Early Modern Court Politics

El siglo XVIII fue un periodo de grandes cambios dentro de la Casa Real. Dentro de ella, la Real Caballeriza siguió jugando un papel determinante como gran gestora de las salidas públicas del monarca.
En tiempos de Carlos III, la reforma aprobada el 11 de septiembre de 1761 alteró notablemente los cimientos de la institución. Tras la unificación de las Caballerizas del rey y de la reina, fue necesaria una redistribución de muchos dependientes, que en muchos casos se quedaron sin plaza hasta surgir una vacante de su oficio. Así mismo, hubo significativos cambios en la planta que también requieren ser analizados.
Finalmente, cabe reseñar que, como en cualquier ordenanza de este tipo, la parte económica sería fundamental. Por ello, no erramos al afirmar que el gran objetivo por el que se aprobó esta nueva planta fue reducir el gasto que la Caballeriza suponía para el erario regio.
PALABRAS CLAVE: Real Caballeriza, Caballeriza del rey, Casa Real, Carlos III, Ceremonial, Caballerizo mayor.

Eighteenth century was a time of change in the Spanish Royal Household. Within it, the Royal Mews kept on playing a very important role as managers of the public exits of the King.
During the reign of Carlos III, the reform approved on September 11, 1761, altered the basis of the institution. After the unification of the King and Queens Mews, it was necessary to redistribute many dependents, who in many cases were left without a seat until the emegence of a vacancy. Likewise, there were significant changens in the composition of each department that also need to be analyzed.
To sum up, it must be noted that, as in any ordinace of this type, the economic part would be essential. Therefore, we do not err in stating that this new arrangement was approved to reduce the expense that the Mews represented for the royal treasury.
KEY WORDS: Royal Mews, Kings mews, Royal Household, Carlos III, Ceremonial, Master of the King ́s Horse.

Research Interests: Early Modern History, Courts, XVIII century, Early Modern Court Politics, Monarquía Hispánica, Spanish Monarchy, Court Studies, European Royal Households, Royal Households, Casa Real, Libros De La Corte, Charles III of Spain, La Corte en España, Spanish Royal Household, Royal mews y Real Caballeriza

This dissertation is a study of the diplomatic endeavours of the Jacobite cause in eighteenth century Vienna. Jacobitism was dependent on factors over which it had little or no control, in particular the ever changing alliances and political stances of the European powers. Diplomatic culture both revolved around and was moulded by the noble elites in the courts of Europe. Diplomats were noblemen and as a result relied upon their skills acquired as members of the noble elite to serve them on their missions abroad. Jacobite diplomats were noblemen who dined and attended the opera with other ambassadors and Austrian nobles in attempts to gain political favour and influence. This dissertation, written from the Jacobite perspective, demonstrates how, while being representatives of a marginalised political cause, the diplomats of James Stuart, Pretender to the thrones of Britain and Ireland, were able to operate as effectively as other more privileged diplomatic colleagues in the court of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. The Jacobites were ultimately pawns in the political machinations of the Habsburg court, a tool which Austria exploited when it suited her political interests. However, it is also clear that while ostracized and dependent almost exclusively on chance, the Jacobites remained heavily involved in eighteenth century international politics.

Isabel de Villena, author of Humanism, offers a female paradigm of government in her Vita Christi: the Virgin Mary as queen and as pope. Through queenship, she formulates a new political ethic that she presents as a model to power male holders. Its study confirms the participation of the author in the “Querelle of Femmes” and show coincidences with contemporary courts of queens like Isabel I.
Isabel de Villena, autora del Humanismo, presenta un paradigma femenino de gobierno en su Vita Christi: la Virgen María reina y papisa. Mediante la reginalidad formula una nueva ética política a seguir por los titulares masculinos del poder. Su estudio refrenda la participación de la autora en la Querella de las Mujeres y muestra sintonías con cortes de reinas contemporáneas como Isabel I.

Antonio Caetani (archbishop of Capua, 1566-1624) was a high exponent of an

aristocratic Roman family, whose loyalty to the Spanish crown was well known. He

grew up within the patronage network of the Cardinal Nephew Pietro Aldobrandini,

and later moved to that of Scipione Borghese. Thereafter, he became servant of

three causes: firstly, he pledged obedience to the Pope and to the papal family;

secondly, he was vassal of the Spanish crown, and thirdly, he had to serve his own

noble House. The Caetani’s “triple loyalty” will clearly be proved during his

Nunciature of Spain (1611-1618): it had a significant impact on his diplomatic role at

the court of Madrid. This topic might be helpful in highlighting some aspects of

diplomacy in early modern Europe, and will shed light on how the interests of

individuals and factions were able to consistently influence international politics.


