The Pitfalls of Patronage

Abstract This chapter examines how Giovanni Borromeo used his appointment as commissioner-general of the army in Lombardy to cushion the impact of prolonged warfare on Milan’s civilians. When he took office in 1646, ordinary Milanese were staging protests against the practice of placing Spanish troops in private homes. Keen to preempt open revolt, Borromeo introduced a system whereby the government outsourced the provisioning of billeting services to private individuals, who were supposed to provide food and shelter. Since many of these providers pocketed the government money without delivering the services, the army soon reverted to occupying the homes of ordinary Milanese who were now forced to pay a billeting tax on top of enduring the indignities of uncoordinated troop allocations. This gave rise to a reinvigorated protest movement, which imposed a new narrative of Borromeo's patronage system: profitable for a few cronies, it ultimately worsened the living conditions of most. By questioning Borromeo’s commitment to the collective good, protesters ushered in his downfall.