Francisco de Bobadilla Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids The Most Excellent Francisco de Bobadilla
Francisco de Bobadilla arresting Columbus

2nd Governor of the Indies
In office May 21, 1499 – July 1, 1502
Monarch	Catholic Monarchs
Preceded by	Christopher Columbus
Succeeded by	Nicolas de Ovando
1st Knight Commander of Empire of Spain and Order of Calatrava
In office May 21, 1499 – July 1, 1502
Preceded by	Position started

Personal details
Born	c. 1448 Kingdom of Aragon
Died	1 July 1502 (aged 54) Mona Passage
Relatives	Aunt: Beatriz de Bobadilla Sister: Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ossorio

Francisco Fernández de Bobadilla (born around 1448 – died July 1, 1502) was an important official from Spain. He was a knight in the Order of Calatrava, a special group of knights. He worked for the King and Queen of Castile, a powerful kingdom in Spain.

Bobadilla was also the nephew of Beatriz de Bobadilla, who was a close friend of Queen Isabella and supported Christopher Columbus. Francisco de Bobadilla was sent to the island of Hispaniola (which is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). His job was to act as a judge and look into many complaints about Christopher Columbus. He even arrested Columbus for problems with how he was managing things. Bobadilla then served as the Viceroy (a ruler representing the King and Queen) from 1500 to 1502.

About Francisco de Bobadilla
See also

About Francisco de Bobadilla

Early Life and Career

Francisco Fernández de Bobadilla was born between 1445 and 1450 in a place called Bobadilla in the Kingdom of Castile. By 1480, he was named a knight commander in the Order of Calatrava. This was a high position, showing he was respected and likely in his thirties. It meant he had some power and social standing.

Becoming a Judge in Hispaniola

On May 21, 1499, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain (King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella) chose Bobadilla to be a judge. They gave him orders to investigate many complaints coming from the island of Hispaniola. People were saying that Christopher Columbus and his brothers were not managing the island well.

The complaints included accusations that they took unfair payments, forced local people to work, and did not pay enough taxes to the King and Queen for gold and pearls. There were also concerns that they did not handle a disagreement with some settlers very well and had acted against the King and Queen's wishes.

Investigating Columbus and His Brothers

Bobadilla sailed to Hispaniola in early June and arrived on August 23, 1500. He brought 500 men and 14 local people who had been forced to work by Columbus. These people were now being returned to their homes.

When he arrived in Santo Domingo, Bobadilla met with Giacomo Columbus, Christopher's younger brother. Giacomo was in charge of the island at that time. Bobadilla quickly ordered Giacomo to leave his fortress. However, Giacomo refused, believing his brother Christopher's authority was higher than Bobadilla's.

Bobadilla began his investigation based on the complaints sent to Spain. He gathered many reports against Giacomo and Christopher. He believed their leadership had caused many problems and that they had used their power unfairly. He was also upset that they had punished some Spaniards who had treated the local people very badly. Bobadilla then ordered the arrest of both brothers and sent them back to Spain. He also took control of all their belongings.

Some historians have questioned if Bobadilla's investigation was completely fair. This is because some Spaniards did not like Italians, and Bobadilla might have wanted to take over Columbus's job.

Bobadilla Betrays Columbus by Luigi Gregori, painted around 1883. This painting is part of the Columbus murals at the University of Notre Dame.

The Arrest of Columbus

Following Bobadilla's order, Christopher Columbus came to Santo Domingo in September 1500. Columbus was put in jail there, along with his other brother, Bartholomew Columbus. Bartholomew had just returned after a campaign against local people in Jaragua.

In early October, both brothers were sent to Spain. They were handed over to Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca, who was becoming an important leader in Spain's colonial government. He had also openly criticized Christopher Columbus.

Despite everything, the King and Queen treated Columbus kindly. They ordered his release, saying that the complaints against him were not enough to keep him in prison. However, they did not completely clear his name.

Ferdinand Columbus, Christopher's second son, was a page (a young assistant) to Queen Isabella at the time. He later wrote in his father's biography that the King and Queen decided to send a judge because of various complaints. Ferdinand thought this judge's visit would be a relief for his father, who was dealing with rebellious groups. However, Ferdinand claimed that Bobadilla actually helped the rebels when he arrived. He also said Bobadilla canceled taxes for the people for 20 years to gain their support.

Governing Hispaniola

Bobadilla took over as governor of Hispaniola on August 23, 1500, soon after he arrived. As governor, he encouraged private businesses to grow. He also made a rule that local people would mostly work in the gold mines in areas like Haina and Cibao.

According to Ferdinand Columbus, Bobadilla used money from taxes to win over the people. He supposedly said that the King and Queen only cared about owning the land and nothing else. Ferdinand also claimed that Bobadilla sold land that Christopher had gotten for the King and Queen at very low prices. He also said Bobadilla gave local people to rich and powerful individuals, as long as they shared the earnings from their labor with him. Bobadilla did cancel mining taxes, which successfully helped to increase gold production. He also pardoned Francisco Roldán, who had led a rebellion against Columbus in 1497.

End of His Time as Governor and Death

In 1502, Bobadilla was replaced as the governor of the Indies by Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres. One reason for his removal, even though his two years were "relatively peaceful," might have been his decision to eliminate the gold taxes.

Bobadilla died on July 1, 1502, during a terrible hurricane. The storm destroyed 20 ships out of a group of 31. Among the few ships that survived was the Aguja, which was the weakest ship but carried the gold that Columbus was owed. This led to accusations that Columbus had somehow used magic to cause the storm as revenge.

Francisco de Bobadilla facts for kids

Contents