Duchy of Veragua
Encyclopedia
The Duchy of Veragua was a Spanish hereditary domain created in 1537 in the reign of King Charles I in a small section of the territory of Veragua (Gobernación de Veragua, which had been created in 1502 and extended along the Caribbean coasts of present-day Nicaragua
, Costa Rica
, and Panama
as far to the east as the Río Belén). The first Duke of Veragua was Admiral Luis Colón y Toledo, grandson and heir of Christopher Columbus
. The establishment of the duchy was the resolution of a longstanding dispute between the Spanish Crown and the heirs of Columbus, who had claimed a greater area. Luis Colón was also made Marquess of Jamaica.
The Dukedom was a perfect square of twenty-five leagues
on a side, extending towards the west from the mouth of the Río Belén in the Caribbean, in what is today Panamanian territory. As Panama is less than twenty-five leagues in width at this point, the Duchy extended into the Pacific. By this circumstance, the area of the previous territorial division, Castilla de Oro
, was split into two separated parts. The western part, from the Gulf of Nicoya
to the border of the duchy, was united with Veragua Real
(Royal Veragua) in 1540 to create the province of Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica
.
The first Duke of Veragua sent out various expeditions to try to enforce his authority throughout the territory, but they all resulted in disasters due to the resistance of the Indigenous peoples in their homeland and the difficulties of the topography and climate. In one of these expeditions the brother of the Duke, Francisco Colón, died at the hands of the natives.
In 1556 the Duke decided to return the domain to the Crown in exchange for an increased annual rent of 17,000 ducat
s (which was paid to his heirs up to 1898) and the retention of the title (which is still used in Spain). The current Duke of Veragua bears the same name as his ancestor, Cristóbal Colón.
In 1560 King Philip II
created the Province of Veragua
from the territory of the duchy, which was placed under the jurisdiction of the Royal Audiencia of Panama
. This province corresponds approximately to the present-day Panamanian Veraguas Province
.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and Panama
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...
as far to the east as the Río Belén). The first Duke of Veragua was Admiral Luis Colón y Toledo, grandson and heir of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
. The establishment of the duchy was the resolution of a longstanding dispute between the Spanish Crown and the heirs of Columbus, who had claimed a greater area. Luis Colón was also made Marquess of Jamaica.
The Dukedom was a perfect square of twenty-five leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
on a side, extending towards the west from the mouth of the Río Belén in the Caribbean, in what is today Panamanian territory. As Panama is less than twenty-five leagues in width at this point, the Duchy extended into the Pacific. By this circumstance, the area of the previous territorial division, Castilla de Oro
Castilla de Oro
Castilla de Oro was the name given by the Spanish settlers at the beginning of the 16th century to the Central American territories from the Gulf of Urabá, near today's Colombian-Panamanian border, to the Belén River. Beyond that river, the region was known as Veragua, and was disputed by the...
, was split into two separated parts. The western part, from the Gulf of Nicoya
Gulf of Nicoya
The Gulf of Nicoya is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. It separates the Nicoya Peninsula from the mainland of Costa Rica, and encompasses a marine and coastal landscape of wetlands, rocky islands and cliffs.-Islands:*Chira Island*Venado Island*Isla Caballo...
to the border of the duchy, was united with Veragua Real
Royal Veragua
Royal Veragua was a territory of the Crown of Castile in the early colonial period in the New World. It included the Caribbean slopes from the Río Sixaola to the island Escudo de Veraguas, in what is now Panama...
(Royal Veragua) in 1540 to create the province of Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica
Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica
Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica was a province of the Kingdom of Guatemala, created in 1540 during the reign of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor . It was formed from two earlier Spanish territories...
.
The first Duke of Veragua sent out various expeditions to try to enforce his authority throughout the territory, but they all resulted in disasters due to the resistance of the Indigenous peoples in their homeland and the difficulties of the topography and climate. In one of these expeditions the brother of the Duke, Francisco Colón, died at the hands of the natives.
In 1556 the Duke decided to return the domain to the Crown in exchange for an increased annual rent of 17,000 ducat
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s (which was paid to his heirs up to 1898) and the retention of the title (which is still used in Spain). The current Duke of Veragua bears the same name as his ancestor, Cristóbal Colón.
