“No debemos ser mirados como extranjeros”: las corporaciones militares flamencas y las reformas ilustradas en la España del siglo XVIII

Résumé 0

This contribution studies the various attempts to reform the Flemish regi- ments throughout the 18th century. In the post-war years, organized around the main generals of the royal guard, the Flemish exiles constituted a dy- nastic lobby in Bourbon Spain, which sought more the renewal of the dynas- tic bonds than the Spanish reconquest of Flanders. However, the Flemish officers managed to adapt their pro-France dynasticism to the new political course and convert to the Mediterranean dynasticism of the queen Isabel Farnesio. Therefore, the military privileges of the Flemish were preserved and reinforced throughout the reign of Philip V, gradually transforming the Walloon Guards into a very inbred military corporation. The great military reform of Ensenada sought to liquidate the Felipist military institutions inhe- rited from the War of Succession and the wars in Italy. However, after the fai- lure of Fernando VI’s minister, we had to wait until the second half of Carlos III’s reign for a new reformism. This time, taking advantage of internal ten- sions within the nation’s official, Floridablanca managed to establish a tight control of the military administration over the Flemish corps. In addition, the French Revolution totally disorganized the recruitment networks of officers and soldiers, when, at the same time, there was a profound renewal of mi- litary personnel under the leadership of Manuel Godoy. This double process gave the blow to the Flemish regiments that were filled in a few years with officers of Hispanic origin.