Luis Fernández de Córdoba y Arce

Luis Fernández de Córdoba y Arce (* 1589 in Córdoba , Spain , † not before 1644 ) was a Spanish military and governor in Chile and later in the Canary Islands .

Life

Origin and career in Mexico and the Philippines

Luis Fernández came from the influential Andalusian noble family Fernández de Córdoba ; with the title of Veinticuatro she was one of the patrician families in her hometown of Cordoba.

In 1611, at the age of 22, he traveled to Mexico with his uncle, the Marquis of Guadalcázar , when the latter was appointed Viceroy of New Spain . Luis drove to Mexico with a troop of soldiers whom he maintained from his own resources and fought there for the Spanish crown, including in the defense of Acapulco against the Dutch in 1615. As governor of the province of Tlaxcala he officiated from 1615 to 1617, he then returned with two companies to Acapulco and embarked for the Philippines , where he also fought against the Dutch.

His return to Mexico took seven months and was not a good star: three hundred men died and Fernández was seriously ill on arrival in Acapulco. The Viceroy had designated him as governor of Yucatán ; but he could not take up the office due to illness.

In 1622 his uncle, Diego Fernández de Córdoba , Marquis of Guadalcázar, was appointed Viceroy of Peru . Luis followed him to Lima. There he officiated as captain general of the port city of Callao , which he successfully defended against a Dutch attack in 1624.

After the death of Pedro Osores de Ulloa , the viceroy decided to appoint his nephew Luis Fernández de Córdoba as his successor in the office of governor of Chile. The news of his death reached Lima in December 1624. This appointment had to be confirmed by the Real Audiencia , as the king had forbidden the viceroys by decree of 1619 to entrust relatives up to the fourth degree with offices.

Term of office as Governor of Chile

Fernández came from Callao on May 28, 1625 Concepción . During the winter rainy season, the roads were hardly passable, and the fighting with the Indians largely ceased. The governor reached Santiago de Chile on December 21, 1625 and took the oath of office before the Cabildo (city council).

In February 1626 Fernández made his way south to resume fighting against the indigenous people. He probably had no illusions about the chances of success. The Spaniards had been on the defensive for many years and had to give up numerous posts. Fernández asked the king for another thousand reinforcements and another four hundred from the viceroy in Peru.

The campaigns of the Spaniards gained momentum when, with the support of almost 200 men from Peru, they were able to achieve success against the Indians. This was also a lucrative victory for the Spaniards, as the captured Indians were sold as slaves - the prisoners became the property of the soldier who had captured them.

Fernández was able to show some military successes, among other things he reorganized the tactical direction by having mobile, well-equipped troops operate on two different sections. In the winter of 1628 the Spaniards were defeated by the Butapichún Indians under Chief Lientur at the battle of Las Cangrejeras .

Term of office as Governor of the Canary Islands

In 1629, the successor to Pedro Osores de Ulloa, named by King Philip IV , reached Francisco Laso de la Vega , Chile. Fernández was instead appointed governor of the Canary Islands, which at that time suffered from ongoing pirate attacks. He held this office until 1644.

literature

• José Toribio Medina : Diccionario Biográfico Colonial de Chile . Imprenta Elziviriana, Santiago, Chile 1906, p. 296–301 (Spanish, memoriachilena.cl [PDF; accessed June 15, 2010]).
• Diego Barros Arana : Historia General de Chile . tape 4 . Editorial Universitaria, Santiago de Chile 2001, p. 149–165 (Spanish, memoriachilena.cl [accessed June 10, 2010] First edition: 1886).