Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca y Branciforte, marqués de Branciforte
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Don
Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca de Carini y Branciforte, 1st Marqués de Branciforte
(Palermo
, Sicily
, ca 1755 – Marseille
, June 1, 1812) was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain
from July 12, 1794 to May 31, 1798. He is known as one of the most corrupt viceroys in the history of the colony. His accession is considered the beginning of the decadent period in the history of the colonial government.
Of Italian origin, Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca was captain general of the Spanish army and grande of Spain (first class). After his arrival in Mexico he was made a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece
. He also became Knight of the Order of Santiago
and the Order of Charles III. Grúa was a protégé of Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy
, and married in Madrid
, August 15, 1790 to Godoy's sister, María Antonia de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, de los Ríos y Sánchez-Zarzosa (Badajoz
– Genoa
, July 25, 1836), 21st Noble Dame
of the Royal Order of Queen María Luisa. Their daughter Carlota de la Grúa-Talamanca de Carini y Godoy, Branciforte y Álvarez de Faria, was made the 268th Noble Dame
of the Royal Order of Queen María Luisa. He was sent by Godoy to take over the government of New Spain (March 26, 1794).
He arrived in Veracruz
on June 15, 1794, and took possession of the government in Mexico City on July 12, 1794.
As the agent of a corrupt prime minister, Grúa was chiefly concerned with obtaining money for him, and for himself. Using the war between Spain and Revolutionary France as a pretext, he confiscated all of the property of the French residents of New Spain and Louisiana
—not a small amount. He sold the property, keeping a portion for himself.
In fact, he kept a portion for himself of all that passed through his hands. He sold offices and military ranks. He is known in Mexico as corrupt and inept, and one of the worst governors in the history of New Spain. This was in high contrast to his predecessor, Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, considered one of the best. Grúa was opposed to Güemes Padilla in other ways as well—he began his government by favoring the enemies of the previous government.
On December 12, 1794 Fray Servando Teresa de Mier
gave a famous, disrespectful sermon at the church of Guadalupe
. He was deported to Spain, where he began a series of remarkable adventures. On April 27, 1795, the first course in mineralogy in New Spain began, under Andrés Manuel del Río
.
In July 1795 Godoy made peace with France, but the French residents in New Spain remained under suspicion by the government. The Crown also ordered increased vigilance in regard to United States citizens, not because of any known expansionist plots, but because they were viewed as revolutionaries, along with the French.
During this time the Inquisition
became less concerned about heretics and Protestants, and more concerned to suppress the revolutionary political and other ideas of the French revolutionaries. On August 9, 1795 an auto-de-fe was held. One of the condemned was Esteban Morel, a French man of science, professor of medicine and collaborator in the Gaceta de México. He was formally accused of heresy, deism and materialism. The same tribunal of the Inquisition brought proceedings against Juan Lauset and other Frenchmen, accusing them of having expressed feelings against the Spanish.
The government of Grúa entered into negotiations with the young republic in the United States to establish the boundaries between the two countries. A Peruvian priest living in Mexico, Melchor de Talamantes
(1765-1809) was named to head the commission on the New Spain side.
When Spain, now at peace with France, declared war on Britain on October 5, 1797, Grúa confiscated the property of Britons living in the colony, for his own benefit.
To flatter King Charles IV
and Godoy, the viceroy commissioned the Spanish architect and sculptor Manuel Tolsá
(1757-1816) to construct a grand equestrian statue of the king. The first stone in the pedestal was laid July 18, 1796, and the statue was completed in 1803. This statue, now known as El Caballito, is still a landmark in Mexico City.
The Ayuntamiento of Mexico City (the city government), brought suit against the viceroy for corruption, specifically for wasting vast sums of public money on projects of little consequence. The viceroy prevailed, and the Ayuntamiento was ordered to pay costs.
War again being declared with France, Viceroy Grúa intended to raise new regiments from the provinces, expecting to make a fortune through the sale of positions. However his incompetence and dishonesty by now had been credibly reported to the Court. He was removed in 1798, and Miguel José de Azanza was named in his place.
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:...
Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca de Carini y Branciforte, 1st Marqués de Branciforte
Branciforte
Branciforte or as it was named originally, Villa de Branciforte, was a secular pueblo established by the Spanish in the of Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, in 1797 on the eastern bluff overlooking the San Lorenzo River...
(Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, ca 1755 – Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, June 1, 1812) was a Spanish military officer 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 July 12, 1794 to May 31, 1798. He is known as one of the most corrupt viceroys in the history of the colony. His accession is considered the beginning of the decadent period in the history of the colonial government.
