Negotiate the position, agree on corruption. The appointment of the prince of Santo Buono as viceroy of Peru and his previous marketings

Abstract

In a political context marked by the widespread corruption of those who had served and were serving as viceroys in America, in 1709, at the initiative of the French ambassador Michel Amelot, a change was proposed in the policy of appointing the new viceroys of Peru and Nueva Spain. This change consisted of allowing them additional earnings on their salaries in order to mitigate the corrupt practices that had become widespread and that had a direct impact on the king's treasury. The case of the appointment of the Duke of Linares as viceroy of New Spain and, more specifically, of the prince of Santo Buono as viceroy of Peru is studied. Based on the study of the latter's private correspondence, and the crossing with state sources, it is shown how, in addition to obtaining these additional profits, he obtained a license to navigate a ship in which he would load merchandise, so that he began his illicit activities before his arriving in Lima, with permission of the king. In the city of Cádiz, in the year 1715, the Neapolitan nobleman requested loans worth nearly 300.000 pesos, which he would return months later in Portobelo, once the merchandise he was carrying had been sold. At the same time, both through these credits and during the long journey, he began to articulate a network of relationships that would be fundamental for his years in government.