Corporate Body - Consejo Real de España e Indias

Consejo Real de España e Indias

Identification

Type:

Corporate Body

Preferred form:

Consejo Real de España e IndiasOther forms

Fechas de Existencia:

from 1834 to 1836

History:

The Royal Council of Spain and the Indies was created in 1834 following the drastic reform of central administration, which arose from the death of Ferdinand VII and the ultimate establishment of liberalism. This political doctrine advocates for the separation of powers, which could not cause any confusion between judicial, advisory, legal and administrative powers and the duplicity of the institutions of the Antique Régime.

The Decrees issued on the 24th March 1834 stated that the administrative structure would be simplified and rationalized by implementing the following measures: the dissolution of existing Councils; the centralization of administrative powers in the Secretarías del Despacho, equipped with new facilities; the creation of new courts whose exclusive concern would be the judicial function (Supreme Courts of Spain and The Indies, War and Navy, and Finance); and the creation of the Royal Council of Spain and The Indies (decree Nº 6), as the highest advisory body of central administration which would take over the advisory powers of the former Councils and the Chamber of Castile. Organizationally, it would depend on the Secretary of State in his role of President of the Council of Ministers (Art. 3 of the Decree of creation). His main function was to inform the offices about all kinds of governmental matters submitted by the Queen and the Secretaries. Far from being legally binding, his decisions had a rather consultative nature. Regarded as a contradiction to the spirit of the 1812 Constitution (incompatible with Article 236), it was abolished by R.D. issued on the 18th September 1836, as a direct consequence of the Carta Magna* restoration in the wake of the events in La Granja**. The abolition did not come hand in hand with the allegedly mandatory reestablishment of the Council of State, hence why there arose the necessity for a well-functioning advisory body. Such necessity led to the creation of the Royal Council, an organism with similar characteristics established on the 6th July, 1845. On top of its name, the most noteworthy innovation was a number of specific powers attributed to this Council. By R.D. issued on 14th July 1858, it would become the Council of State (Art. 1: “The Royal Council shall be known hereinafter as the Council of State”).

*Carta Magna: from Latin “The Great Charter”

**La Granja: reference to the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso

Internal Structure-Genealogy:

Under the regulations issued on the 9th May and the 20th December 1834, it was structured as follows: the President, the General Secretariat, seven sections (State, Grace and Justice, War, Navy, Finance, Development and The Indies); that is to say, one section per Ministry, except for the Indies (it will handle all the business affairs of the overseas territories, regardless of the sector) and the archive.

Mandates/Legal Sources

Description:

-Artículo de Oficio de la Reforma de la Administración del Estado, publicado en suplemento a la Gaceta de Madrid el 25 de marzo de 1834.

-Decreto por el que la reina manda elaborar el reglamento del Consejo Real de España e Indias, publicado en la Gaceta de Madrid el 2 de Abril de 1834.

La planta y atribuciones del Consejo Supremo de España e Indias quedan fijadas por los reglamentos de 9 de mayo y de 20 de diciembre de 1834, así como por una instrucción sin fecha que los complementa.

-Real Decreto de 18 de septiembre de 1836, publicado en la Gaceta de Madrid el 30 de septiembre de 1836.

Sources

PARES: Código Referencia:ES.28079.AHN/2.3.3.4//

CORDERO TORRES, José María. El Consejo de Estado. Su trayectoria y perspectivas en España. Madrid, 1944.

ARVIZU Y GALARRAGA, Fernando de. "El Consejo Real de España e Indias (1834-1836)". En: Actas del III Symposium Historia de la Administración, Madrid, 1974. p. 387-408.

PARES: Código Referencia:ES.47161.AGS/3//

Related Authorities

Bodega Mollinedo, Manuel de la (1753-1835)  ( Tiene como miembro a )

Associative relations :

González Arnao, Vicente (1766-1845)  ( Tiene de titular a/ tiene como beneficiario a )

López Juana Pinilla, José (1774-1846)  ( Tiene como miembro a )

López Pelegrín Martínez, Ramón (1767-1841)  ( Tiene como miembro a )

Martínez Martínez, Antonio (1770-1854)  ( Tiene como miembro a; decano de la Sección del Despacho de Hacienda )

Temporary relationships :

Consejo de Estado (España)  - Earlier (Es predecesor inmediato/a de - es sustituido por)

Junta Consultiva para los Negocios de Gobernación de Ultramar (España)  - Earlier (Es predecesor/a de)

See predecessors See successors

Temporary relationships :

Consejo de Estado (España. 1521-1834)  - Later (Es sucesor/a inmediata de - sustituye a)

Consejo de Indias (España)  - Later (Es sucesor inmediato de - sustituye a; 24 de marzo de 1834: por real decreto se elimina el régimen polisinodial; las atribuciones judiciales del Consejo de Castilla pasan al Tribunal Supremo de España e Indias, y las consultivas al Consejo Real de España e Indias.)

See predecessors See successors

External Links

Obras publicadas:

VIAF

Fichero de Autoridades:

Biblioteca Nacional de España