Manuel Godoy

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Detail of the Portrait of Manuel Godoy, 1801
First Secretary of State
In office 15 November 1792 – 28 March 1798
Monarch	Charles IV
Preceded by	Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea
Succeeded by	Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis
Personal details
Born	(1767-05-12)12 May 1767 Badajoz, Spain
Died	4 October 1851(1851-10-04) (aged 84) Paris, France
Resting place	Père Lachaise Cemetery
Spouses	Doña María Teresa Carolina de Borbón y Vallabriga ​ ​ (m. 1797; div. 1808)​ Josefa de Tudó ​ (m. 1829)​
Children	Carlota de Godoy, 2nd Duchess of Sueca Manuel de Godoy y Tudó Luis de Godoy y Tudó
Signature

Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria Rios (12 May 1767,

Godoy was born in Badajoz as the youngest child of José de Godoy y Cáceres-Ovando, regidor of Badajoz for the "estado noble", and Antonia Álvarez de Faria, of noble Portuguese extraction.^[3] Much is known about his family and the documented nobility of his four grandparents, mainly due to the reports presented by his brothers Luis and Diego for their respective memberships to the Order of Santiago, and Order of Calatrava, as well as his mother's brothers, José and Juan Manuel Álvarez de Faria for the Order of Santiago. The Godoy family of Badajoz came originally from Galicia, claiming descent from Pedro Muñiz de Godoy, master of the orders of Santiago and Calatrava, Adelantado-Mayor and Capitán-General of the border with Portugal, who distinguished himself during the reign of Henry II of Castile, and died in 1385 at the Battle of Valverde.

His siblings were:

• José (Badajoz),
  canon of Badajoz and of Mojacar
  .

• Luis, field-marshal and captain-general of Extremadura, knight of the Order of Santiago (1787). Married (1792) Juana de Armendáriz, 7th Vicountess of La Armería,^[4] daughter of Juan Esteban de Armendáriz, 2nd Marquis of Castelfuerte, and Donata de Samaniego, 6th Vicountess of La Armería.
• Diego, 1st
  Dame of the Royal Order of Queen María Luisa
  .
• María Antonia, 21st Noble
  Viceroy of New Spain, son of Vincenzo La Grua Talamanca, 5th Prince of Carini, Duke of Villanova, and Lucrezia Branciforte di Butera.^[5]
• Ramona de las Mercedes, 87th Noble
  Dame of the Royal Order of Queen María Luisa
  , married to Manuel José Cándido de Moreno Cidoncha, 1st Count of Fuente Blanca.

In 1784, at the age of 17, Godoy moved to Madrid where he entered the Guardia de Corps (guards of the Royal Family).[6] When he went to court in Madrid, his singing and guitar playing set him apart (although he denied this in his Memoirs) and led him to royal favour, where by his intelligence and audacity (and according to some, the favors of Queen María Luisa) he obtained Charles IV's trust. In 1788 he met the heir to the Spanish throne, who later that year acceded as King Charles IV.

Godoy quickly became a

• 
  Godoy in 1788 as a

  Guardia de Corps

  , by Francisco Folch de Cardona
• 
  Godoy wearing the cross of the Order of Santiago (c. 1790, anonymous)
• 
  Godoy by Francisco Bayeu (1790)

Prime Minister of Spain

Godoy's frequent promotions were signs of his increasing influence over the King and Queen.

• 
  Francisco de Goya

  , (1794)
• 
  Godoy by

  Francisco de Goya

  (1801)
• 
  Godoy by Antonio Carnicero (1807)

Return to power (1801–1808)

Godoy's cousin, Pedro Cevallos became prime minister on 13 December 1799, allowing Godoy to assume de facto control of Spain as generalissimo of her armed forces.

Elevated to the position of Generalissimo of the Army of Land and Sea of Spain (1804), he was granted a private bodyguard. Meanwhile, his wife became heiress to her brother's House with his entry to the clergy, and thus became 15th Condesa de Chinchón and Grandee of Spain First Class with a Coat of Arms of Bourbon in 1803 (Letter of 7 March 1804) and 1st Duquesa de Sueca and Grandee of Spain First Class (Letter of 7 March 1804).

In 1804 Godoy was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[8]

In 1804 a British squadron engaged and defeated a Spanish force sailing from Peru to Spain, causing Godoy to again declare war on Britain. On 21 October 1805, the French and Spanish fleets suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar, ending Spain's last bid to be a world power.

In 1805 his mistress bore him a son, Manuel, and in 1807 another son, Luis. Some genealogies hold that they had an only son, who inherited his mother's titles/representations and his father's Italian title, which could only be acquired through the male line, named

1807: Treaty of Fontainebleau

In 1807 he received the title of Most

But the promises of the Treaty of Fontainebleau were not fulfilled, as Napoleon had already begun to consider making Joseph Bonaparte king of Spain. In December, Godoy allowed French troops in Spain as allies to assist in the partition of Portugal. The revolt against the French spread through Spain and Portugal. In March 1808, Godoy, Charles IV, Maria Luisa, and the rest of the court abandoned the Escorial and fled to Aranjuez with the intention of escaping to New Spain. Instead, they had to flee to Rome, while in Spain Godoy's riches were confiscated.

