Francisco Fernández de la Cueva
Francisco Fernández de la Cueva y Enríquez , 8th Duke of Alburquerque , marqués of Cuéllar , (* 1619 in Barcelona , Catalonia , Spain , † 1676 in Madrid , Spain) was a Spanish officer and colonial administrator, who served as Viceroy of New Spain and as Viceroy officiated from Sicily .
Life
Origin and career in Europe
Francisco Fernández de la Cueva came from a family from the Spanish nobility, he was the eldest son of the seventh duke (same name), who was an important person at the Spanish court as ambassador in Rome, viceroy of Sicily and Catalonia and president of the Council of State. His younger brother Diego Benavides de la Cueva officiated as Viceroy of Peru .
Francisco began his military career in the service of the Spanish Crown in Flanders in the spring of 1640. King Philip IV made him General of the Cavalry in 1643. At the Battle of Rocroi (1643) he commanded the Spanish cavalry. At the end of 1644 he returned to Spain.
He married on January 12, 1645 Juana Francisca de Armendáriz, marquésa de Cadreita. The couple had no children.
As a cavalry general, Francisco was in command of the Catalan army until 1650 when he was given supreme command of the Spanish galleys.
Tenure as Viceroy of New Spain
Soon afterwards the king appointed him viceroy of New Spain. He held this office from August 1653 to September 1660. At the age of 34 he was the youngest viceroy New Spain had ever had when he took office.
Spain was at war with England . From his military experience in Europe, Fernández knew about the danger that English privateers posed to the ports in Mexico. He therefore ordered the port of Veracruz to be fortified. When the English occupied the Caribbean island of Jamaica , which was until then Spanish , he sent an expeditionary force.
He pushed the Pacific trade with the Spanish colonies in Asia - especially with the Philippines . During his tenure, the Mexico City Cathedral was completed.
Return to Europe, term of office as Viceroy of Sicily
In 1661, after his return to Europe, the king appointed him general of the overseas fleet, until in 1664 he was appointed supreme commander of all Spanish naval forces.
In 1667 he again took over the office of viceroy, this time in Sicily . In 1670 he was deposed by the Spanish regent Maria Anna . Back in Madrid he was given a seat on the State Council and was appointed supreme court master of the Spanish royal court of the new King Charles II . In these positions he held office until his death in Madrid.
Since Francisco Fernández de la Cueva had no children of his own, his third brother Melchor de la Cueva inherited his title and fortune as the ninth duke.
Francisco Fernández de la Cueva is falsely associated by some sources with the founding of the city of Albuquerque in what is now New Mexico . However, the city wasn't founded until 1706 - under the 10th Duke of Albuquerque.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Enríquez de Guzmán |
Viceroy of New Spain 1653–1660 |
Juan de Leyva y de la Cerda |
| Francesco Caetani |
Viceroy of Sicily 1667–1670 |
Claude Lamoral |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fernández de la Cueva, Francisco |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 8th Duke of Albuquerque, Marquis of Cuéllar, Duque de Albuquerque |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Viceroy of New Spain and Sicily |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1619 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Barcelona |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1676 |
| Place of death | Madrid |