Of Italian origin, Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca was captain general of the Spanish army and grande of Spain (first class). After his arrival in Mexico he was made a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
. He also became Knight of the Order of Santiago
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
and the Order of Charles III. Grúa was a protégé of Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy
Manuel de Godoy
Don Manuel Francisco Domingo de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, de los Ríos y Sánchez-Zarzosa, also Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria de los Ríos Sánchez Zarzosa , was Prime Minister of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808...
, and married in 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...
, August 15, 1790 to Godoy's sister, María Antonia de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, de los Ríos y Sánchez-Zarzosa (Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
– Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, July 25, 1836), 21st Noble Dame
Dame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
of the Royal Order of Queen María Luisa. Their daughter Carlota de la Grúa-Talamanca de Carini y Godoy, Branciforte y Álvarez de Faria, was made the 268th Noble Dame
Dame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
of the Royal Order of Queen María Luisa. He was sent by Godoy to take over the government of New Spain (March 26, 1794).
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 June 15, 1794, and took possession of the government in Mexico City on July 12, 1794.
As the agent of a corrupt prime minister, Grúa was chiefly concerned with obtaining money for him, and for himself. Using the war between Spain and Revolutionary France as a pretext, he confiscated all of the property of the French residents of New Spain and Louisiana
Louisiana (New Spain)
Louisiana was the name of an administrative district of the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1764 to 1803 that represented territory west of the Mississippi River basin, plus New Orleans...
—not a small amount. He sold the property, keeping a portion for himself.
In fact, he kept a portion for himself of all that passed through his hands. He sold offices and military ranks. He is known in Mexico as corrupt and inept, and one of the worst governors in the history of New Spain. This was in high contrast to his predecessor, Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, considered one of the best. Grúa was opposed to Güemes Padilla in other ways as well—he began his government by favoring the enemies of the previous government.
On December 12, 1794 Fray Servando Teresa de Mier
Servando Teresa de Mier
Fray Servando Teresa de Mier was a Roman Catholic priest and a preacher and politician in New Spain....
gave a famous, disrespectful sermon at the church of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
. He was deported to Spain, where he began a series of remarkable adventures. On April 27, 1795, the first course in mineralogy in New Spain began, under Andrés Manuel del Río
Andrés Manuel del Río
Andrés Manuel del Río Fernández was a Spanish–Mexican scientist and naturalist who discovered the chemical element vanadium.-Education:...
.
In July 1795 Godoy made peace with France, but the French residents in New Spain remained under suspicion by the government. The Crown also ordered increased vigilance in regard to United States citizens, not because of any known expansionist plots, but because they were viewed as revolutionaries, along with the French.
During this time 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...
became less concerned about heretics and Protestants, and more concerned to suppress the revolutionary political and other ideas of the French revolutionaries. On August 9, 1795 an auto-de-fe was held. One of the condemned was Esteban Morel, a French man of science, professor of medicine and collaborator in the Gaceta de México. He was formally accused of heresy, deism and materialism. The same tribunal of the Inquisition brought proceedings against Juan Lauset and other Frenchmen, accusing them of having expressed feelings against the Spanish.
The government of Grúa entered into negotiations with the young republic in the United States to establish the boundaries between the two countries. A Peruvian priest living in Mexico, Melchor de Talamantes
Melchor de Talamantes
Melchor de Talamantes , was a Roman Catholic priest, a political liberal, and a leader in Mexico's movement for independence from Spain....
(1765-1809) was named to head the commission on the New Spain side.
When Spain, now at peace with France, declared war on Britain on October 5, 1797, Grúa confiscated the property of Britons living in the colony, for his own benefit.
To flatter King Charles IV
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
and Godoy, the viceroy commissioned the Spanish architect and sculptor Manuel Tolsá
Manuel Tolsá
Manuel Tolsá was a prolific Neoclassical architect and sculptor in Spain and Mexico.-Biography:...
(1757-1816) to construct a grand equestrian statue of the king. The first stone in the pedestal was laid July 18, 1796, and the statue was completed in 1803. This statue, now known as El Caballito, is still a landmark in Mexico City.
The Ayuntamiento of Mexico City (the city government), brought suit against the viceroy for corruption, specifically for wasting vast sums of public money on projects of little consequence. The viceroy prevailed, and the Ayuntamiento was ordered to pay costs.
War again being declared with France, Viceroy Grúa intended to raise new regiments from the provinces, expecting to make a fortune through the sale of positions. However his incompetence and dishonesty by now had been credibly reported to the Court. He was removed in 1798, and Miguel José de Azanza was named in his place.