Las Secretarías de los Consejos, las de Estado y del despacho y sus oficiales durante la primera mitad del siglo XVIII.

Abstract

The former Councils of the Spanish Monarchy and their survival in the 18 th century are barely touched upon here. Of greater interest, however, are the new posts of Personal Secretary and Secretary of State and Office, the forerunner to contemporary ministers. Noteworthy during the long reign of Philip V was the frequency with which the arrival in power of these Secretaries was the culmination of a long life of administrative duty. The article thus focuses on their Secretariats or offices, and on those of the traditional Councils, the model of which was to be followed by the new institutions; on the career pursued by their employees or «officials» and on their social background; on the career training needed to gain access to these new posts and on what we might call the «administrative families» arising from patronage; and finally, on the gradual politicising of the Secretaries or ministers and that of their officials following the death of Carvajal and the fall of Ensenada. Moreover, some examples are given of the conflicts initially arising between the former and new institutions. These were inevitable at all levels in view of the loss of power of the Councils under the Bourbons and, in tandem, the diminished authority of the Councils Secretaries compared with the rise in that of the new Personal Secretaries.