Carlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de Croix
Encyclopedia
Carlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de Croix (1699, Lille
, Flanders
– 1786, Valencia, Spain), was a Spanish general and viceroy of New Spain
, from August 25, 1766 to September 22, 1771, a period of considerable turbulence.
, one of the Spanish possessions in Africa, and later captain general of Galicia. He was serving in Galicia at the time of his appointment to the viceroyalty of New Spain.
He became viceroy of New Spain in 1766, in succession to Joaquín de Montserrat, who had clashed with visitador (inspector) José de Gálvez
. He arrived in Veracruz
on July 10, 1766. The transfer of power occurred at Otumba, en route to Mexico City
, on August 23, 1766, but his term of office is usually dated from his formal entry into Mexico City two days later. His nephew, Teodoro de Croix
, future Commandant General of the Provincias Internas
and Viceroy of Peru
, arrived in his retinue as Captain of the Viceroy's Guard.
The sole principle of his administration was absolute obedience to the king, whom he always referred to as "mi amo".
from the colony (June 25, 1767) and to confiscate the property of the Company. In this he was aided by the visitador, José de Gálvez
. Troops were used to remove the Jesuits from their monasteries and colleges; they were allowed to leave with scarcely the clothes on their backs. They were escorted to Veracruz and deported to Italy. Among the Jesuits expelled were Fathers Andrés Cavo
, Francisco Javier Clavijero
and Francisco Javier Alegre
, distinguished scholars. The College of San Ildefonso was closed.
These measures provoked a rebellion, especially in the cities of Guanajuato, Pátzcuaro, Valladolid and Uruapan. The viceroy and the visitador dealt severely with the rebels, hanging the leaders. In ordering the expulsion, the viceroy gave the following justification:
At this time the conflicts between Criollos
and Peninsulares
were first noted. (Criollos were Europeans born in New Spain, and Peninsulares were Europeans born in Iberia.) The disturbances at the time of the expulsion of the Jesuits led to some murders of Peninsulares and to the destruction of images of the king. Viceroy de Croix was aware of this, and included information about it in a secret report to King Charles III
.
The king, in addition to expelling the Jesuits, also gave his support and protection to the Inquisition.
The secular clergy and the remaining regular clergy, fearing possible royal action against them, began to speak against the regime in sermons and other public acts. The viceroy took this seriously enough that he warned of punishments for those religious who got mixed up in affairs of government. His censorship reached the level of suppressing the "Diario Literario", published by José Antonio Alzate y Ramírez, even though it contained only literary and scientific articles (May 15, 1768).
and Seri Indians had resumed their revolt, and the viceroy sent an expeditionary column to Sonora
to suppress it (April 14, 1767). Visitador Gálvez joined this expedition in order to get to know that part of the colony. Gálvez also traveled to Baja California and Alta California, in order to establish defenses against Russian encroachment from the north.
On March 17, 1768, the college of surgery was established by royal order in the Royal Hospital in Mexico City. The first director was Manuel Moreno
, rector of the College of Cádiz.
Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez
, heroine of Mexican independence, was born September 8, 1768 in Valladolid (Morelia).
De Croix received the troops sent from Spain to defend the colony against the English. The infantry regiments of Saboya
, Flanders
and Ultonia
arrived at Veracruz June 18, 1768, and those of Zamora, Guadalajara, Castile and Granada arrived later. In total, these included 10,000 men. Because of their white uniforms, these troops were known as blanquillos. The officers of the Zamora regiment organized the militias.
The Apache
s and Comanche
s were defeated in Nueva Vizcaya
by militia under the command of Captain Bernardo de Gálvez. There were disturbances in the mines of Guanajuato and Pachuca, over the low wages paid to miners. One alcalde mayor was killed at Pachuca. De Croix got the mine-owners to agree to an increase in wages.
De Croix established the lottery in 1769, which brought considerable income to the treasury. In 1770 he increased efforts to teach Spanish to the Indians, with the construction of special schools for this purpose. He constructed the castle of San Carlos in Perote, Veracruz, in honor of the king. This was intended as a point of resistance in the event of a hostile landing on the coast.
He doubled the area of the Alameda in Mexico City
, and closed the autos-da-fé
of the Inquisition
to the public. In 1771 he opened the fourth Council of Mexico of the Roman Catholic clergy. It concluded October 26, 1771, but its deliberations did not receive the approval of the pope or the Council of the Indies, and they never took effect.
