In the political culture of the Ancien Régime, personal relations were a key factor for any project of social mobility. In a society regulated by the logic of personal aid, to deprive someone of friendship and the affection of someone superior or more powerful, has became, a priori, the most important element for those who had political ambitions. The emblematic figure of the valido, who has occupied the center of regal affectivity, from where he could influence and act in the political scene. The Dukes of Lerma and Olivares, in Spain; the Duke of Buckingham, in England; Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarino, in France; the Conde Castelo Melhor and Marquis of Pombal, in Portugal are exemplars cases. This article intends to propose some significant conceptual questions about this important aspect of the Ancien Régime political culture.
Political culture; Valido; Court Society
