Venality of Municipal Offi ces in Eighteenth Century Castile: A Quantifi cation Essay

Abstract

Historians of Early Modern Castile have frequently pointed sales of offices as a crucial phenomenon in explaining the shaping of local oligarchies and the political decay of city councils. Sale of municipal offices —mainly those of regidores, or city-councilors—has been an almost mandatory item in any local study on urban oligarchies in Castilian towns, often used as an indicator of renovation processes within those groups. However, little effort has been made to asess the impact of sales of municipal offices on a broader scale, and its subsequent evolution. This study attempts to answer three important questions: the amount and typology of venal offices, its territorial distribution thout the crown of Castile and the evolution of the demand of offices as a proxy for its social and political value. To do so, it exploits two main sources: the indexes of renounciation of offices troughout Eighteenth century and a recopilation of data sets on prices of offices, published or not, in cities represented in Parliament. Finally, the crucial question of the historical relevance of venality is adressed, challenging traditional views.