Élites riojanas en Madrid. El marqués de la Ensenada y la Real Congregación de Nuestra Señora de Valvanera de Madrid (1743–1754)
La Rioja Elites in Madrid: The Marquess of Ensenada and the Royal Congregation of Our Lady of Valvanera (1743–1754)

Summary/Abstract: In 1723, a brotherhood of some natives of the province of La Rioja was founded in Madrid in honour of the province’s patron saint, the Virgin of Valvanera. Until the end of the 18th century, nearly nine hundred members signed its donation book, notably including Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea, Marquess of Ensenada. This article analyses the relationship between this leading figure in Spanish politics of that century, a man who was Minister of Finance, the Navy, War and the Indies between 1743 and 1754, and who held the position of elder brother of this congregation for thirty-six years (1745–1781), with the rest of the members who formed part of his closest circle of collaborators and on whom he relied for some of his main projects.

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