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The Validos of Spain

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The tradition of Spanish kings had of relying on validos goes back several hundred years to the atleast the fifteenth century 1.During the reign’s of Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV several validos vied for power and control in the spanish royal court. These validos ended up being the King’s confidants and closest friends 2 This can clearly be seen in a quote from a letter sent by a venetian ambassador during the final days of Ruy Gomez de Silva, the valido to Philip II, which said, “he is utterly given up by the doctors; he takes no food, and they are watching over him, while praying to our Lord God for his soul…It is held for certain that this death will greatly upset His Majesty because he loved him a great deal.” 3. The amount of power that the validos held was a topic of much concern by lower ranked members of society, but the startling opinion of Philip II on his deathbed reveals how much control he thought they should have by claiming that his son was “not to be ruler but to be ruled.” 4 The statement implies that the validos would rule the country instead of Philip III, a radical statement from a dying man who appeared to not have much faith in his son’s ability to rule. By climbing into the higher ranks of

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Valazquez, Count-Duke of Olivares, 1635, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

society validos like Ruy Gomez de Silva placed themselves in such close proximity to the King that friendships and trust developed between king and his valido. In the Spanish royal court favors were used to create alliances and as rewards for service, as historian H.G. Koenigsberger states that favors were, “the fuel which kept the wheels of political society turning.” 5  The benefit of this relationship went both ways, the king would receive help in dealing with the micromanagement of the court and the country while the valido would receive wealth and power. The validos would spend long hours in meetings with other ministers of the state. The Count-Duke of Olivares would even bring his secretaries and ministers when he went on outings in the countryside so that no time was wasted in dealing with Spain’s management. 6  In order to attain the favorite status of the king and keep it, validos would have to prove themselves superior to the other ministers in being able to handle the affairs of the state. The valido was the King’s right hand man and it was important that they would be able to carry out the king’s works in order for the valido and the king to protect their image and the image of Spain.

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  1. Antonio Feros, Kingship and Favoritism in the Spain of Philip III, 1598-1621 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 41. ↩
  2. James M. Boyden,  The Courtier and the King: Ruy Gómez De Silva, Philip II, and the Court of Spain (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995), 1-2. ↩
  3. James M. Boyden,  The Courtier and the King: Ruy Gómez De Silva, Philip II, and the Court of Spain (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995), 2. ↩
  4. Antonio Feros, Kingship and Favoritism in the Spain of Philip III, 1598-1621 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 32. ↩
  5. Antonio Feros, Kingship and Favoritism in the Spain of Philip III, 1598-1621 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 35. ↩
  6. Jonathan Brown and J.H. Elliott, A Palace for a King: The Buen Retiro and the Court of Philip IV (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980), 21. ↩

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