The ‘Junta de Dependencias de Extranjeros’ (1714-1800): The socio-political background of a historical institution

Abstract

This paper sets out to analyze the Junta de Dependencia de Extranjeros, an institution that was created within the framework of the government reforms that characterized the reign of Phillip V after the war of Spanish succession in order to monitor and control the activity of foreign merchants settled in numerous Spanish cities. During its operative period this institution developed a strong links and effective lines of communication with foreign merchant communities resident in Spain. This study is based on primary sources such as the documentation generated by the Junta, which included requests and complaints lodged by merchants and merchant communities as well as reports on the appointment of foreign consuls. These sources are preserved in the State sections of the Archivo Histórico Nacional de Madrid and the Archivo General de Simancas. The correspondence of the representatives of merchant communities in Spain has also been used, as well as affidavits and population censuses preserved in the Provincial Archives of Madrid, Cadiz and Murcia. These sources have been interrogated in order to establish the stances and discourses adopted by both the Spanish government and the foreign merchants settled in those cities that sent representatives to the offices of Spain’s central government. The requests and complaints filed by foreign merchants and consuls in this context demonstrate the strength of their communities, which had been granted substantial privileges during the second half of the seventeenth century, and to which the Junta responded with a high degree of understanding. The Junta’s conciliatory stance was linked not only to pressure exerted by foreign ambassadors, but also to limitations established by the peace treaties signed by Spain. The Junta de Dependencia de Extranjeros clearly adopted a radically different position to that of Charles II’s fiercely protectionist government, and generally responded favourably to requests from foreign merchants relating to tax exemptions and the defence of commercial practices. These foreign communities can be regarded as autonomous entities that were detached from their respective countries of origin and enjoyed a great deal of influence at the royal court and within its lobbies.