“When a Valencian Goes to Madrid, He Is Considered a Bandit”

The article analyses the memory and media repercussions of Valencian banditry in the seventeenth century, a topic largely forgotten by Spanish historiography. Following the decline of Catalan banditry and preceding the rise of Andalusian banditry, Valencian bandits held a dominant position in Hispanic popular culture. Through diaries, pamphlets, chronicles, judicial records, and travel accounts, we can observe how these bandits influenced public opinion and challenged the state. The repercussions of this phenomenon led to Valencians being perceived as bloodthirsty and vengeful – an enduring stereotype that later became entrenched in the popular printed literature of the Baroque and Enlightenment periods. Notable examples include Pere Andrés and Mateu Vicent Benet, whose stories circulated widely, preserving their memory well into the nineteenth century.