Consolidating Central Power in Turbulent Times: The Emergence of the Secretary of the Universal Office in the 17th Century

Abstract

Bridging the gap, the Baroque and the figure of the valido emerged and evolved in the Spanish Monarchy as a response to a need to reaffirm power and authority at a time of crisis and transformation. In this sense, the creation of the Secretary of Universal Office at the beginning of the reign of Philip IV, which will be the focus of this article, constituted a fundamental element to reinforce the valido, avoiding, as had happened in the previous reign, that this individual directly dealt with matters that generated excessive discomfort or even rejection within the administrative machinery of the monarchy. Given that throughout the 17th century this was always a position of trust held by the king, there are still many unanswered questions about these secretaries; whose relevance grew to such an extent that, by the 18th century, a system of government was established based essentially on the Secretaries of State and of the Office.