This is a text written by Aranda describing Spain’s diplomatic situation vis-à-vis England and France. This duality of powers in Spain’s position is indicative of the polarisation that had taken place in Europe with the hegemony of the two powers. Spain, which enjoyed a period of peace under Ferdinand VI, had politicians in its ranks who were in favour of establishing alliance blocs around an English or French ecosystem. However, historiography has interpreted these blocs as Anglophile or Francophile, as if Spanish politicians had an interest in promoting the rise of these powers against their monarchy. It seems that this had nothing to do with what had been believed, as Diego Tellez Alarcia says, and that this was a view that historiography uncritically took from the publicity writings against the politicians of the monarchy, with the aim of discrediting them in the public eye. Each of these politicians of the stature of Aranda, Ricardo Wall and Carvajal had in mind to establish a bloc of equilibrium according to one power or another, which they considered to be decisive in terms of its power. But they had not forgotten that, in the political game, both monarchies, the English and the French, were historical enemies of the Spanish.

Collection: Texts

Chronology: XVIII

Scope: Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, University

Link: https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/28505/1/RHM_21.pdf

Resource type: Historical source

Source: Aranda a Wall, Varsovia, 21 de febrero de 1761, A.G.S., Estado,libro 154.

Language: Spanish

Date: 21/2/1761

Owner: Djebril Bouzidi (Modernalia)

Identifier: Aranda a Wall, Varsovia, 21 de febrero de 1761, A.G.S., Estado,libro 154.

Abstract: Correspondence from Aranda Wall describing the Spanish diplomatic situation with regard to the English and French

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