Abstract

MARTINEZ, Ignacio. From Catholic Monarchy to Republican and Federal Nation: Sovereignty and Patronage in the River Plate. 1753-1853. Secuencia [online]. 2010, n.76, pp.15-38. ISSN 2395-8464.

This article reviews the arguments that justified the exercise of Spanish-American patronage by the Spanish Crown and analyzes the discussions that arose when it came to legitimizing the same prerogatives in the hands of governments that sprang up in the wake of the crisis of the monarchy in River Plate, until the constitution was organized in the mid-19th century. The article seeks to show that the controversies of the independent period reflect the substantial change in the way of understanding the sovereignty experienced during this period, understood as the shift from a monarchy that had been legitimized confessionally to the constitution of a republican and federal nation.

Keywords : River Plate; 18th century; 19th century; catholic Church; monarchy; republic; federalism; sovereignty; patronage; secularization.