The Old Archive of the Council of Castile

The so-called Old Archive of the Council of Castile is composed of the consultations and decrees of this institution dated between the last quarter of the 16th century and the first quarter of the 18th century. Despite its extraordinary interest, this documentary series has been little used for research on the period, mainly due to its ambiguous name, which has usually raised doubts about its own nature. In addition, the multiple manipulations suffered from its formation to the present day and the lack of a coherent description make its consultation cumbersome and problematic. The aim of this work is to analyze its structure and understand the conditions in which it has survived to the present day, give notice of its scope and establish a consultation method for the research, so that this exceptional documentary series is valued.