Miguel Cayetano Soler. Secretary of State and of the Treasury

Born in Palma de Mallorca in 1746, he earned a degree in law from the university of that same city. Considered to be one of the most influential figures of the transition from the 18th to the 19th century, he held the positions of Controller-General of the Treasury, Minister of State and, from 1798, Secretary of State and of the Universal Office of the Treasury.

An archetype of the Enlightenment of the late 18th century, he was the architect of the first General Plan to organise the Treasury using modern criteria, a project that included boosting sources of wealth and the defence of disentailment measures.Salto de línea After the Revolt of Aranjuez and the abdication of Charles IV, he was deposed and died tragically on 17 March 1809, killed in a riot in the town of Malagón (Ciudad Real) when he was identified as the man responsible for introducing a tax on wine.

Miguel Cayetano Soler, Secretary of State and of the Office of the Treasury was asked to convey to the Viceroys of Peru, Rio de la Plata and Mexico the order to collect all possible funds to alleviate the state of bankruptcy in which the public purse found itself due to the recent wars.