The man and his circumstances: the historical context of writing the Theórica

Abstract

The years following the end of the War of the Spanish Succession were particularly frenzied in several aspects. The revision of the situation in the international and military policy sphere brought about by the Treaties of Utrecht has been emphasized, and this period is also understood to have formed part of a restructuring process for the Spanish economy. However, until recently, the idea of a simultaneous reorganization of an institutional framework affecting Spain as a whole has been blurred. The Nueva Planta reform phase was not limited to its implementation in the Crown of Aragon kingdoms, but was a key moment in the development of the modern state throughout Spain. Jean Orry’s reforms at the end of the conflict did not achieve a stable structure for several decades. Consequently, the context in which Uztáriz’s Theórica (1724) was published needs to be studied as a particularly delicate and significant moment in the halting overhaul of the Bourbon administration.