a considerable influence not only on the main subject of my research, the Seigneurial system, but on the very conception of the research: the long conversations I had with him, his views on a wide range of topics and the depth of his reflections marked my professional training. He was always a source of support and encouragement in the pursuit of my academic vocation, that had led to a teaching and research career following his conception of the subject, which was later developed by José Manuel Pérez-Prendes, to whom I owe the rest of my university education and the position I now occupy.
This period culminated with the attainment of a PhD Degree (from the Department of Medieval and Modern History and Historiographical Sciences, UNED, January 10th 1990) following the same line of investigation. The title of my doctoral thesis was Infurción y martiniega durante la vigencia del régimen señorial.
As regards my teaching carrer, I started as an honoray assistant in the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of the University of Córdoba (1981-1982) and later in 1984 as an assistant in the UNED (National University of Distance Learning). From that moment I gained successively the following positions: assistant teacher as established by the University Reform Act (LRU), associate university lecturer and then full-time university lecturer in the Department of the History of Law and Institutions; being accredited as professor in March 2009, took possesion in December, 7 2011. Currently I am a member in the Department of Social Services and Legal and Historical Foundations, Faculty of Law of the UNED, in whose situation I remain.
The characteristics of students of the UNED motivated me to prepare teaching materials adapted to their needs, both by contribuiting chapters to collective works and as sole author of two manuals: Materiales para un curso de Historia del Derecho español (Resources for a course on the History of Spanish Law), UNED; Madrid, 1999-2000, 2 vols., which has a 2010 edition adapted for the degree in Law, and Historia del Derecho privado, penal y procesal (The History of private, criminal and procedural Law), UNED-Universitas, Madrid. 2002, 2 vols.
In paralell to this, I have been involved in some teaching innovation projects, such as FOTEUMIDIS (tutoring of students with disabilities) and DIPROVATIES.
Teaching has always been closely linked to investigation in my career, and I have sought to maintain coherence between the various lines of research that I have developed within the concept of the History of Law that I share with my teachers.
The fundamental line of research initiated by Manuel Torres on the Seigneurial system has resulted in a series of publications, first on the "Nuevas poblaciones", then on Local Law, on seigneurial duties and in what way they differ from the forms of taxation. In time, my research led me to the eighteenth century with the study of the Junta de Incorporación (Incorporation Board), and the nineteenth century and the problems associated with the abolition of the seigneurial regime, as well as the popular movements arising from the events of that century, with particular reference to land tenure.
The Seigneurial system is linked to the conception of royal power, so from this core I began to develop a series of studies on both taxes (already initiated in connection with the PhD) and on the very concept of royal power and its organs of administration, especially the analysis of the Parliament and the matters it dealt with, its regulation of different organs such as the Council of Regency, and so on.
Finally, I have also worked in university management holding the post of Tutor coordinator for four years, and for two further years I was Advisor to the European Higher Education Area for the the development of the proposal for Degrees of the Falcuty of Law.
I have also developed work on the management of international courses and conferences; I am a member of the Editorial Board of the edition of the complete works of Ginés de Sepúlveda, I am the deputy editor of the magazine e-Legal History Review and executive director of the Association of Comparative Lusitanian History (HALCO).
In 2000 I was elected associate member of the Academia Portuguesa da Història.
At present my research and teaching career focuses mainly on the organization of an international research team, especially with Portuguese teachers, and teaching projects on new technologies for distance education, primarily with the Universidade Aberta (Portugal), both of which were started as a result of the organization of the Spanish-Portuguese Congress Contraluces de una guerra. De la invasión francesa a la recepción de sus ideas en España y Portugal. I also cooperate with the Academia Portuguesa da Història and I continue to research on issues related to the Seigneurial system, Local Law and violence against women.
