El confesor Joaquín de Eleta en la gestión del Real Patronato (1761-1788)

Abstract

During the reigns of the first Bourbons, the royal confessor played a fundamental role in beneficial provisions belonging to the Crown, as well as in the rest of the tasks related to the management of Royal Patronage. However, since the ascent of King Charles III to the Spanish throne in 1759, the situation changed. Joaquín de Eleta, in charge of the royal confessional during the reign of this monarch, did not manage to enjoy echelons of power that his predecessors achieved within the beneficial area. This paper will try to know the scope of his actions with regard to the management of Royal Patronage. In particular, we will look at his involvement and his weight in beneficial clergy recruitment at a time when the provision of almost all of ecclesiastical benefices previously reserved to papacy had passed over into the hands of the Crown.