Joaquin de Montserrat
Joaquín de Montserrat ( also in a different spelling: Monserrat ), Margrave (Spanish: marqués) of Cruillas (born August 27, 1700 in Valencia , Spain ; † November 21, 1771 ibid) was a Spanish officer and colonial administrator who served as viceroy of New Spain officiated.
Life
Origin and career in Europe
Joaquín de Montserrat came from a family of officers. He entered the service of the Royal Spanish Guard at a young age. In 1719 he took part in the campaign against the insurgents of Bizkaia and in 1720 in Navarre . He fought in Ceuta against the Arabs and in the siege of Gibraltar (1727) against the British and was promoted to lieutenant.
In 1735 he went to Genoa and took part in the conquest of Sicily and Lombardy for the Spaniards. He was then promoted to captain of the guard in 1741. In 1745 at the Battle of Campo Santo against Austria he reached the rank of brigadier general and was responsible for the campaigns in the Duchy of Milan.
For his services he was inducted into the Order of Montesa , and the King of Naples, later King Charles III of Spain . , bestowed on him the title of Marquis of Cruillas. From 1751 he was governor of Badajoz . In 1754 he was promoted to military commander of Aragón . In the spring of 1760 the court appointed him Viceroy of New Spain.
Tenure as Viceroy of New Spain
After the death of Agustín Ahumada y Villalón , the governor of Cuba , Francisco Cajigal de la Vega, took over the office of viceroy on an interim basis .
Joaquín de Montserrat reached Veracruz in early September 1760 and took over the official duties from his predecessor in October. In January 1761 he made his ceremonial entry into Mexico City .
The state finances were in a desperate state, partly due to the long wars of the previous years, but also due to taxes to Spain. Revenues from the gold and silver mines declined, and the volatile price of mercury used in mining was a major determinant of the profitability of the mining industry.
In terms of foreign policy, Montserrat's tenure was shaped by the Seven Years War , in Spain in 1762 and 1763 with Charles III's accession to the throne. was involved on the part of France against England . The British occupied Havana , Cuba, and threatened Veracruz. Viceroy Montserrat had new militia units of colored and mixed race set up, equipped with modern and uniform weapons and trained by experienced military men from Spain; for the first time the viceroyalty received something like a standing army, albeit on a much smaller scale than Montserrat had intended.
The war also had an impact in the Asian part of the Viceroyalty, as the British had captured Manila in the Spanish Philippines. As a result, shipping across the Pacific had come to a standstill. With the peace treaty of Paris (1763) , Spain lost Florida to the British and received the territory of the Louisiana colony from France . The west of Hispaniola remained French. The Philippines fell back into Spanish hands in 1764. In Belize , the Spaniards had to officially accept the long-struggled tradition of British settlements and logging.
Domestically, the colony suffered from a chickenpox epidemic in 1762 , which claimed many victims, especially among the indigenous population. In the capital alone, fifteen to thirty thousand people died, in Puebla it is said to have been seventy thousand. The colony suffered from the consequences for several years.
In the north, the Pima Indians rebelled under Montserrat's rule . The viceroy sent troops to Sonora to bring the situation under control.
Floods in Guanajuato temporarily brought mining to a standstill and triggered further epidemics.
Dissatisfied with the income that the Spanish court was able to achieve from New Spain, the Council of India sent José de Gálvez y Gallardo in 1765 as an auditor ( visitador ) to check the colony's finances.
In July and August 1766, the Pachuca miners revolted against deteriorating working conditions. The viceroy ruled in favor of the workers.
Since the Viceroy repeatedly made demands of Madrid (especially with regard to funds for fortifications and his project for an efficient army for New Spain) and there were repeated conflicts between Montserrat and the Visitador Gálvez, the court decided not to allow Montserrat's five-year term in office extend. Carlos Francisco de Croix was sent to Mexico as his successor .
Return to Europe
In August 1766, Montserrat handed over the official business, but was told that he had to stay in Mexico until the assessment of his office ( Juicio de Residencia ) was completed. He first moved to Cholula and wrote letters to Madrid urging him to return to Europe. In April 1767 he left without authorization without waiting for the result of the official examination. In August 1767 he reached Cadiz .
The result of the examination absolved him of all allegations and certified that he was performing properly. He received the result in Spain in February 1768. He stayed in Madrid until March 1771, then - already badly health - he went to his native city of Valencia, where he died in November 1771.
literature
- Juana Vázquez Gómez: Dictionary of Mexican Rulers, 1325–1997 . Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, CT, USA 1997, ISBN 0-313-30049-6 , pp. 42 ( books.google.de ).
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Francisco Cajigal de la Vega |
Viceroy of New Spain 1760–1766 |
Carlos Francisco de Croix |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Montserrat, Joaquín de |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Monserrat, Joaquín de; Cruillas, Joaquín de Montserrat, marqués de |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Viceroy of New Spain |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 27, 1700 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Valencia , Spain |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 21, 1771 |
| Place of death | Valencia , Spain |