Los Cinco Gremios Mayores y el Abastecimiento de Víveres al Ejército Español en el siglo XVIII

Abstract

The Cinco Gremios Mayores’ Spanish-army victualling business in the eighteenth century is well known but little studied. Our remit here has been to study how the company participated in this business, the phases and the contents of the asientos (supply contracts) signed with the state. We conclude that the Gremios exploited this businesses to orchestrate its own expansion as a company. We have discovered that the Gremios’ advent and development in the victualling business were closely bound up with the political changes and proximity to political power. The closeness to the royal household, transformations in military supply policies or state credit are all key factors in understanding this development. In the end the Gremios built up a position of monopoly and privilege, which the state sustained with clearly preferential treatment in ordinary supply arrangements. The Gremios’ very success in this business tied in their fate with the state’s and led to a growing dependence on power.