Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte
Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte , Margrave (Spanish: marqués) of Branciforte , (* 1750 in Palermo , Sicily , † June 1, 1812 in Marseille , France ) was a Spanish colonial administrator who served as viceroy of New Spain.
Life
Family and education
Miguel de la Grúa was born in Palermo to a noble family. His father was Vicente La Grua Talamanca de Carini and his mother was Lucrezia Branciforte.
He pursued a military career and rose to be captain of the Spanish army. For his services he was raised to the rank of margrave.
In August 1790 he married María Antonio de Godoy, the sister of Manuel de Godoy , the powerful Prime Minister and lover of Queen Maria Luise of Bourbon-Parma . This made him a favorite of the court. In 1794 his daughter Carlota was born, who inherited the title of margrave.
Tenure as Viceroy of New Spain
In 1794 he succeeded Juan Vicente de Güemes as viceroy of New Spain. In contrast to his predecessor, he was considered corrupt and little interested in the well-being of the colony. At that time Spain was in the coalition wars against revolutionary France. Grúa took the opportunity and confiscated the goods of French citizens in Mexico.
During his tenure there was a dispute between the local authorities and the crown over the tax base of the indigenous population. Another conflict concerned the consulados , a kind of independent trading zones in Veracruz and Guadalajara , which demanded their own taxes on their territory in order to finance important infrastructure projects (such as road construction). Grúa wanted to intervene, however, the colonial administration in Madrid saw the consulados with goodwill.
While Viceroy Güemes had disbanded the local militias, Grúa saw in them a source of income by selling officers' certificates. So he nominally built up a large number of militias.
The allegations of corruption against Grúa found a hearing at court, so that he was replaced by Miguel José de Azanza in 1798 (the year in which his sponsor Godoy had to resign) .
Return to Europe
Grúa returned to Europe. Like his brother-in-law Godoy, he sided with Joseph Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars . He died in Marseille in 1812.
literature
- Fernando Orozco: Gobernantes de México . 3. Edition. Panorama Editorial, Mexico City 2004, ISBN 968-38-0260-5 ( Google Books ).
- Juana Vázquez Gómez: Dictionary of Mexican Rulers, 1325–1997 . Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport CT 1997, ISBN 0-313-30049-6 ( Google Books ).
Web links
- Biography (spanish)
- Short biography (Spanish)
- History of his tenure (Spanish)
- Entry at Geneall.net
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Vicente de Güemes |
Viceroy of New Spain 1794–1798 |
Miguel José de Azanza |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte, Miguel de la |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Margrave of Branciforte; Marqués de Branciforte |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish Viceroy of New Spain |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1750 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Palermo , Sicily |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 1, 1812 |
| Place of death | Marseille , France |