Juan Escoiquiz

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portrait of Juan Escoiquiz by Joachim Jan Oortman .

Juan Escoiquiz (* 1762 in Ocaña , † November 19, 1820 in Ronda ) was a Spanish clergyman , statesman and writer . He was the teacher of the future King Ferdinand VII and later his confidante and advisor.

Life

Juan Escoiquiz came from a noble family in Navarre . His father had been a general and for a time governor of Oran . After completing his first studies, Escoiquiz entered the service of King Charles III as a page . Then he decided to enter the clergy and became a canon in Saragossa . He made numerous patrons and friends at court. When a teacher was to be found for the Prince of Asturias and future King Ferdinand VII, the choice fell on Escoiquiz, who knew how to gain the trust of his pupils. Manuel de Godoy , the very powerful favorite of King Charles IV at the time , later claimed in his memoirs that Escoiquiz wanted to win his favor through flattery.

In 1789, Escoiquiz published a Spanish translation of Edward Young's Night Thoughts . He also wrote an epic poem about the conquest of Mexico ( México Conquistada , 3 vols., Madrid 1798). His position as teacher of the heir to the throne, meanwhile, increased his ambition. He hoped, like previous court clerics, to be able to influence Spanish politics. When Crown Prince Ferdinand grew up and married the Neapolitan Princess Maria Antonia in 1802 , Escoiquiz became increasingly an influential opponent of the Prince of Peace Godoy and his policy of alliance with France. Godoy took revenge on Escoiquiz by having him referred to Toledo .

Escoiquiz, banished from the court, was given a canonical in Toledo and from here, through a secret exchange of letters, remained in constant contact with the Prince of Asturias. He also warned Charles IV and his wife in several letters against the ambitious activities of Godoy, but the latter maintained himself in the favor of the royal couple. Escoiquiz played an important role in the El Escorial conspiracy, discovered on October 27, 1807 , through which Crown Prince Ferdinand wanted to overthrow his father. He was arrested and tried like other conspirators but acquitted like them. He was also involved in the Aranjuez mutiny that broke out on March 17, 1808 .

After the Crown Prince. shortly after this outrage, when Ferdinand VII ascended the throne, he gave Escoiquiz a choice between several offices; Escoiquiz entered the service of the monarch as a state councilor. He advised the trip to Bayonne , which brought the king into Napoleon's hands , and accompanied Ferdinand there himself. Napoleon knew his influence and tried to win it over. Later Escoiquiz wrote the text Idea sencilla de las razones que motivaron el viage del rey don Fernando VII a Bayona…. (Madrid 1814), in which he set out the reasons that led Ferdinand VII to go to Bayonne. The work is an important historical document and has been translated into many languages, including French by Fr. Bruand ( Exposé des motifs qui ont engagé… , Paris 1816). In the discussions that Escoiquiz had with Napoleon in Bayonne in 1808, he spoke frankly and fearlessly for the rights of the Spanish people and their king and recommended that they under no circumstances renounce the crown. But Ferdinand VII waived and received Valençay Castle as his place of residence.

Escoiquiz was still trying to work for Ferdinand's cause and went to Paris with the Duke of San Carlos . But they were not long tolerated there; Escoiquiz was first referred to Valençay and soon after to Bourges . He stayed in this city for four and a half years until his release and received the necessary funds from the Spanish Infante. Here he also translated John Milton's Paradise Lost into Spanish in 1813 .

Only when the unsuccessful Russian campaign in 1812 and the expulsion of his brother Joseph from Spain made Napoleon inclined to reconcile himself with Ferdinand VII and recognize him as King of Spain, Escoiquiz received instructions in December 1813 to go to Valençay to lead the negotiations. As a result, Ferdinand VII was allowed to return to Madrid and Escoiquiz went back to Spain with the king. Here he fell out of favor with Ferdinand VII and withdrew from court to Saragossa in 1814, but was imprisoned in a permanent castle in Murcia on the orders of the king . He was called back once more, but fell again from grace and had to go into exile in Andalusia . There he died on November 19, 1820 in Ronda.

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Alternatively, 1747 is also given as Escoiquiz's year of birth ( Escóiquiz, Juan , in: Gran Enciclopedia de Navarra online).
  2. ↑ A. Herrmann: Escoiquiz (Don Juan) , in: Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste , 1st section, 38th part (1843), p. 75.
  3. ↑ a b c d Escoiquiz, Juan , in: Encyclopædia Britannica , 11th edition, 1910-11, Vol. 9, p. 765.
  4. ↑ a b c d A. Herrmann: Escoiquiz (Don Juan) , in: Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste , 1st section, 38th part (1843), p. 76.
  5. ^ A b Escoiquiz, Juan , in: Encyclopædia Britannica , 11th edition, 1910-11, Vol. 9, p. 766.
personal data
SURNAME Escoiquiz, Juan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish clergyman, statesman and writer
DATE OF BIRTH 1762
PLACE OF BIRTH Ocaña
DATE OF DEATH November 19, 1820
Place of death Ronda