The Origins of Bourbon Reform in Spanish South America, 1700–1763

This book has had a 20-year gestation. Its remote origins lie in a master's dissertation written in 1993-1994, that led on to a doctoral thesis begun in the latter year and completed in 1998. I will first again express here the gratitude acknowledged in that thesis to the individuals and institutions who assisted in different ways in its development. Professor John Fisher supervised my doctorate at the Institute of Latin American Studies of the University of Liverpool, and has been an academic sponsor, and a friend, ever since. Many members of the staff of the institute (now defunct, to my real sadness) helped with the research at different times and in different ways, as did staff at the University's Sydney Jones library, with its excellent Latin American collections. I would like to acknowledge the assistance of staff at the other main research collections where the work was carried out: the Archivo General de Indias in Seville in Spain, the Archivo General de la Nación in Lima in Peru, and the Archivo Nacional de Bolivia in Sucre. I was also privileged to visit the private library of Félix Denegri Luna in Lima in 1996, before his death in 1998 and its subsequent transfer to the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. My grandmother, Violet Whitaker, who died on January 5, 1999, took an interest in my thesis and paid for the desktop computer on which it was written. I undertook my doctoral studies alongside Tim Marr, who provided much-needed camaraderie and has remained among my closest friends. Paul Heggarty was already a close friend, and has remained one, as well as an academic collaborator in recent years. It would be impossible to acknowledge all debts accrued over the 15 years and more since the thesis was written, and I will not attempt to do so. Since 1998, I worked at different universities and institutions: the Universities of Warwick and Nottingham Trent, the Institute for the Study of the Americas (University of London), and King's College London. I found abundant support and warmth from This Book Presents One Of The First Detailed Analyses Of The First Six Decades Of Bourbon Rule In Spanish America (1700-1763). Based On A Wealth Of Archival Sources In Spain And Peru And On A Body Of Historical Research That Has Transformed Our Understanding Of This Period In Just The Past Few Years, It Turns Existing Interpretations On Their Heads, Staking A Claim For The Significance Of The Early Bourbon Era Within The Broad Sweep Of Spanish Colonial History. Above All, It Argues That The Much Better-known Late-bourbon Program Of Reforms For The American Colonies, Associated Primarily With The Reign Of The 'great Reformer-king' Charles Iii, Cannot Be Understood Without Reference To The Half-century That Preceded His Accession To The Spanish Throne-- Introduction: The Early Bourbon Period In Spanish South America : An Interpretation -- 1. Imperial Hiatus : War In Spain And Crisis In Peru, 1700 To 1720s -- 2. Bourbon Rule And The Origins Of Reform In Spain And The Colonies, 1700-1719 -- 3. The First Cycle Of Reform, 1710s To 1736 : Spanish Atlantic Trade -- 4. The First Cycle Of Reform, 1710s To 1736 : Government, Treasury, Mining, And The Church -- 5. Reform Abated, 1736-1745 -- 6. Reform Renewed : The Second Cycle, 1745-1763 -- 7. Conclusions. Adrian J. Pearce. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "This book presents one of the first detailed analyses of the first six decades of Bourbon rule in Spanish America (1700-1763). Based on a wealth of archival sources in Spain and Peru and on a body of historical research that has transformed our understanding of this period in just the past few years, it turns existing interpretations on their heads, staking a claim for the significance of the early Bourbon era within the broad sweep of Spanish colonial history. Above all, it argues that the much better-known late-Bourbon program of reforms for the American colonies, associated primarily with the reign of the 'great reformer-king' Charles III, cannot be understood without reference to the half-century that preceded his accession to the Spanish throne"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction The Early Bourbon Period in Spanish South America: An Interpretation....Pages 1-21 Imperial Hiatus: War in Spain and Crisis in Peru, 1700 to 1720s....Pages 23-42 Bourbon Rule and the Origins of Reform in Spain and the Colonies, 1700 to 1719....Pages 43-62 The First Cycle of Reform, 1710s to 1736: Spanish Atlantic Trade....Pages 63-88 The First Cycle of Reform, 1710s to 1736: Government, Treasury, Mining, and the Church....Pages 89-121 Reform Abated, 1736 to 1745....Pages 123-141 Reform Renewed: The Second Cycle, 1745 to 1763....Pages 143-170 Conclusions....Pages 171-180 Back Matter....Pages 181-264 Integrating the political and governmental histories of Spain and the American colonies, this book focuses on the political and governmental history of the Viceroyalty of Peru during the 'early Bourbon' period and provides a new interpretation of the period's broader significance within Spanish American history.