Supporters of Ferdinand (who had for some time been considering a coup d'état against his father) spread the story that Godoy had sold Spain to Napoleon. On 18 March a popular uprising known as the Tumult of Aranjuez took place. A mob stormed Godoy's residence, where at first they only found his mistress Pepita. Two days later, Godoy was found; Charles had Godoy's property confiscated and then imprisoned him in the Castle of Villaviciosa de Odón, a property owned by his wife Maria Teresa. To end the uprising and to save Godoy's life, Charles IV abdicated in favour of his son Ferdinand VII.

Inspired by elements from outside its ranks, the royal guard had sought to impose its views upon the body politic by 'pronouncing' against the régime. Challenged by this call of arms, Godoy and his royal patrons found that they had few defenders. The officer corps as a whole was disgruntled by the failure of reforms to make any difference in its situation, and his orders to resist the French were already widely disobeyed; much of the upper nobility and the Church was hostile; reformist circles had long since lost all faith in Godoy's political credentials; and the common people were in a state of open revolt. As for Fernando, he was seen as a saviour, the reception that he received when he rode into Madrid on 24 March.^[9]

The new king was popular, but his security was not certain. Murat had occupied the city only the day before, and, despite increasingly abject attempts to win France's favour, refused to recognize Fernando. Carlos IV protested his abdication and appealed to Napoleon for assistance. With the two rivals openly craving his mediation, the emperor was placed in an ideal position to control events. He summoned Carlos, María Luisa, and Fernando to meet him for a conference at Bayonne (Godoy was rescued from captivity and transported to France). With all the contestants united in his presence, Napoleon demanded that the rival kings renounce the throne and hand it to the emperor. Carlos assented, and on 5 May Fernando's defiance was overcome and the throne was formally signed over to Napoleon in exchange for generous pensions for the royal family and guarantees of territorial and religious integrity for Spain.^[10] With the whole of the Peninsula subjugated, Napoleon appeared to have achieved his every objective. However, even as the Bourbons departed into exile - Carlos, María Luisa and Godoy to Italy, and Fernando, his brother, Carlos, and uncle, Antonio, to Talleyrand's chateau at Valençay - the Peninsula remained restive.^[10]

Setting this aside, however, opportunism was the key. Napoleon had been motivated neither by an altruistic desire to spread the benefits of freedom and enlightenment, nor by a gigantic strategic combination, nor by an overwhelming clan loyalty that made the creation of family courts the centrepiece of French foreign policy. Strategic, ideological and historical factors were present in his thinking, certainly, but in the last resort what mattered was, first, the emperor's character, and, second, the force of circumstance. Forever eager to demonstrate his prowess, impose his stamp upon affairs, and demonstrate his contempt for diplomacy, the emperor was confronted with a situation in which nothing seemed to stand between him and the stroke that was more audacious than anything that he had yet attempted. Never had he been more wrong.^[11]

Exile

Godoy spent the next few years living in exile with Charles, Maria Luisa, his daughter Carlota Luisa, his mistress Pepita, and their sons (Maria Teresa had divorced him in 1808). They lived for several months at Fontainebleau, then at Compiègne, and then at Aix-en-Provence. In October 1808, they arrived in Marseille, where they spent four years. In July 1812, they moved to Rome, where they lived in the Palazzo Barberini.

In April 1814, Ferdinand VII was restored as King of Spain (he had lived for six years in France). He refused to allow his parents or Godoy to return to Spain and had Pope Pius VII exile Godoy and his mistress to Pesaro. During the Hundred Days, Charles IV and Maria Luisa fled from France to Verona, where they were joined by Godoy and Pepita. Godoy petitioned the Emperor Franz I of Austria for asylum in Vienna, but Ferdinand forbade it.

After Napoleon's final defeat, Charles IV, Maria Luisa and Pepita returned to Rome, but the Pope required Godoy to stay at Pesaro. In September 1815, Charles and Maria Luisa asked the pope to annul the marriage between Godoy and Maria Teresa. Godoy was allowed to return to Rome, but to preserve appearances, Pepita and her sons moved to Genoa. Ferdinand then bribed the police to expel Pepita and her family from Genoa; and again from Livorno. Finally, she found a home in Pisa.

In March 1818 Godoy's younger son Luis died. In October, Godoy became ill with

Ferdinand VII continued to forbid Godoy to return to Spain and ensured that he did not receive any state pension. He also did not allow Godoy's daughter Carlota to marry into a sovereign house, but did agree to her marriage in 1821 to Don Camillo Ruspoli, the younger son of a Roman princely family.

On 24 November 1828 Maria Teresa died at Paris. The following year or still in December of that year, Godoy married Pepita. The Pope made him 1st Principe di Paserano, but Godoy went to live in Paris in 1832, where they lived in somewhat straitened circumstances.

