Poor, poverty and assistance in the Hispanic Middle Ages. Balance and prospects

This article attempts to enhance the contributions of the last years, as well as the perspectives offered for the future, as regards of the poor, poverty and assistance in the Middle Ages in Spain. Since Social History emerged during the final years of the past century, the poor, and generaly the marginal groups, have gained the prominence they would never had lost. Concepts, causes, types of support and feelings for the poor are following one another in a process of renovation that reflects the structure and evolution of the society in which they lived, beeing now an indication of the progress of historical science.