In 1560 King Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
created the Province of Veragua
Veragua
Veragua or Veraguas was the name of five territorial entities in Central America, beginning in the sixteenth century during the Spanish colonial period...
from the territory of the duchy, which was placed under the jurisdiction of the Royal Audiencia of Panama
Royal Audiencia of Panama
The Royal Audiencia and Chancery of Panama in Tierra Firme was a governing body and superior court in the New World empire of Spain. The Audiencia of Panama was the third American audiencia after the ones of Santo Domingo and Mexico...
. This province corresponds approximately to the present-day Panamanian Veraguas Province
Veraguas Province
Veraguas is a province of Panama, located in the centre-west of the country. The capital is the city of Santiago de Veraguas. The province covers 10,677.2 km² and is divided into twelve districts.-History:...
.
List of Dukes of Veragua
| From | To | Duke of Veragua |
|---|---|---|
| 1509 | 1526 | Diego Colón, 1st Duke of Veragua Diego Colón Diego Columbus was the 2nd Admiral of the Indies, 2nd Viceroy of the Indies and 3rd Governor of the Indies. He was the firstborn son of Christopher Columbus and wife Filipa Moniz Perestrelo, and was born in 1479/1480 in Porto Santo, Portugal or 1474 in Lisbon, Portugal. He died February... |
| 1537 | 1572 | Luis Colón de Toledo, 2nd Duke of Veragua Luis Colón de Toledo, 2nd Duke of Veragua Luis Colón de Toledo, 1st Duke of Veragua, 1st Duke of la Vega, 1st Marquis of Jamaica and 3rd Admiral of the Indies , was the first son of Diego Colón and María de Toledo y Rojas, and grandson of Christopher Columbus.After his father's death, a compromise was reached in 1536 in which he was named... |
| 1572 | 1577 | Felipa Colón de Toledo, 3rd Duchess of Veragua Felipa Colón de Toledo, 3rd Duchess of Veragua Felipa Colón de Toledo y Mosquera, 2nd duchess of la Vega, 3rd duchess of Veragua and 2nd Marquesa of Jamaica , was the second daughter and heiress of Luis Colón de Toledo, 1st Duke of Veragua, and his first wife María de Mosquera y Pasamonte... |
| 1577 | 1626 | Nuño Álvares Pereira Colón y Portugal, 4th Duke of Veragua |
| 1626 | 1636 | Álvaro Colón, 5th Duke of Veragua |
| 1636 | 1673 | Pedro Nuño Colón de Portugal, 6th Duke of Veragua |
| 1673 | 1710 | Pedro Manuel Colón de Portugal, 7th Duke of Veragua |
| 1710 | 1733 | Pedro Manuel Nuño Colón de Portugal, 8th Duke of Veragua |
| 1733 | 1739 | Catalina Ventura Colón de Portugal, 9th Duchess of Veragua |
| 1739 | 1785 | James Fitz-James Stuart, 10th Duke of Veragua James Fitz-James Stuart, 3rd Duke of Berwick Don Jacobo Francisco Eduardo Fitz-James Stuart y Colón de Portugal, 3rd Duke of Berwick was a Jacobite. On the death of his father, James Fitz-James Stuart, in 1738, he inherited his titles of Duke of Berwick and Duke of Liria and Xerica... |
| 1785 | 1787 | Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 11th Duke of Veragua |
| 1787 | 1821 | Mariano Colón de Larreátegui y Ximénez de Embún, 12th Duke of Veragua |
| 1821 | 1866 | Pedro Colón y Ramirez de Baquedano, 13th Duke of Veragua |
| 1866 | 1910 | Cristobal Colón y de La Cerda, 14th Duke of Veragua |
| 1910 | 1936 | Cristóbal Colón y Aguilera, 15th Duke of Veragua |
| 1936 | 1941 | Ramon Colón de Carvajal, 16th Duke of Veragua |
| 1941 | 1986 | Vice Admiral Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal y Maroto, 17th Duke of Veragua |
| 1986 | Present | Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal y Gorosábel, 18th Duke of Veragua |