Study the Old Regime at the General Archive of Simancas
The General Archive of Simancas was the first custom-built archive of modern times. It’s essential for studying the Old Regime (Ancien Régime) from the 15th-19th centuries.
General view of the Archive of Simancas (1858) by Charles CliffordUNESCO Memory of the World
General Archive of Simancas
The General Archive of Simancas, located in the Castle of Simancas in Spain, was an archival project conceived by Philip II (1527-1598) in 1580, designed and constructed by the royal architect Juan de Herrera, and is the first custom-built archive of modern times.
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General Archive of Simancas, Simancas, Spain
Plan of Alexandria (Egypt) (1605-02-26) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
Running of an Empire
Philip II was fully aware of the magnitude and significance of the Archive and saw very clearly that in order to administer an empire, it was an essential instrument of the Modern State for the government of the territories of the Spanish Monarchy.
Reglament for the Archives of Simancas (0001) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
Why Is the Archive Important?
The Archive houses an exceptional collection essential for studying the history of the late 15th-19th centuries, the whole of the modern period, the Old Regime (Ancien Regime), the political and social system of the Kingdom of France from the Late Middle Ages until the French Revolution of 1789. It also contains an enormous part of the history of North Africa and America in the 18th century, including European and global territorial history.
Chamber of Philip II (1567) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
Importance of the Archive - Four Characteristics
The unique importance of the documentary heritage preserved in the Archive derives from four converging characteristics: 1. being custom-built, 2. supporting the Spanish Monarchy, 3. covering the history of humanity, and 4. being of the territories.
Juan de Herrera Hall (1573) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
1. First Custom-Built Archive
Designed and constructed by the royal architect Juan de Herrera, Simancas is the first custom-built archive in the world and follows principles recognized today as those of rationality and functionality.
Appointment of Philip II as duke of Milan, by Charles V (1546-07-05) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
2. Spanish Monarchy
The Archive preserves the most valuable and coherent documentation created by the political and administrative structures of the Spanish Monarchy until the 19th century, including the Habsburg Councils, the Bourbon Secretariats, and the Treasury departments.
Treaty of peace and commerce with England (1604-08-18) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
3. History of Humanity
Simancas holds, after the Vatican Archives, the most important and far-reaching sources for the history of humanity, covering five continents. This is because two-thirds of the world fell under the sovereignty of the Spanish Monarchy or were closely connected with it.
Plan Bizerta (Tunis) (1616-01-28) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
4. History of Territories
The Archive provides a complete, wide-ranging, in-depth, and essential sources for the history of all the European and non-European territories from the 16th-19th centuries, covering their military, political, economic, social, religious, and cultural evolution.
Research Room (1573) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
World’s First Archivist Job Description
Philip II regulated the activities of the new Archive and on August 24, 1588 he signed an ordinance, divided into 30 chapters, describing the main jobs of the modern archivist. These are understood to be the world's first archive regulations.
Panoramic view of the General Archives of Simancas (Archivo General de Simancas) (16th-19th centuries) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
Administrative to Historical Archive
The administrative archive of the Spanish Monarchy stage came to an end in 1844 when, with the arrival of the new liberal regime. Simancas was opened for historical research and went from being an administrative archive to a historical archive.
Juan de Herrera Hall (1573) by Philip IIUNESCO Memory of the World
Impact on the 20th Century
The Archive is a key source for the study of the social, political, economic, and cultural development during the Early Modern period, and a laboratory in which the most important historiographical currents of the 20th century were formed and tested.