He asked that the salary of the viceroy be increased from 40,000 to 60,000 pesos annually, and this request was granted. He introduced to New Spain French fashions and French cuisine.
On May 18, 1771, the Spanish government reduced the silver content in coins to 7.12%.
He turned over his office to Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa
on September 2, 1771, and returned to Spain. Upon his return to Spain, King Charles III named him captain general of Valencia, where he died a few years later.
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
– 1786, Valencia, Spain), was a Spanish general and viceroy of New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
, from August 25, 1766 to September 22, 1771, a period of considerable turbulence.
Military career and arrival in New Spain
Carlos Francisco de Croix served in the Spanish army, where he rose to the rank of general. He was commandant of the garrison in CeutaCeuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
, one of the Spanish possessions in Africa, and later captain general of Galicia. He was serving in Galicia at the time of his appointment to the viceroyalty of New Spain.
He became viceroy of New Spain in 1766, in succession to Joaquín de Montserrat, who had clashed with visitador (inspector) José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez y Gallardo, marqués de Sonora was a Spanish lawyer, a colonial official in New Spain and ultimately Minister of the Indies . He was one of the prime figures behind the Bourbon Reforms...
. He arrived in Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
on July 10, 1766. The transfer of power occurred at Otumba, en route to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, on August 23, 1766, but his term of office is usually dated from his formal entry into Mexico City two days later. His nephew, Teodoro de Croix
Teodoro de Croix
Teodoro de Croix was a Spanish soldier and colonial official in New Spain and Peru. From April 6, 1784 to March 25, 1790 he was viceroy of Peru.-Background:...
, future Commandant General of the Provincias Internas
Commandancy General of the Provincias Internas
The Provincias Internas or Commandancy General of the Internal Provinces of the North was a colonial, administrative district of the Spanish Empire, created in 1776 to provide more autonomy for the frontier provinces in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, present day northern Mexico and southwestern...
and Viceroy of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, governed from the capital of Lima...
, arrived in his retinue as Captain of the Viceroy's Guard.
The sole principle of his administration was absolute obedience to the king, whom he always referred to as "mi amo".
Expulsion of the Jesuits
It fell to Croix to expel the JesuitsSociety of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
from the colony (June 25, 1767) and to confiscate the property of the Company. In this he was aided by the visitador, José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez y Gallardo, marqués de Sonora was a Spanish lawyer, a colonial official in New Spain and ultimately Minister of the Indies . He was one of the prime figures behind the Bourbon Reforms...
. Troops were used to remove the Jesuits from their monasteries and colleges; they were allowed to leave with scarcely the clothes on their backs. They were escorted to Veracruz and deported to Italy. Among the Jesuits expelled were Fathers Andrés Cavo
Andrés Cavo
Andrés Cavo was a Jesuit and historian of New Spain.Andrés Cavo was born in New Spain in 1739. He entered the Society of Jesus and became a priest in 1760. He was involved in the missions to the Indians in Nayar in 1767 when the order for the expulsion of the Jesuits was enforced...
, Francisco Javier Clavijero
Francisco Javier Clavijero
Francisco Javier Clavijero Echegaray , was a Novohispano Jesuit teacher, scholar and historian...
and Francisco Javier Alegre
Francisco Javier Alegre
Francisco Xavier Alegre was a Jesuit scholar, translator, and historian of New Spain.-Life:Alegre was born in Veracruz, New Spain. He studied philosophy in the Royal College of San Ignacio in Puebla, then canon and civil law in Mexico City and theology in Angelópolis...
, distinguished scholars. The College of San Ildefonso was closed.
These measures provoked a rebellion, especially in the cities of Guanajuato, Pátzcuaro, Valladolid and Uruapan. The viceroy and the visitador dealt severely with the rebels, hanging the leaders. In ordering the expulsion, the viceroy gave the following justification:
[It is done] for motives known to the royal conscience of the sovereign, and which have to be acknowledged by the vassals of His Majesty, who have been born to obey and not to mix in the high affairs of government.
At this time the conflicts between Criollos
Criollo (people)
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
and Peninsulares
Peninsulares
In the colonial caste system of Spanish America, a peninsular was a Spanish-born Spaniard or mainland Spaniard residing in the New World, as opposed to a person of full Spanish descent born in the Americas or Philippines...
were first noted. (Criollos were Europeans born in New Spain, and Peninsulares were Europeans born in Iberia.) The disturbances at the time of the expulsion of the Jesuits led to some murders of Peninsulares and to the destruction of images of the king. Viceroy de Croix was aware of this, and included information about it in a secret report to King Charles III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
.
