Richard Wall
Encyclopedia
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
-born soldier, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and minister who rose in the Spanish service to become Chief Minister. He is commonly referred to as Ricardo Wall.
Early life
Wall belonged to a family settled in Killmallock, County LimerickCounty Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
. Richard "Ricardo" Wall y Devreaux was born at Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
to a family of Irish Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
refugees who had supported the Catholic James II, King of England. He was baptized two days later in the Church of Saint Nicolas, in very bad circumstances. His father, Matthew "Matías" Wall of Killmallock, Co. Limerick, an old officer in the army of James II (Regiment Fitz-James), was absent. They lived then in the "Pit of the well of the silver" under the shelter of some relative, probably Gilbert Wall.
Nothing is known about his first years. Around 1710, he was received as a page of the Bavarian Princess and Duchess d´Étampes on her own right, Marie Anne de Bourbon-Condé, whose father was Henry III Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Henry III Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Henri Jules de Bourbon, Prince of Condé was prince de Condé, from 1686 to his death. At the end of his life he suffered from clinical lycanthropy and was considered insane.-Biography:...
. In 1716, he left France and entered the Spanish service thanks to a letter of recommendation for the royal minister, cardinal Alberoni.
The letter was signed by the 38-year-old Dowager Duchess of Vendôme, Marie Anne de Bourbon-Condé, known now as Marie Anne de Bourbon by her marriage to the great grandson of Henry IV, named Louis Joseph de Bourbon.
Had her husband Louis-Joseph not died in 1712, and had the new king of Spain Felipe V died by then, as well as his first son Luis Fernando, then Louis Joseph could have been — because of his descent from a legitimation made by Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
on Louis-Joseph "royal descent" ancestor, albeit being born out of wedlock from Madame d’Estrées — an acceptable candidate for the diplomats of the European powers involved in the Spanish Succession War.
Military career
He entered the Royal Company of Naval Cadets ("Colegio Real de Guardiamarinas"), founded at Cadiz by José PatiñoJosé Patiño
Don José Patiño , Spanish statesman, was born at Milan.His father, Don Lucas Patino de Ibarra, Señor de Castelar, who was by origin a Galician, was a member of the privy council and inspector of the troops in the Duchy of Milan for the king of Spain, to whom it then, belonged...
in 1717, where he graduated in the second promotion. Immediately later, he embarked in the Real San Felipe (74 guns), under the command of Admiral Gaztañeta. In this ship he participated in the campaign of 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,...
(1718) until the collapse of the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Cape Passaro
Battle of Cape Passaro
The Battle of Cape Passaro was the defeat of a Spanish fleet under Admirals Antonio de Gaztañeta and Fernando Chacón by a British fleet under Admiral George Byng, near Cape Passero, Sicily, on 11 August 1718, four months before the War of the Quadruple Alliance was formally...
. After the disaster, Wall entered the Spanish Irish Infantry regiment of Hibernia
Regiment of Hibernia
The Regiment of Hibernia, called by many O´Neills in Spain, the "O'Neill's Regiment" was formed in 1710 from some of the many Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the penal laws and who became known as the Wild Geese a name which has become synonymous in...
, under command of the Marquess of Lede. He took then part in the terrestrial campaign of the war, in actions such as Melazzo
Melazzo
Melazzo is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km southeast of Turin and about 35 km southwest of Alessandria...
and Francavilla
Francavilla
Francavilla can refer to:People*Pietro FrancavillaPlaces*Francavilla Angitola*Francavilla Fontana*Francavilla Bisio*Francavilla di Sicilia*Francavilla Marittima*Francavilla d'Ete*Francavilla in SinniOther*A.S.D. Francavilla Calcio...
. In the following campaign of Ceuta (1720–21), Wall was aide de camp of the Marquess, and in the end, he was promoted captain of the Regiment of Batavia (of Dragoons).
In 1727, Wall accompanied the Duke of Liria, James Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick
James Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick
James Francis Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick, was a Jacobite and Spanish nobleman...
, (1696–1738), (also of maternal Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
descent) in his embassy to Russia. The Duke of Liria had also been born in French exile (Saint Germain-en-Laye, 1696) and was son of the Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Fitz-James, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
, descendant therefore of James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
.
The sponsorship of the Duke, based on this solidarity of origin, relaunched the military career of Wall. He was entertained by the king of Prussia: he received the Order of Generosity, and he was proposed as ambassador in Berlin but the project did not prosper. Wall had thus his first contact with the diplomatic world and knew some of the most representative capitals of the continent: Parma, Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, Saint Petersburg and Moscow.
He returned to Spain in 1729. Between 1732 and 1734, he participated in the expedition to Tuscany that placed Prince Carlos
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...
in the throne of Parma. Shortly after, he took part in the War of Naples
War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession was a major European war for princes' possessions sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests...
(1734–35), and in the actions at Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
, Messina and Syracuse
Syracuse, Italy
Syracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in...
.
