Gastón de Peralta, 3rd Marquess of Falces facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gastón de Peralta
4th Viceroy of New Spain
In office 19 October 1566 – 11 November 1567
Monarch	Philip II
Preceded by	Francisco Ceinos
Succeeded by	Alonso de Muñoz and Luis Carrillo
Personal details
Born	1510 Pau, Kingdom of Navarre
Died	1587 (aged 76–77) Valladolid, Spain

Gastón de Peralta (1510–1587) was an important Spanish nobleman. He served as the third Viceroy of New Spain (which was colonial Mexico) from 1566 to 1568. A viceroy was like a governor who ruled a large area on behalf of the King of Spain.

Life of Gastón de Peralta

Gastón de Peralta was born in 1510 in Pau, a city in Navarre. This area is now part of France.

Becoming Viceroy of New Spain

In 1566, Gastón de Peralta was chosen to be the new viceroy. He took over from Francisco Ceinos and a group of judges called the Audiencia Real. This group had been in charge since the previous viceroy, Luís de Velasco, passed away.

Dealing with a Plot

Before Peralta officially started his job in Mexico City, he learned about a serious plot. Some important people, including relatives of Hernán Cortés, were planning to make New Spain independent from Spain. Two of Cortés's sons, Martín and Luís, were involved.

A local judge had already decided to sentence these plotters to death. However, Peralta carefully looked at each case himself. He decided to stop the death penalty for Luís and Martín Cortés. Instead, he sent them back to Spain. The Council of the Indies in Spain would then decide what to do with them.

A Tense Start

When Peralta arrived in Mexico City, the atmosphere was very tense. People were worried about the recent plot. One of the first things he did was to remove the cannons and soldiers from the viceroy's palace and the main streets. He wanted to show that he trusted the people.

However, his decision to be lenient with the Cortés brothers worried the Audiencia Real. They thought he might be on the side of the rebels. They even told King Philip II that Peralta had a list of 30,000 rebels ready to fight the Crown.

Investigation and Acquittal

King Philip II was concerned by these accusations. He sent two special investigators, Luis Carrillo and Alonso Muñoz, to New Spain. Their job was to look into the charges against Peralta. These investigators ordered Peralta to return to Spain to explain his actions.

During his short time as viceroy, Peralta did start a hospital. This hospital was for older people, those who were sick, people recovering from illness, and even those with mental health issues.

Back in Spain, Peralta had a trial. He was found innocent of all the charges. After this, he was given an important job as the constable of Navarre. Gastón de Peralta passed away in 1587 in Valladolid, Spain.

See also

• Francisco Ceinos