The king, in addition to expelling the Jesuits, also gave his support and protection to the Inquisition.
The secular clergy and the remaining regular clergy, fearing possible royal action against them, began to speak against the regime in sermons and other public acts. The viceroy took this seriously enough that he warned of punishments for those religious who got mixed up in affairs of government. His censorship reached the level of suppressing the "Diario Literario", published by José Antonio Alzate y Ramírez, even though it contained only literary and scientific articles (May 15, 1768).
Later events in his administration
The PimaPima
The Pima are a group of American Indians living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona. The long name, "Akimel O'odham", means "river people". They are closely related to the Tohono O'odham and the Hia C-ed O'odham...
and Seri Indians had resumed their revolt, and the viceroy sent an expeditionary column to Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
to suppress it (April 14, 1767). Visitador Gálvez joined this expedition in order to get to know that part of the colony. Gálvez also traveled to Baja California and Alta California, in order to establish defenses against Russian encroachment from the north.
On March 17, 1768, the college of surgery was established by royal order in the Royal Hospital in Mexico City. The first director was Manuel Moreno
Manuel Moreno
Manuel Moreno was an Argentine politician, brother of Mariano Moreno. He was one of the founders of the Federal Party in the province of Buenos Aires.-Biography:...
, rector of the College of Cádiz.
Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez
Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez
María Josefa Cresencia Ortiz y Girón, popularly known as Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez or La Corregidora was an insurgent and supporter of the Mexican War of Independence, which fought for independence against Spain, in the early 19th century...
, heroine of Mexican independence, was born September 8, 1768 in Valladolid (Morelia).
De Croix received the troops sent from Spain to defend the colony against the English. The infantry regiments of Saboya
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
, Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and Ultonia
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
arrived at Veracruz June 18, 1768, and those of Zamora, Guadalajara, Castile and Granada arrived later. In total, these included 10,000 men. Because of their white uniforms, these troops were known as blanquillos. The officers of the Zamora regiment organized the militias.
The Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
s and Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
s were defeated in Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya, New Spain
Nueva Vizcaya was the first province in the north of New Spain to be explored and settled by the Spanish. It consisted mostly of the area which is today the states of Chihuahua and Durango in Mexico.-Early exploration and the Viceroyalty:...
by militia under the command of Captain Bernardo de Gálvez. There were disturbances in the mines of Guanajuato and Pachuca, over the low wages paid to miners. One alcalde mayor was killed at Pachuca. De Croix got the mine-owners to agree to an increase in wages.
De Croix established the lottery in 1769, which brought considerable income to the treasury. In 1770 he increased efforts to teach Spanish to the Indians, with the construction of special schools for this purpose. He constructed the castle of San Carlos in Perote, Veracruz, in honor of the king. This was intended as a point of resistance in the event of a hostile landing on the coast.
He doubled the area of the Alameda in Mexico City
Mexico City Alameda Central
Alameda Central is a public municipal park in downtown Mexico City, adjacent to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, between Juarez Avenue and Hidalgo Avenue.-Description:...
, and closed the autos-da-fé
Auto-da-fé
An auto-da-fé was the ritual of public penance of condemned heretics and apostates that took place when the Spanish Inquisition or the Portuguese Inquisition had decided their punishment, followed by the execution by the civil authorities of the sentences imposed...
of the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
to the public. In 1771 he opened the fourth Council of Mexico of the Roman Catholic clergy. It concluded October 26, 1771, but its deliberations did not receive the approval of the pope or the Council of the Indies, and they never took effect.
He asked that the salary of the viceroy be increased from 40,000 to 60,000 pesos annually, and this request was granted. He introduced to New Spain French fashions and French cuisine.
On May 18, 1771, the Spanish government reduced the silver content in coins to 7.12%.
He turned over his office to Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa
Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa
Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, marqués de Valleheroso y conde de Jerena was a Spanish military officer, governor of Cuba, and viceroy of New Spain .-Beginning of his administration:He was governor of Cuba when he was named viceroy...
on September 2, 1771, and returned to Spain. Upon his return to Spain, King Charles III named him captain general of Valencia, where he died a few years later.