Con un nuovo incanto è da sperarsi un ribasso maggiore nel prezzo : il riordino degli appalti militari nella Lombardia Austriaca del 18. secolo

The author of this essay describes the reforms implemented by Field Marshall Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller in order to rearrange the contract system of the military quartering in the Absburg Lombardy of the early XVIII century. These contracts were at the heart of a system of multilateral relations that involved the Central Government, the local authorities, civil contractors and military officers. While a previous reform undertaken by the first census committee managed to establish a more fair and rational levy structure, this new attempt, carried out by the highest ranking military officer of the Province, tried to improve the cost management mostly by the mean of an expense and waste reduction. This reform attempt was bound to lead to tensions with the Milanese power élites who intended to preserve and defend their traditional self government privilege. The struggle that ensued lasted up to the second half of the century merging into the wider reform process that involved both the civilian and military institutions during the Enlightened Absolutism age.