In 1737 he was made a Knight of the Spanish military 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 in 1741, received, in second instance, the "Encomienda" (landlordship) of Peñausende, that included the villages of Peñausende, Peralejos de Abajo, Saucelle, Saldeana and Barrueco Pardo (now in the provinces of Zamora
Zamora (province)
Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.The present-day province of Zamora province was one of three provinces formed from the former Kingdom of León in 1833, when Spain was re-organised into 49 provinces.It is bordered by...
and Salamanca
Salamanca (province)
Salamanca is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Ávila, and Cáceres; and by Portugal....
). In 1740 the control of the Regiment of Dragoons of France was granted to him. Finally his colors and the motto of his family, Aut Caesar aut nullus, shone ahead of a regiment.
Field marshal in 1744, he participated in the operations of the campaign of Lombardy (War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
), being used by infant D. Felipe "in the boldness attacks". Brigadier in 1747, he profited from this campaign to establish a friendship with one of the most important courtiers of the moment: the Duke of Huéscar
Fernando de Silva, 12th Duke of Alba
Fernando de Silva Mendoza y Toledo, 12th Duke of Alba, Grandee of Spain , was a Spanish politician and general.-Biography:...
(short afterwards Duke of Alva).
He gave up his military career after being wounded in the action of Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
(1746) and entered diplomacy. In May 1747 he was appointed to a temporary mission "restricted only to the matters of the war" in the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
. Some weeks later, the new Spanish State Minister, José de Carvajal, intimate friend of Huescar, posted him to London.
Ambassador in London
This was a special secret commission in order to negotiate a separate peace with Great Britain. But after his arrival, at the end of September, Wall faced serious difficulties derived from the antipathy of English ministers, because of his Irish and Jacobite roots. In addition he had to suffer the Marquess of Tabuérniga's opposition. Tabuerniga was a Spanish refugee who wished to have the commission Wall was holding. Although the commission failed, Wall remained at London and Tabuerniga was repatriated.In London he lodged in a mansion on Soho Square
Soho Square
Soho Square is a square in Soho, London, England, with a park and garden area at its centre that dates back to 1681. It was originally called King Square after Charles II, whose statue stands in the square. At the centre of the garden, there is a distinctive half-timbered gardener's hut...
, the fashionable part of the city; he enjoyed the intense social life. He was portrayed by Van Loo
Van Loo
The French Van Loo family included a number of notable painters:*Jacob van Loo *Jean-Baptiste van Loo .*Charles-André van Loo , brother of Jean-Baptiste....
(picture in the National Gallery, Dublín), he ordered a "Santiago" from Tiépolo for the chapel of his church (in the Szépmüvészeti Múzeum
Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest)
The Museum of Fine Arts is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Palace of Art.It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclectic-neoclassical style, between 1900 and 1906. The museum's collection is made up of international art , including all...
, Budapest), and sponsored to men like Smollett
Tobias Smollett
Tobias George Smollett was a Scottish poet and author. He was best known for his picaresque novels, such as The Adventures of Roderick Random and The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle , which influenced later novelists such as Charles Dickens.-Life:Smollett was born at Dalquhurn, now part of Renton,...
, whose translation of Don Quixote (1755) is dedicated to Wall.
Prime Minister of Spain
In 1754 Wall was recalled from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to become Minister of Foreign Affairs, after the death of José de Carvajal. A few months later he played a part in driving Carvajal's successor the Marquis of Ensenada
Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea, Marquis of Ensenada
Don Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea , widely known as the Marquis of the Ensenada, was a Spanish statesman.-Early life:...
from office, helping Huescar and the British ambassador, Benjamin Keene
Benjamin Keene
200-px|thumb|right|Benjamin KeeneSir Benjamin Keene was a British diplomat known for his service as British Ambassador to Spain. He strove to maintain good relations between the two countries, although he was unable to prevent the War of Jenkins' Ear breaking out in 1739 he later successfully kept...
. He retained his position till 1763. Grimaldi was his successor.
The despatches of the British Minister, Sir Benjamin Keene
Benjamin Keene
200-px|thumb|right|Benjamin KeeneSir Benjamin Keene was a British diplomat known for his service as British Ambassador to Spain. He strove to maintain good relations between the two countries, although he was unable to prevent the War of Jenkins' Ear breaking out in 1739 he later successfully kept...
, and of his successor, George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol
George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol
George William Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol , the eldest son of John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, by his marriage with Mary , daughter of Nicholas Lepell....
, contain many references to Wall. They are creditable to him. Though a constant partisan of peace and good relations with Britain, Wall was firm in asserting the rights of the government he served. During the early stages of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
(1756–63) he insisted on claiming compensation for the excesses of British privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s in Spanish waters. He frequently complained to the British ministers of the difficulties which the violence of these adventurers put in his way. As a foreigner he was suspected of undue favour to Britain, and was the object of incessant attacks by the French party. Wall himself began to become concerned that Britain's colonial acquisitions
Great Britain in the Seven Years War
The Kingdom of Great Britain was one of the major participants in the Seven Years' War which lasted between 1756 and 1763. Britain emerged from the war as the world's leading colonial power having gained a number of new territories at the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and established itself as the...
from France now meant that Spain's South American Empire was threatened.
