Financial Depletion, Faction Struggle and Competing Networks: The Background to Count Harrach’s Reforms of the Southern Netherlands Central Government (1733-1735)

In 1735 Emperor Charles VI promulgated an important reform of the central government of the Southern Netherlands, together with a far-reaching switch of personnel in the Brussels financial administration. These measures were pursued by Friedrich August von Harrach, chief minister in Brussels beside the governor-general, who since his arrival in the Southern Netherlands in 1733 had urged for reforms and a radically new attitude with respect to appointing officials. Individual talents and experience were of prime importance in his opinion. In this article I examine the motives and ideas forming the background of Harrach’s reform projects, as well as the way he succeeded in implementing them. Among other things, I pay heed to the Brussels’ factional struggles and the role of informal networks to influence decision-making. The result is a refining of the image of modernization surrounding these reforms, and a reinterpretation of the decision-making processes with respect to the Southern Netherlands.