Luis Fajardo de Córdoba
Encyclopedia
Don
Luis Fajardo de Córdoba was a Spanish
Conquistador
, military
and nobleman.
He was a second son of Don Luis Fajardo, 2nd Marquis of Los Vélez and Doña Leonor Fernández de Córdoba.
He was Captain-General of the Armada
of the Ocean Sea, Conqueror of La Mamora
, Knight
of Calatrava
and Commander of Moral.
He married at Murcia
with doña Luisa de Tenza, Lady of Espinardo. They were the parents of Don Juan Fajardo de Entenza y de Guevara, Córdoba y Velasco, 1st Marquess of Espinardo, and Don Alonso Fajardo de Entenza y de Guevara, Córdoba y Velasco, Spanish Governor-General
and Captain-General of the Islands of the Philippines
from July 3, 1618 to July 1624.
In 1605 and again in 1606, Don Luis commanded the Flota de Barlovento (the Windward Fleet), sent to the Caribbean to root out contraband tobacco growers; and European traders, mainly Dutch, who were violating the Spanish monopoly. It proved to be too expensive and was not sent out in 1608.
Don Luis next job was suppressing the corsairs of the western Mediterranean. He destroyed the pirate fleet at Tunis
belonging to John Ward and Kara Osman, in the summer of 1609.
The king Philip III
then had Don Luis take charge of transporting the last 100,000 Morisco
s (Christianized Moors) from Spain to Morocco. Don Luis then capture the pirate base of Larache
, Morocco, in 1610, and tried to plug the channel to pirate haven at La Mamora
(Medhia) at the West bank of the mouth of the Sebou river
.
In August 1614 Don Luis led a ninety-nine ship to La Mamora, with orders to occupy the site and erect the pre-fab fort brought with them. Most of the pirates were at sea, and the few in port fled up the river. The huge fleet would have been irresistible in any case.
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Luis Fajardo de Córdoba was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
, military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
and nobleman.
He was a second son of Don Luis Fajardo, 2nd Marquis of Los Vélez and Doña Leonor Fernández de Córdoba.
He was Captain-General of the Armada
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
of the Ocean Sea, Conqueror of La Mamora
La Mamora
La Mamora, La Mámora, Mehedía or San Miguel de Ultramar, was the Spanish name given to the current Moroccan city of Mehdia during the 17th century. It is located in northern Morocco, at the mouth of the Sebou River, in its West bank...
, Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of Calatrava
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava was the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Order of Calatrava as a Militia was given by Pope Alexander III on September 26, 1164.-Origins and Foundation:...
and Commander of Moral.
He married at Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
with doña Luisa de Tenza, Lady of Espinardo. They were the parents of Don Juan Fajardo de Entenza y de Guevara, Córdoba y Velasco, 1st Marquess of Espinardo, and Don Alonso Fajardo de Entenza y de Guevara, Córdoba y Velasco, Spanish Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
and Captain-General of the Islands of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
from July 3, 1618 to July 1624.
In 1605 and again in 1606, Don Luis commanded the Flota de Barlovento (the Windward Fleet), sent to the Caribbean to root out contraband tobacco growers; and European traders, mainly Dutch, who were violating the Spanish monopoly. It proved to be too expensive and was not sent out in 1608.
Don Luis next job was suppressing the corsairs of the western Mediterranean. He destroyed the pirate fleet at Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
belonging to John Ward and Kara Osman, in the summer of 1609.
The king Philip III
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
then had Don Luis take charge of transporting the last 100,000 Morisco
Morisco
Moriscos or Mouriscos , meaning "Moorish", were the converted Christian inhabitants of Spain and Portugal of Muslim heritage. Over time the term was used in a pejorative sense applied to those nominal Catholics who were suspected of secretly practicing Islam.-Demographics:By the beginning of the...
s (Christianized Moors) from Spain to Morocco. Don Luis then capture the pirate base of Larache
Larache
Larache is an important harbour town in the region Tanger-Tétouan in northern Morocco. It was founded in the 7th century when a group of Muslim soldiers from Arabia extended their camp at Lixus onto the south bank of the Loukkos River.In 1471, the Portuguese settlers from Asilah and Tangier drove...
, Morocco, in 1610, and tried to plug the channel to pirate haven at La Mamora
La Mamora
La Mamora, La Mámora, Mehedía or San Miguel de Ultramar, was the Spanish name given to the current Moroccan city of Mehdia during the 17th century. It is located in northern Morocco, at the mouth of the Sebou River, in its West bank...
(Medhia) at the West bank of the mouth of the Sebou river
Sebou River
Sebou is a river in northern Morocco. The river is 458 kilometres long and has an average water flow of 137 m3/s, which makes it the largest North African river by volume. The source is in the Middle Atlas mountains. It passes near the city of Fes and discharges to the Atlantic Ocean in Mehdia...
.
In August 1614 Don Luis led a ninety-nine ship to La Mamora, with orders to occupy the site and erect the pre-fab fort brought with them. Most of the pirates were at sea, and the few in port fled up the river. The huge fleet would have been irresistible in any case.
Sources
- Cunha, Fernando de Castro Pereira Mouzinho de Albuquerque e (1906-1998), Instrumentário Genealógico - Linhagens Milenárias. MCMXCV, p. 319
- Instituto de Salazar y Castro, Elenco de Grandezas y Titulos Nobiliarios Españoles. Various (periodic publication)