In this interesting and useful, if not unproblematic, book Víctor Peralta Ruiz sets out to define and explore the relationships of patronage and friendship which underpinned Spanish national and imperial government during the eighteenth century. In a striking phrase, ancien régime governments are described as ‘fields of clientelistic force’ exerted by (vertical) patron-client and (horizontal) friendship relations (p. 19). The main focus of the book is on the Ministry of Indies and Marine (Secretaría de Indias y Marina), and the work aims to go beyond traditional studies of ministerial notables, to look at their relations with their teams of officials and with other major offices and institutions, both in Spain and America. A second, equally novel, theme is the central role of written texts in creating ties of obligation between actors in bureaucratic networks, which Peralta Ruiz argues operated alongside the better-known links of family, place of origin, or marriage.
The first substantive chapter consists of an expert essay on the Ministry of Indies and Marine from its origins in the 1710s to its abolition in 1790. Peralta Ruiz skillfully surveys the historiography of the topic, before making his own contribution through analysis of the relations of the Ministry with the Consejo de Indias, Casa de Contratación, and Consulado de Cádiz in Spain, and also with the viceroys and major consulados in America.
The remaining five chapters then present case studies of how relations of patronage and friendship actually developed (or failed to develop) and how the production of written texts facilitated this process. Two chapters are devoted to individuals now known mainly for their books and tracts, while two concern figures of real power within Bourbon government. In the former category stands Dionisio de Alsedo y Herrera, who was Governor of Quito and Panama for some fourteen years between 1728 and 1749, but is probably best known for a series of wide-ranging papers on American problems and affairs, several with a commercial bent. Similarly, José Eusebio Llano Zapata is known to historians mainly as the author of works, often on natural philosophical themes, which included the dauntingly titled Memorias histórico, fisica, crítico, apologéticas de la América Meridional (which was finally published in full by Peralta Ruiz and four co-editors only in 2005).
Closer to the heart of Bourbon government stood Sebastián de Eslava, who Peralta Ruiz identifies as the only individual to serve as both American viceroy (of New Granada, 1740–50) and Spanish Minister (of War, 1754–59). Eslava's extensive military career in Europe and Africa sealed his relations with the most powerful mid-eighteenth century Minister, the Marqués de la Ensenada, while providing preparation for the defining moment of his career, the successful defence of Cartagena de Indias against the British in 1741. A further figure whose career combined extensive American experience with high ministerial office was Antonio Porlier, Marqués de Bajamar, who held posts in the Audiencias of Charcas and Lima in 1759–76 before rising to the Consejo de Indias and Ministry of Grace and Justice. Lastly, a case apart is the chapter on the Junta Extraordinaria de Comercio de Indias, convened in 1764–65 to debate the reforms which led to the first significant ‘Free Trade’ decree in the latter year. The Junta was headed by the Marqués de los Llanos, and the originality of Peralta Ruiz's discussion – here as in several other chapters – lies not least in his discovery of significant fresh documentation on his themes.
It is surely fair to say that Americanist historiography produced in Spain receives deficient attention in the English-speaking academy, perhaps due to the perception (accurate or otherwise) that Spanish history remains stronger in detailed empirical narrative than interpretation. Scrutiny of the rich references and bibliography to this volume makes acutely clear the sheer volume of publications, both secondary and of major primary material, to have come out of Spain in recent years, and the impact this work must have on the wider field.
The core chapters of Patrones, clientes y amigos are deeply researched, reflecting years of work by Peralta Ruiz on their topics. As one finishes the book, nevertheless, two problems come to mind. Firstly, the conclusion – that patron-client relations and friendship played central roles in Bourbon government – is hardly surprising, although of course it is useful to have those relationships set out clearly for a number of significant individuals or institutions. Secondly, the case studies often read as stand-alone essays on their (quite diverse) topics, rather than as tightly-integrated contributions to a central argument. Peralta Ruiz's efforts to emphasise clientelism and friendship in each chapter notwithstanding, they are extremely detailed, and engage with their themes on a level likely to be of interest primarily to specialists in the particular areas or individuals discussed.
Additionally, and to conclude my criticisms of a book I enjoyed and learnt much from, I was unconvinced, on this evidence, of the centrality of written texts in the creation of relations of patronage. Alsedo y Herrera's well-received writings, for example, were unable to rescue his career from what appear to have been fairly humdrum corruption charges in Panama. The role of written propaganda (none of it from his own pen) in Eslava's rise post-Cartagena seems exaggerated, while Porlier's sponsorship of new historical writing on America seems to have arisen purely ex-officio, and ended with his Ministry of Grace and Justice. (One fascinating sub-theme of the chapter on Porlier, to mention in passing, is the ignoble role the Real Academia de la Historia played in the late eighteenth century in blocking virtually all publications on America barring its own.)
This is a deeply researched book, enlightening on its subjects, and of interest to scholars of Bourbon Spain and its (mainly Andean) empire, even if in terms of its central argument the volume promises more than it delivers.
