A Government in Letters: The Correspondence between Information, Decision-making, and Memory in the 16th and 17th Centuries

Analysis of the uses of written correspondence as a situated knowl-edge throughout the Spanish Golden Age in different spheres of government as an instrument for the circulation of news and decision-making between private text and public space, including archiving, or even letter collecting. In short, we propose to analyse correspondence as the memory of a particular << knowledge of govern-ment >> that was susceptible to being employed, wielded or used either as a method of courtly and political learning or as an instrument to achieve private or family interests.

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This article analyzes the uses of written correspondence during the Spanish Golden Age, highlighting its important role in different spheres of government as a means of circulating news and making decisions. It explores how correspondence connects private and public spaces, and can be used for courtly and political learning, as well as achieving private or family interests.