Politics in Enlightened Spain during the 18th century: a new historiographic direction
José Luis Gómez Urdáñez,
Department of Human Sciences
University of La Rioja
ORCID: 0000-0003-4067-3878
Published: 23/09/2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31338/ahi.2022.1.2
ABSTRACT: The diversification of the studies on the 18th century allows us to expand on old controversies and find new ways of understanding them. Concepts such as “enlightened absolutism” may be appropriate if we speak of the political formula in which “ministerial despotism” was sheltered under the king’s power to develop plans that, without his support, could not have been successful. The Enlightenment acted as a desideratum, but it coexisted with the motto “to command is to punish”, which came from the stalest absolutism and continued to demonstrate efficacy. In summary, it was proposed to deepen the debate of the contradictions of a century in excess of “sugar-coating”. In summary, it is proposed here to delve into the dialectic of the contradictions of an excessively “sweetened” century and to reflect with new arguments on the limitations that the reformist process had in a society based on privilege. The 18th century, “the century of authority”, broadened the limits and allowed some political, economic and social reforms, but always appealing to “order” and “obedience to authority”. The “Domus Regia”, the tension between the Grandees and the ministers of “plebeian” origin -some even poor, such as Soler, Gálvez or Ensenada- and a “political” Church, subjected to regalism, make up the framework of political action for this century.
KEYWORDS: enlightened absolutism, enlightened despotism, monarchy, political violence, Spain, 18th century.
