Abstract

CEBREIRO ARES, Francisco. A Provisional Lèse-majesté: Court Cases of Counterfeiting in the Real Audiencia of New Galicia (1802-1820). Relac. Estud. hist. soc. [online]. 2021, vol.42, n.165, pp.49-77.  Epub Feb 03, 2022. ISSN 2448-7554.  https://doi.org/10.24901/rehs.v42i165.768.

This paper analyses eight court cases of counterfeiting tried before the Real Audiencia of Nueva Galicia (Mexico) between 1802 and 1820 to delve more deeply into three historiographical debates. The first concerning crimes of monetary forgery in the Early Modern period and their circumstances; the second, the jurisdictional mechanics of the administrative reforms introduced by the Bourbon dynasty; and the third, the economic atmosphere and contemporary political narratives in times of Mexico Insurgency. As a conclusion, the upsurge in provisional idea of lèse-majesté is presented as a possible explanation for a phenomenon that reflects both the absence of death penalty sentences in court, and the broader questioning of royal authority that emerged in this period.

Keywords : Real Audiencia of New Galicia; counterfeiting; Bourbon reforms; Insurgency.