Carlos Francisco de Croix

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Carlos Francisco de Croix

Carlos Francisco de Croix ( French François Charles de Croix ), Margrave ( Spanish marqués ; French marquis) of Croix , (born January 1, 1703 in Lille , France , † October 28, 1778 (according to other sources: 1786) in Valencia , Spain ) was a Spanish officer and colonial administrator who served as Viceroy of New Spain.

Life

Origin and family

François Charles de Croix was born in Lille in the north of France in 1703. Lille was in Habsburg hands from 1477 and part of the Spanish Netherlands from 1555 to 1667 . François' father was Alexandre François de Croix, Baron de Heuchin , to whom the French King Louis XIV had given the title of Marquis de Croix in 1691 . His mother's name was Magdeleine Françoise de Fienne, Marquise de Fienne. François Charles was the youngest of five children.

Careers in Europe

His godfather was Eugene François de Croix, captain in the ranks of the Spanish army and knight of the Order of Malta . At his instigation and with his protection, Croix left his hometown and entered the service of the royal Spanish army.

He rose quickly as an officer. In 1731 he accompanied the Crown Prince Karl, who later became King Karl III. , on a mission to Parma and took over the messenger service between the prince and King Philip V , who was in Seville at the time . At a relatively young age he was raised to lieutenant general and acted as adjutant to Crown Prince Philip . As a knight he was accepted into the Order of Calatrava .

He fought for the Spanish in Italy and soon received strategically important commands: he commanded the fortifications of Ceuta in North Africa and El Puerto de Santa María , which protected the port of Cádiz from attack. King Ferdinand VI. (Spain) appointed him Captain General of Galicia .

Tenure as Viceroy of New Spain

In 1766 King Charles III appointed him . to the Viceroy of New Spain. Together with his nephew Theodor de Croix and the new Archbishop of Mexico , Francisco Antonio de Lorenzana , he sailed from Cádiz to Mexico in May 1766. The ship's captain was Manuel de Guirior , who would later become viceroy of New Granada and Peru . They reached Veracruz in July, and the new viceroy made his entrance into Mexico City at the end of August .

The tenure of Croix brought some reforms in the spirit of Charles III. The rapid and clear defeat against the British in the Seven Years' War had made it clear that the organization of the Spanish army was no longer timely. Both Croix's predecessor Joaquín de Montserrat and the visitadores José de Gálvez y Gallardo and Juan de Villalba , who were posted from Spain, had begun to modernize the military infrastructure. However, they could not agree on the best course of action.

With Veracruz and Acapulco, Croix fortified the most important ports in the direction of the Atlantic and Pacific and set up additional militia units. He covered the costs for these measures by increasing the revenues of the royal tobacco monopoly and through new or increased taxes.

Expeditions explored California and built the Spanish fortifications there. The colonial administration was decentralized under Croix; in the north of the viceroyalty new provinces with their own administration were established. His nephew Theodor de Croix took over the military command there; he was later to be appointed viceroy of Peru .

During Croix's tenure, the Crown decided to drive out the powerful Jesuit order and confiscate its property. The Jesuits maintained practically the entire educational system of the colony, and with them eminent scholars such as Francisco Javier Clavijero left Mexico. The displacement triggered popular uprisings in Guanajuato , San Luis Potosí and Michoacán , which were suppressed militarily. 85 people were executed and over eight hundred banished and sentenced to forced labor.

Croix also ordered the confiscation of properties owned by the Inquisition and prohibited public burns. The simmering conflict between native Creoles and Europeans intensified when Croix had the Diario Literario newspaper of the priest José Antonio Alzate banned.

Return to Europe

In August 1771, Croix's successor, Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, reached Mexico. Carlos Francisco de Croix was allowed to return to Europe after handing over his duties in September without waiting for a review of his administration ( Juicio de Residencia ). He reached Cádiz on May 20, 1772. King Charles III. appointed him Captain General of Valencia. In this office he died on October 28, 1778.

literature

  • Juana Vázquez Gómez: Dictionary of Mexican Rulers, 1325–1997 . Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, CT, USA 1997, ISBN 0-313-30049-6 ( Google Books [accessed July 1, 2015]). P. 43.
  • Eric Beerman: The Viceroy Marquis de Croix: A Biographical Sketch . In: The Journal of San Diego History . Volume 25, No. 1 . San Diego Historical Society, 1979, ISSN  0022-4383, ( online [accessed July 24, 2015]).

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Joaquin de Montserrat Viceroy of New Spain
1766–1771
Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa