This thesis explores the changes introduced in the Spanish system of viceregal rule, both in Peninsular Spain and the Spanish America, during the reigns of Philip V (1700-1724 and 1724-1746). It argues that these changes reflect broader transformations in Spain's politics and political culture accelerated by the arrival of the Bourbon dynasty. In particular, the thesis documents the gradual emergence of three characteristics associated with the transition from a judicial to an administrative monarchy: the introduction of new decision making and implementation procedures which prioritise executive government and limited consultation; the consolidation of a new understanding of the role of monarchical government which places less emphasis on the provision of justice and more on the king's responsibilty for matters of economic government and development; and a reshuffling of the elites which make up governmental institutions in favour of individuals with direct connections to the new royal household, distinguished more for their loyalty, administrative efficiency or military merit than for their social status and distinctions. The thesis studies the suppression of viceregal rule in the Crown of Aragon, the initially failed but later successful attempts to establish a third viceroyalty in Spanish America, and the changing social origins, and career paths of the men appointed as viceroys through the period as well as the changing expectations placed on them. The thesis highlights important parallels between the reforms introduced in Peninsular Spain and Spanish America, both in their aims and the personnel chosen to implement them. It thus suggests that Spanish ministers during the first half of the eighteenth century often espoused the opinion that the Crown should look at the Indies, in the words of José del Campillo, 'as a sizeable portion of the Monarchy in which it is possible to implement the same improvements as in Spain'.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:551220 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Eissa-Barroso, Francisco A. |
| Publisher | University of Warwick |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/46597/ |
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