Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 10th Duke of Alburquerque

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In this
Spanish name, the first or paternal surname
is Fernández de la Cueva and the second or maternal family name is Fernández de la Cueva.
Viceroy of New Spain
In office
27 November 1702 – 14 January 1711
MonarchPhilip V
Preceded byJuan Ortega
Succeeded byThe Duke of Linares
Personal details
Born17 November 1666
Genoa, Italy
Died28 June 1724(1724-06-28) (aged 57)
Madrid, Spain
Signature

Francisco V Fernández de la Cueva y Fernández de la Cueva, (

War of Spanish Succession and his tenure as Viceroy of New Spain is commemorated in the namesake of Albuquerque, New Mexico
.

He was the nephew of

Viceroy of Sicily, (1667–1670), and the son of the 9th Duke of Alburquerque, and many other lesser titles, the cadet brother of the 8th Duke, and inheritor of the titles, Melchor Fernández de la Cueva
(* Madrid, 2 March 1625 – † Madrid 12 October 1686).

His father, Melchor, the 9th Duke, had married in 1665 his niece Ana Rosolea Fernández de la Cueva, the 3rd Marchioness of

Viceroy of Mexico
(1635–1640).

This Spanish – Equatorian, Francisco Fernández de La Cueva y Fernandez de la Cueva, 10th Duke, was thus family connected through paternal and maternal links with 2 former

Viceroys of México
, his uncle Francisco IV, the 8th Duke of Alburquerque and Lope Díez de Armendáriz.

He was captain general of the Kingdom of Granada and captain general of the coast of Andalusia.

His administration

The French had received a concession of ten years for their establishment, in Veracruz, of a French trading post dealing in black slaves. Upon his arrival in Veracruz he enforced Spanish law, and allowed their stay, until their concession was over. After which point, the French trading post was to stop operating within the slave trade, as it was illegal to openly operate such facilities within Spanish territory.[1]

He arrived in

Habsburg
party.

This viceroy's administration was known for its luxury and magnificence. On 6 January 1703 the palace guards in the viceregal palace appeared in uniforms of the French mode for the first time, three-cornered hats and all. This attracted much attention, and fashions at the court and beyond quickly followed along the same lines. This was a fashion of luxury, starkly contrasted with the poverty of the majority of the people.

Marriage

He married in

Juan Francisco II Tomás Lorenzo de la Cerda 8th Duke of Medinaceli, 8 Duke of Alcalá de los Gazules, a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
, and many other lesser titles.

Their first son, inheritor of the titles, was named

Duque del Infantado
, and María Teresa, a daughter of Francisco Domingo Gutiérrez de los Ríos, from Cordoba and Ambassador in France.

Military affairs

Alburquerque repaired and expanded the armada of Barlovento (coast guard) so that it could attack pirates. He devoted much of the armed forces to dislodging the English and Dutch from the coast of the Seno Mexicano (Gulf coast). He sent reinforcements and supplies to

Saint Augustine, Florida
, which was besieged by the English. He confiscated the property of the English and Dutch, and used the proceeds to fend off their incursions. He worked to protect the newly established Jesuit missions in California.

He also worked hard to provide financial aid to the Bourbons in the Spanish War of Succession. He demanded that the clergy turn over one tenth of their rents to the government. The archbishop strongly objected. When Alburquerque's term in office was extended, in gratitude he remitted two million pesos to the Crown. To raise this money, he resorted to shady methods, such as selling government positions. His remissions to Spain were so large that the government found itself unable to pay many police and other employees, and they were laid off. The streets and highways became infested with brigands.

Crime and rebellion

In 1701 the Tribunal de la Acordada (literally, Court of Agreement) was founded. It received this name as the result of a proposal agreed to by the

Audiencia
. It was an organization of volunteers intended to capture and quickly try bandits. From its creation to the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence in 1810, the Acordada delivered 57,500 verdicts to 62,850 accused. Of those, 35,058 were freed, 888 were hanged, 1,729 were whipped; 19,410 were sentenced to prison for one or two years and 263 to labor on public works; 777 were banished to camps in the north, and the remainder were sent on to regular judges. Three hundred forty died in hospitals and 1,280 in prison.

In 1704 the viceroy suppressed a rebellion of the

Pima Indians in Nueva Vizcaya
, using bloody methods. The Indians were terrorized and submitted, but in the long run this was a bad result for the Spanish. The Indians became distrustful and resisted evangelization and integration into the society of the viceroyalty.

Reputation

The Duke of Alburquerque was the namesake of the

Chihuahua
) was founded. Also in 1709 the Church of Santa María de Guadalupe was established.

In spite of his faults, Fernández de la Cueva had a reputation as an affable, moderate and capable governor who maintained tranquility and security in the viceroyalty. He turned over the government around January 1711 to his successor, Fernando de Alencastre, 1st Duke of Linares. Afterwards, he returned to Spain during 1711, dying in Madrid in June 1724, aged 57.

References

  1. S2CID 164546943
    .
  2. ISBN 9780826331601
    .
  3. ISBN 9780826316899
    .

Sources

Government offices
Preceded by
Viceroy of New Spain

1702–1711 		Succeeded by
Spanish nobility
Preceded by Duke of Alburquerque
1686–1724 		Succeeded by

[1]

  1. ISBN 0-8263-3160-2
    .
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