Carmine Nicolao Caracciolo
Encyclopedia
Carmine Nicolao Caracciolo, 5th Prince of Santo Buono, Grandee
of Spain (July 6, 1671, Naples
—July 26, 1726, Madrid
) was Spanish viceroy
of Peru
from October 5, 1716 to January 26, 1720.
His name was spelt several different ways, including Carmine Nicola Caracciolo, Carmine Niccolo Caracciolo, Carmine Nicolás Caracciolo and Carmino Nicolás Caracciolo.
Carmine Caracciolo was a descendant of an old noble family of Naples
and was a prince of the Holy Roman Empire
. He was exiled from Naples in 1707 when it passed to the Crown of Austria, because he was a supporter of the Bourbons. His property was confiscated. A cultured man of letters, he was ambassador in Rome
and Venice
(1702). He married Donna Giovanna Costanza Ruffo dei Duchi di Bagnara
.
He was the first Italian to be named viceroy of Peru. This occurred in 1713, although he delayed some time in traveling to America. He arrived in Cartagena de Indias on the warships of the Count of Vega Florida, where he became aware of the corruption in the politics and commerce of the viceroyalty. He brought with him orders from the Crown to end the French contraband, something that had been protected and encouraged by his immediate predecessors.
He entered Lima and took up his office on October 5, 1716. In celebration of his arrival, the poet Peralta published a panegyric in his honor, as did Bermúdez de la Torre, "El sol en el zodíaco". Both are extravagant in their praise for the new viceroy.
In 1717 the Viceroyalty of New Granada
was created in northern Peru, from the Audiencias of Bogotá
, Quito
and Panamá
. However this establishment lasted only until 1724, when the territories were returned to the Viceroyalty of Peru. (The Viceroyalty of New Grenada was reestablished on a more permanent basis in 1734.)
Among the notable events of his administration were the following. He was unable to halt the contraband. During his administration missionaries made many converts in the mountains, and the College of Ocopa was founded. An epidemic affected 60,000 of the Indigenous. A royal order prohibited the branding of black slaves. Because of abuse by encomenderos of the system of mita, Caracciolo solicited its abolition. However, the king did not act on his recommendations.
On August 15, 1719 the first total eclipse of the sun recorded in Lima since the Spanish conquest occurred, just before noon. It was necessary to light house lights, and the eclipse inspired processions of penitents.
He served as viceroy until 1720. He died in 1727.
Grandee
Grandee is the word used to render in English the Iberic high aristocratic title Grande , used by the Spanish nobility; Portuguese nobility, and Brazilian nobility....
of Spain (July 6, 1671, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
—July 26, 1726, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) was Spanish viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
from October 5, 1716 to January 26, 1720.
His name was spelt several different ways, including Carmine Nicola Caracciolo, Carmine Niccolo Caracciolo, Carmine Nicolás Caracciolo and Carmino Nicolás Caracciolo.
Carmine Caracciolo was a descendant of an old noble family of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and was a prince of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. He was exiled from Naples in 1707 when it passed to the Crown of Austria, because he was a supporter of the Bourbons. His property was confiscated. A cultured man of letters, he was ambassador in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
(1702). He married Donna Giovanna Costanza Ruffo dei Duchi di Bagnara
Bagnara Calabra
Bagnara Calabra is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 100 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 25 km northeast of Reggio Calabria.-Overview:...
.
He was the first Italian to be named viceroy of Peru. This occurred in 1713, although he delayed some time in traveling to America. He arrived in Cartagena de Indias on the warships of the Count of Vega Florida, where he became aware of the corruption in the politics and commerce of the viceroyalty. He brought with him orders from the Crown to end the French contraband, something that had been protected and encouraged by his immediate predecessors.
He entered Lima and took up his office on October 5, 1716. In celebration of his arrival, the poet Peralta published a panegyric in his honor, as did Bermúdez de la Torre, "El sol en el zodíaco". Both are extravagant in their praise for the new viceroy.
In 1717 the Viceroyalty of New Granada
Viceroyalty of New Granada
The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the name given on 27 May 1717, to a Spanish colonial jurisdiction in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. The territory corresponding to Panama was incorporated later in 1739...
was created in northern Peru, from the Audiencias of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
and Panamá
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. However this establishment lasted only until 1724, when the territories were returned to the Viceroyalty of Peru. (The Viceroyalty of New Grenada was reestablished on a more permanent basis in 1734.)
Among the notable events of his administration were the following. He was unable to halt the contraband. During his administration missionaries made many converts in the mountains, and the College of Ocopa was founded. An epidemic affected 60,000 of the Indigenous. A royal order prohibited the branding of black slaves. Because of abuse by encomenderos of the system of mita, Caracciolo solicited its abolition. However, the king did not act on his recommendations.
On August 15, 1719 the first total eclipse of the sun recorded in Lima since the Spanish conquest occurred, just before noon. It was necessary to light house lights, and the eclipse inspired processions of penitents.
He served as viceroy until 1720. He died in 1727.