In 1836 and 1839 Godoy published Memórias del Príncipe de la Paz, his

In 1844 he was authorized to return to Spain. In 1847 the Spanish government returned to Godoy part of his confiscated property and restored his titles. He died in Paris in 1851. His body was buried first in the Church of Saint-Roch, but the following year was transferred to the Père Lachaise Cemetery, where it rests today.

The painting

, who were Godoy's mistresses.

Offices and titles

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Besides receiving many decorations, in Spain he carried many titles and offices:

• ?th Marqués de Alcúdia with the previous title of ?th Vizconde de Alto Castillo (titles dated 1722) (Royal Cedule of 10 June 1792).^{[citation needed]}
• 1st
  Coat of Arms
  of Godoy (Letter of 4 July 1792)
• Grandee of Spain
  First Class (Letter of 7 March 1804)
• 1st Barón de Mascalbó, in
  Coat of Arms
  of Godoy (Letter of 23 June 1806) for being the Perpetual Decane Regedor (Rector) of Reus
• Most Serene Highness (1807)
• Señor de los Estados de la Campana de Albalat y la Serena, de Lago de Albufera (Valencia), and of the villages of Huetor de Santillan y Veas
• Señor de los Sotos de Roma y Aldovea
• Perpetual Regedor (Rector) of the Villages of
  México
  ;
• Preeminent Veinte y Quatro (Twenty-Four) of
  Sevilla and Jerez de los Caballeros
• Almerante-Mayor (Admiral-Major) of Spain and the Indies
• Captain-General
  of the Royal Armies
• Captain
  of the Body Guards
• Hermano Mayor (Greater Brother) and Perpetual Alcalde of the Holy and Royal Old Brotherhood of Toledo, with voice, vote and Presidency;
• President of the Royal Colegial Body of the Hidalgos of the Nobility of Madrid (1804)
• Gentleman of the Chamber of His Catholic Majesty, with exercise
• Counsilor of State
• Don Carlos IV
• Commander of Valencia del Ventoso, Rivera and Acheucal in the Order of Santiago
• Knight of the Order of Santiago (1790)
• Knight of the Renowned Order of the Golden Fleece
• Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
• Knights of Malta
• 1st Conde de Évora Monte (Village of the Province of Alentejo, former Council of Vimieiro
• Administrative
  Real Ordem dos Cavaleiros de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo
  .
• 1st Principe de Godoy di Bassano and Grand Cross of the Order of St January and St Fernando of Naples (Italy)
• Grand Sash (Grand Cordon) of the Legion of Honour (France)

Legacy

Lord Byron mentions Godoy in his Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (Canto the First, XLVIII), where a Spanish lusty muleteer... chants "Viva el Rey" / And check his song to execrate Godoy, / The royal wittol Charles... etc. and in the note to these lines he explains that it is to this man that the Spaniards universally impute the ruin of their country.^[2]

See also

• Prime Ministers of Spain

Notes

1. ^ Douglas Hilt, "Manuel Godoy: Prince of Peace." History Today (Dec 1971), Vol. 21 Issue 12, pp. 833-841.
2. ^
   ISBN 978-1-77541-569-5
   .
3. ^ "Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria | Real Academia de la Historia". dbe.rah.es. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
4. ^ "Luis Godoy y Álvarez de Faria | Real Academia de la Historia". dbe.rah.es. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
5. ^ "LA GRUA - TALAMANCA". www.genmarenostrum.com. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
6. ^ ^{a b} Chisholm 1911, p. 175.
7. ^ Hume, Mark Andrew Sharp (1900). Modern Spain 1788–1898. New York: G. P. Putnam's. OCLC 2946787.
8. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
9. ^ Esdaile 2003, p. 34.
10. ^ ^{a b} Esdaile 2003, p. 35.
11. ^ Esdaile 2003, p. 36.

Further reading

• Hilt, Douglas. "Manuel Godoy: Prince of Peace." History Today (Dec. 1971), Vol. 21 Issue 12, pp. 833-841, online.
• Chastenet, Jacques (August 2011). Godoy Master of Spain 1792 1808. BiblioBazaar.
  ISBN 978-1-178-80415-7
  .
• "Godoy, Alvarez de Faria, Rios Sanchez y Zarzosa, Manuel de" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 175–176.
• Esdaile, Charles (14 June 2003). The Peninsular War: A New History. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 34.
  ISBN 978-1-4039-6231-7
  .
• Herr, Richard (1965). "Good, Evil, and Spain's Rising Against Napoleon". In Gottschalk, Louis (ed.). Ideas in History: Essays Presented to Louis Gottschalk by His Former Students. Books on Demand. pp. 157–181.
  ISBN 978-0-8357-9107-6
  .
• Hilt, Douglas (1987). The Troubled Trinity: Godoy and the Spanish Monarchs. University of Alabama Press.
  ISBN 978-0-8173-0320-4
  .
• D'Auvergne, Edmund Basil (1912). Godoy: The Queen's Favourite. Stanley Paul & Company.

External links

• Media related to Manuel de Godoy at Wikimedia Commons