El juicio político a Floridablanca: la creación de la Junta de Estado

Abstract

Following his dismissal in February 1792, the Count of Floridablanca was arrested and imprisoned in the citadel of Pamplona. Until now the only charge that we knew had been made against him was one of embezzlement of public funds in the construction of the Imperial Canal in Aragon. However, hitherto-unpublished documents now show that he was also subjected to a «political trial”, accused of having created the «Junta de Estado» or Committee of State, a body that drew powers away from the monarchy's traditional Councils. This article examines that political trial and presents a new «defence» penned by Floridablanca himself, and it also un­dertakes a comparative analysis, on the one hand of what the «Junta de Estado» actually was and on the other of the accusations made by his political enemies. At the same time it focuses on a specific aspect, namely appointments to the chief public offices of the monarchy, to examine the connections between the action of the «Junta de Estado» and the role played by Floridablanca in that respect during the years when the new body was operational.

Keywords

• Patronage
• Floridablanca
• Carlos IV
• Godoy