The new 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...
(1759–88), kept Wall in office. When war was declared by Spain in 1761 the minister carried out the policy of the king, but he confessed to the English ambassador, Lord Bristol, that he saw the failure of his efforts to preserve peace with grief. The close relations of Charles III with the French branch of the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
made Wall’s position as foreign minister very trying. Yet the king, who detested changing his ministers, refused all his requests to be allowed to retire, till Wall extorted leave in 1763 by elaborately affecting a disease of the eyes which was in fact quite imaginary.
Throughout his ministry he created a network of clients which survived him by several decades and directed Spain during the following reign. Among them: Marquess of Grimaldi, the count of Aranda, the count of Campomanes, Manuel de Roda
Manuel de Roda
Manuel de Roda y Arrieta, , Former Ambassador in Rome under King Fernando VI of Spain, , King of Spain from 1746 until his death, and nominated by King Carlos III of Spain, , step brother of Fernando VI and formerly King of Naples and Sicily till the death of his brother...
, the Pignatelli de Aragon family of Ambassadors in different European countries and counts of Fuentes, or the de Funes de Villapando, Counts of Ricla.
Among his committed supporters there were many Irishmen: D. Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly , was a military reformer and Inspector-General of Infantry for the Spanish Empire in the second half of the 18th century...
, the count of Mahony, the count of Lacy
Peter Lacy
Count Peter von Lacy, or Pyotr Petrovich Lacy , as he was known in Russia , was one of the most successful Russian imperial commanders before Rumyantsev and Suvorov...
, Diego Purcell, Diego Nangle, Pedro Stuart, Ambrosio O'Higgins, Irish geologist and mining engineer in Spain William Bowles
William Bowles
William Bowles may refer to:*William Bowles , British Member of Parliament for Bewdley and Bridport*William Bowles , Irish naturalist*William Lisle Bowles , English poet and critic...
(1720–84), Bernardine Ward and Carlos McCarthy.
Also he was befriended by people with well-known names as Francisco Pérez Bayer
Francisco Pérez Bayer
Francisco Pérez Bayer was a Spanish philologist, jurist and writer....
, Jose Clavijo y Fajardo
Jose Clavijo y Fajardo
José Clavijo y Fajardo , Spanish publicist, was born on Lanzarote . He settled in Madrid, became editor of El Pensador, and by his campaign against the public performance of autos sacramentales, secured their prohibition in 1765...
, Benito Bails, Celestino Mutis, Jose Agustín de Llano y de la Cuadra (1722–94), Spanish Embassador in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
since 1786 under Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II
Joseph II may refer to:*Joseph II *Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Austria*Patriarch Joseph II of Constantinople *Pope Joseph II of Alexandria...
, a nephew of First Secretary of State
First Secretary of State
First Secretary of State is an occasionally used title within the Government of the United Kingdom, principally regarded as purely honorific. The title, which implies seniority over all other Secretaries of State, has no specific powers or authority attached to it beyond that of any other Secretary...
of Spain (1736–46), Sebastián de la Cuadra, 1st Marquis of Villarías
Sebastián de la Cuadra, 1st Marquis of Villarías
Sebastián de la Cuadra y Llarena, 1st Marquis of Villarías was a Spanish Statesman. He served as Chief Minister during between 1734 and 1746 during the reign of Phillip V of Spain....
, the numerous members of the family associated to politician and translator Juan de Iriarte
Juan de Iriarte
Juan de Iriarte was a Spanish writer, French and English translator in the Royal Chancillery, Hellenist and latinist.-Biography:...
(1701–71), Bernardino del Campo, the Ambassador José Nicolás de Azara
José Nicolás de Azara
Don José Nicolás de Azara was a Spanish diplomat.He was born at Barbunales, Aragon, and was appointed in 1765 Spanish agent and procurator-general, and in 1785 ambassador at Rome...
, and Juan Chindulza.
Retirement
The king gave him handsome allowances, and a grant for life of the crown land known as the Soto de Roma, near GranadaGranada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, which was afterwards conferred on 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 finally given to the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
. Wall lived almost wholly at or near Granada, offering hospitality to all visitors, and particularly to English travellers, until his death. He left the reputation of an able minister and a very witty talker.
He died on December 26, 1777. His testament favored clearly to his confessor, Juan Miguel Kayser, who had practically taken it at the deathbed. The subsequent lawsuit between the natural heirs of the minister — his cousin Eduardo Wall and his family — and the confessor, clouded his memory for some years. He never married, and did not leave descendants. His closest relative, Eduardo Wall, married the Countess of Armildez de Toledo and his descendants became related to the Count of Fuentes and the Count of Floridablanca.
Some common places and remarks on Wall's life. In spite of Coxe's pages, Wall never was sent on a mission to Spanish America nor did he lay plans for retaking Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
from the British. Coxe confuses one John Savy, nicknamed Miguel Wall, with Richard Wall. On the other hand Coxe make also some mistakes on Wall's career. The Irishman never was in Holland nor Aquisgran as ambassador.