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When a failed military coup provoked civil war in Spain in July 1936, the Spanish government made a worldwide plea for assistance. More than 2500 British men answered the call, taking up arms in defence of the democratically-elected Republican government. While this show of international solidarity has been widely documented, much less attention has been given to the massive response made by British women. Thousands of women organized nationwide campaigns to send aid to Spain. One of these women was Frida Stewart (1910–96), a young musician with a strong social conscience. As is the case with so many other women, Frida's recollections, her memoir and correspondence, upon which the following essay is closely based, constitute a valuable historical resource for the analysis of women's experiences during the war and give voice to those whose stories have previously gone unheard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spain signed the Geneva Convention in 1864 and the Spanish Red Cross Society (SRC) was established in July of that year. Yet, only after 1870 the SRC revived and quickly expanded, forming local and provincial committees as well as ladies' sections. This revival mostly resulted from, first, the activation of humanitarian sensibilities and networks on the occasion of the Franco-Prussian war (1870–1871), and then, the general mobilization of the SRC in reaction to the Carlist war of 1872–1876. This article examines the humanitarian work of Spanish women throughout this period through the intervention of the SRC ladies' sections, especially the central one. It reveals that these women played a crucial role in organizing, deploying and sustaining its humanitarian relief to the combatants. They empowered themselves by taking advantage of, and contributing to, the spreading of a view of women – very common at the time – as having a specific gender 'instinct' that made them 'naturally' suited to charitable and compassionate tasks. Pacifism is present in the humanitarian views and practices of these women, particularly in the case of Concepción Arenal (1820–1893), a social reformer, lawyer and writer, who was fully involved with the SRC during the Carlist war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An article discussing the treatment of people with mental disorders in late medieval and early modern Spain is presented. The author examines the progressive views of insanity in the Spanish kingdoms and notes a lack of scholarship on the issue. The historiography of Spanish psychiatric care and the role of Mercedarian friar Father Jofré are also included.

Spain was officially represented at the preliminary international conference the "International Committee for the Assistance to Sick and Wounded Soldiers" (better known as the "Geneva Committee") organised at Geneva in October 1863; and joined the Red Cross one year later on the occasion of the first Geneva Convention in August 1864. This article explores the ambivalence between the humanitarian ethos and the military efficiency in the early Spanish Red Cross through the works of Nicasio Landa (1830-1891). A medical major of the Spanish Military Health Service, the co-founder of the Spanish section of the Red Cross in 1864, and its general inspector in 1867, Landa was its most active promoter, and responsible for its connections with the Geneva Committee and other national sections of this international association during its early times. He was not only an active correspondent, but also a prolific author of monographs, leaflets and articles in specialized and daily newspapers on humanitarianism and war medicine, in addition to being the founder of the Spanish Red Cross journal La Caridad en la Guerra in 1870.

The personality and works of the converso physician Francisco López de Villalobos (c.1473-c. 1549) have been widely studied, ever since the late 19th century, when Antonio María Fabié published his classic work on this figure, which is still the point of departure for any new approach. However, most subsequent works have only focused upon some aspects of Villalobos' protean figure. The article is intended to explore Villalobos' Latin and Castilian letters in order to better understand the significance and motivations of this professional courier at the different noble courts (mainly that of Alba) and royal Castilian courts (of Ferdinand the Catholic and Charles V) in which he served during the first half of the 16th century. In each of these settings, his professional path took on particular features according to his variable expectations and to the degree of satisfaction he achieved.