1480
1834
Este fondo se custodia en la sección de Consejos del AHN. El Archivo de la Sala de Alcaldes de Casa y Corte llegó, incompleto, al Archivo Histórico Nacional formando parte del Archivo del Consejo de Castilla, al ser un organismo dependiente de esta institución.
La escasa documentación de la Sala de Alcaldes de Casa y Corte que llegó a custodiar el Archivo Histórico Nacional lo hizo procedente del Archivo General Central de Alcalá de Henares por una Orden de la Dirección General de Instrucción Pública de 16 de noviembre de 1896, momento en que fue llevada a la sede de ese archivo en el Palacio de Bibliotecas y Museos.
No obstante, la mayor parte de la documentación de la Sala de Alcaldes (toda la anterior al año 1700) se había vendido al peso según indica Vicente Vignau, en su Discurso de ingreso en la Academia de la Historia, en 1898, a resultas de lo cual es muy escasa la documentación que ha llegado hasta nuestros días.
La Sala de Alcaldes de Casa y Corte fue la conocida como Quinta Sala del Consejo de Castilla, junto a las salas primera y segunda de Gobierno, la Sala de Mil y Quinientas, la de Justicia y la de Provincia. Al Consejo de Castilla le correspondió la suprema jurisdicción de todo lo tocante a justicia y gobierno desde su fundación en las Cortes de Valladolid en 1385 hasta su abolición en el año 1834.
Aunque dependiente del Consejo, la Sala de Alcaldes tuvo una serie de peculiaridades que hicieron que fuera una institución relativamente autónoma. Creada como organismo por los Reyes Católicos en 1480, tiene su precedente en los Alcaldes del Rastro, que acompañaban desde 1351 a los reyes castellanos en sus desplazamientos y que se encargaban de reforzar la justicia de los lugares donde residía el rey con sus oficiales. La villa elegida por el monarca y cinco leguas a su alrededor constituían la corte o rastro del rey.
La composición de la Sala de Alcaldes varió mucho hasta 1715, año en el que el número de sus jueces quedó fijado en 12. Además de los jueces o alcaldes locales, formaban la Sala un fiscal, un agente fiscal, escribanos de cámara, relatores, escribanos oficiales, un abogado, procuradores de pobres, porteros y alguaciles. Siempre estuvo presidida por un gobernador, ministro del Consejo de Castilla, con el apoyo del alcalde decano.
Tenía jurisdicción en los lugares donde residiese el rey y sus consejos. Mientras la corte fue itinerante acompañó siempre los desplazamientos reales. En 1561 se instaló con los demás consejos en Madrid, actuando sobre la Villa y Corte y los lugares comprendidos en un radio de cinco leguas, hasta que en 1803 Carlos IV amplió la jurisdicción de la Sala a diez leguas.
Para el logro de una mayor eficacia en el cumplimiento de los cometidos de la Sala, el territorio de su jurisdicción se encontraba dividido en varios cuarteles, al cargo cada uno de ellos de un alcalde que residiese en él.
Las competencias de la Sala fueron muy diversas. En cuanto a las de tipo judicial, tenía funciones como tribunal criminal y como tribunal civil. Los alcaldes actuaban como jueces ordinarios y juzgaban las causas civiles en primera instancia hasta cierta cantidad; sus apelaciones se presentaban ante el Consejo de Castilla. Funcionó igualmente como tribunal de apelación de las causas civiles vistas por los tenientes de corregidor de la villa de Madrid. La Sala también tenía jurisdicción criminal, en este caso de manera absoluta y suprema, sin apelación ni súplica para sus sentencias. Conocía por ello la apelación de las causas criminales juzgadas en primera instancia por los tenientes del Corregidor de Madrid y de todas las causas de hurtos, robos y otros delitos. Amplias eran también las competencias gubernativas. Básicamente, le correspondían el gobierno económico y político de la Villa y Corte -que compartía con el Ayuntamiento y la Superintendencia de Policía-, con lo que quedaban bajo su supervisión muchos aspectos de la vida cotidiana de Madrid: abastecimientos y precios de productos, limpieza y policía urbanas, cárceles, higiene y salud pública, vigilancia de calles y establecimientos públicos, mesones y posadas, recaudación de fondos y su distribución, funcionamiento de los hospitales de Madrid, asilos de mendicidad y escuelas, levas y reclutamiento, organización y mantenimiento del orden en los espectáculos públicos de Madrid (toros, teatros, fiestas y procesiones religiosas o grandes solemnidades de la Corte).
Otros asuntos de los que conocía la Sala de Alcaldes excedían claramente el territorio de su jurisdicción, tales como negocios referentes a toda la nación y causas de especial importancia, o autos criminales ya empezados por los justicias de los pueblos situados fuera del rastro de la Corte.
Por último, como quinta Sala del Consejo de Castilla asistía a las consultas de los viernes con el Monarca, participaba junto al Consejo en las ceremonias de la Corte y tenía facultad de consultar al Rey asuntos de su competencia.
La Sala de Alcaldes, como la mayoría de las instituciones del Antiguo Régimen, incompatibles con el principio de separación de poderes por su combinación de atribuciones administrativas y judiciales, fue suprimida en 1834, con el triunfo del liberalismo.
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