El mantenimiento del orden público desde la Ilustración al Liberalismo. Los alcaldes de barrio en Valladolid (1769-1844)

Abstract

By royal decree in 1769 the neighbourhood mayors (alcaldes de barrio) were introduced in Valladolid, one year after Madrid. This was the most important reform of the urban police force in Enlightenment Spain. These agents of order, widely considered to be the origins of the contemporary civil police force, were to remain in the city of the Pisuerga until 1844, with reforms and adjustments during the War of Independence, the Liberal Triennium and the Reign of Isabella II.This paper will set out the neighbourhood mayors, their social origins, jurisdiction and role (which were not confined to policing) and daily activities. It will underline both the similarities and differences with the Madrid model, as well as continuities and changes over time. The rich documentation held in the Archive of the Royal Chancellery of Valladolid (Archivo de la Real Chancillería de Valladolid) provides a mass of detail, and this paper pays special attention to the neighbourhood mayors as they were established in the eighteenth century, that is to say under the authority of the crime mayors (alcaldes del crimen).

Keywords

• 18th century
• Spain
• 19th century
• Police
• Public Order