Jorge de Villalonga
Jorge de Villalonga , Conde ( German: Graf ) de la Clueva (* 1655 in Spain ; † 1750 ) was a Spanish colonial administrator who officiated as viceroy of New Granada .
Villalonga embarked on a military career. He reached the rank of lieutenant general of the royal Spanish army, was a member of the highest council of war and deputy ( procurador ) of the king in Mallorca . As a knight he was accepted into the Order of St. John .
During the tenure of the Bishop of Quito as Viceroy of Peru , Diego Ladrón de Guevara , he went to the new world and was military commander in chief of the Spanish troops in the colony. In 1718 he was appointed to succeed Antonio de la Pedrosa as the first formal viceroy of New Granada.
His arrival in Bogotá and his splendid lifestyle stood in contrast to what the mostly very poor population had experienced so far.
In his first report to the Spanish crown, he immediately recommended that the viceroyalty be dissolved again. He later asked permission to renovate the viceroy's palace. His predecessor Pedrosa, who was still active in the financial administration, refused the appropriate funds.
Like his predecessor, he strove to get the widespread corruption and mismanagement in New Granada under control. He suppressed the expansion of viticulture and the textile industry in order not to weaken the corresponding branches of the economy in the mother country.
There must have been open opposition within the Spanish colonial administration; In any case, the public prosecutor ( fiscal ) of the Real Audiencia openly suggested that the king replace Villalonga. In 1723 King Philip V actually gave the order to end the viceroy's term of office and at the same time to dissolve the viceroyalty again and place it under the administration of the viceroyalty of Peru . Villalonga had to wait for the usual revision of his administration ( juicio de residencia ), which confirmed the correctness of his official business.
With the replacement of Villalonga, the viceroyalty ceased to exist until it was re-established in 1740.
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| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio de la Pedrosa y Guerrero |
Viceroy of New Granada 1719–1723 |
Sebastián de Eslava y Lazaga after the re-establishment of the viceroyalty from 1740 |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Villalonga, Jorge de |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Conde de la Cueva |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish colonial administrator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1655 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Spain |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1750 |