ERRATA CORRIGE: The manuscript entitled "Life of the Cardinal Antonio Caetani", (BAV, Barb. Lat., Ms. 6030) is dated 1634 and not 1624.

This article discusses the social mobility strategies of the Teles de Meneses family throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, seeking to understand their influence on the family's social evolution and improved ranking at the court. Marriage policy and service in the Iberian courts are analyzed over three different generations and from two standpoints: first, the preservation of the family's pre-acquired status; second, the diversification of the services performed in the various settings where its influence could be exercised. This will highlight the reasons behind the social evolution of this family and the subsequent granting of titles to some of its members.

«Premier ministre de Louis XIII » et « fondateur de l’Académie française » : tels sont les titres associés à la figure d’Armand Jean du Plessis (1585-1642), cardinal-duc de Richelieu, sur les plaques de rue qui affichent son nom au coeur de Paris. Ce ne sont que les plus connus d’un grand nombre de titres acquis ou attribués à ce célèbre homme d’État et d’Église dont la vie, l’histoire et la légende se composent de mille et une facettes. Ce Dictionnaire invite le lecteur à les découvrir ou à les redécouvrir autrement à travers cent vingt notices rédigées par cinquante-sept spécialistes du Cardinal et de son époque. Replacé dans son contexte français, européen et, parfois même, mondial, chaque sujet abordé renvoie à plusieurs autres dont la lecture – complémentaire ou indépendante de celle d’une biographie de Richelieu – permettra à tout un chacun d’aborder, selon ses besoins et envies, la réflexion et l’action de celui qui avait largement contribué à l’avènement du Grand Siècle.

“Chief Minister of Louis XIII” and “founder of the Académie Française” are but the best-known titles held by Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal-Duke of Richelieu. The 120 entries in this dictionary offer an original exploration of the manifold facets of the statesman-cum-clergyman’s life and legend.

Ont participé à ce volume : Cécile d’Albis; Ghislaine André; Serge Aroles; Laurent Avezou; Marie-Noëlle Baudouin-Matuszek; Françoise Bayard; Claire Béchu; Yves-Marie Bercé; Joseph Bergin; Christophe Blanquie; François Boulêtreau; Michel Cassan; Alexandre Cojannot; Jonathan Dewald; Jean-François Dubost; Hélène Duccini; Fadi El Hage; Hélène Fernandez-Lacôte; Alexandre Gady; Barbara Gaehtgens; Pierre Gatulle; Madeleine Haehl; Dénes Harai; Philippe Henrat; Françoise Hildesheimer; Alain Hugon; Stéphane Jettot; Arlette Jouanna; Camille Lefauconnier-Ripoll; Yves Le Guillou; Brigitte Lozza; Caroline Maillet-Rao; Claire Martin; Jacqueline Martin-Bagnaudez; Fabrice Maurin; Claude Michaud; Stéphane-Marie Morgain; Pascale Mormiche; Alice Motte; Yannick Nexon; David Parrott; Jotham Parsons; François Pernot; Laurent Perrillat; Benoist Pierre; Olivier Poncet; Pascal Rambeaud; Orest Ranum; Isabelle Richefort; Jean-Marc Roger; Paul Sonnino; Sylvie Taussig; Arnaud Teyssier; Erik Thomson; Myriam Tsimbidy; Marie-Catherine Vignal-Souleyreau; Laurent Veyssière.

Between 1596 and 1601 John Peyton the Younger (1579–1635) travelled to Germany, Bohemia, Poland–Lithuania, Switzerland, and Italy. His accounts of the Empire and Bohemia are among the most detailed and best informed reports to have survived from the period, yet they are virtually unknown to modern scholarship. Furthermore, he was the author of the celebrated description of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, A Relation of the State of Polonia and the United Provinces of that Crown, Anno 1598. Based on new evidence, this article shows that John Peyton's travels in Central Europe formed part of Cecil's attempts to gather intelligence on Spanish diplomatic activity in the Empire and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. I argue that Peyton was one of many contemporaries who left England on an Elizabethan Grand Tour; a peculiar mixture of visiting European countries for culture, education and intelligence. His writings, however, belong to the more sophisticated written achievements in Elizabethan intelligence gathering.