Miguel José de Azanza, 1st Duke of Santa Fe facts for kids

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54th Viceroy of New Spain
In office 31 May 1798 – 30 April 1800
Monarch	Charles IV
Preceded by	Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca
Succeeded by	Félix Berenguer de Marquina
Personal details
Born	Miguel José de Azanza Alegría December 20, 1746 Aoiz, Spain
Died	20 June 1826(1826-06-20) (aged 79) Bordeaux, France

Miguel José de Azanza y Alegría was an important Spanish politician and diplomat. He was born in Aoiz, Navarre, Spain, on December 20, 1746. He later became the viceroy of New Spain (which is now Mexico) from 1798 to 1800. He passed away in Bordeaux, France, on June 20, 1826. He was also known as the 1st Duke of Santa Fe.

Early Life and Military Adventures

From Spain to the New World

Miguel José de Azanza was born in Navarre, a region in Spain. He went to school in Sigüenza and Pamplona when he was young. When he was 17, Azanza traveled to the New World. He went with his uncle, José Martín de Alegría, who managed the royal money in Veracruz. Azanza became a secretary to José de Gálvez, a special inspector from Spain. He traveled all over New Spain with Gálvez, learning a lot about the challenges there.

Military Service

In 1771, Azanza joined the army in Spain as a cadet. A few years later, in 1774, he was in Havana, Cuba. He worked as a secretary for the Marquess of la Torre, who was the captain general of Cuba. Azanza also took part in the siege of Gibraltar in 1781. This was a military event where an army tries to take control of a city or fort.

Diplomatic and Political Roles

Azanza decided to leave the military and work as a diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations.

Working Abroad

Between 1784 and 1786, he was a secretary at the Spanish embassy in Saint Petersburg, Russia. An embassy is like an office for a country's government in another country. He also worked as a chargé d'affaires in Berlin, Germany. This means he was in charge of the embassy when the main ambassador was not there.

Roles in Spain

In 1788, Azanza became the corregidor of Salamanca, Spain. A corregidor was a local government official. The next year, he became an intendant of the army in Valencia. An intendant was in charge of supplies and money for the army. In 1793, he served as Spain's minister of war. He held this important position for three years during a war with France.

Viceroy of New Spain

On October 19, 1796, Azanza was chosen to be the viceroy of New Spain. A viceroy was a ruler who governed a colony in the name of the king. Many people thought this was a way for Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy to send Azanza away. Azanza was known for criticizing Godoy. Azanza officially became viceroy in 1798 in Orizaba. People were happy about this change because the previous viceroy, Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca, was not well-liked.

Changes in the Colony

The previous viceroy had many troops stationed in Jalapa, Veracruz. These troops were very expensive and their absence from home meant their farms were not being cared for. Azanza slowly sent most of these troops home starting in May 1799. He also sent provincial militia regiments back to their areas. With the money he saved, he made the port of San Blas stronger and added cannons there.

He also worked to protect the coast from a possible British invasion. This was because of the Anglo-Spanish War. He placed troops near Veracruz and finished building a group of 18 gunboats. There were also battles with Indigenous peoples like the Lipan Apache in the interior of the country.

Because it was hard to trade by sea, more factories making cotton cloth opened in New Spain during his time as viceroy.

New Settlements

To help California grow, Viceroy Azanza ordered that children from orphanages be sent there in May 1799. The next year, he also started a new settlement called Candelaria de Azanza in Nuevo León.

The Great Earthquake

On March 8, 1800, a strong earthquake shook Mexico City for four minutes. It was called the Temblor de San Juan de Dios. Some houses fell, but luckily, no one was reported to be hurt.

Azanza did not make many big improvements to Mexico City or the colony in general. Many German mining teachers went back to their home country when their contracts ended. However, one teacher, Luis Lidner, stayed and taught chemistry and metalworking at the Royal College of Mines.

The Conspiracy of the Machetes

In 1799, a secret plan was discovered. Pedro de la Portilla, a Criollo (a European born in the New World) who worked in the tax office, met with about twenty young men in Mexico City. They talked about how Criollos were treated differently from Peninsulares (Europeans born in Spain). The word Gachupines was an insulting term for Peninsulares.

The Plan

The group decided to fight to remove the Gachupines from the country. They gathered old swords, which were almost their only weapons. Because of this, their plan became known as the Conspiracy of the Machetes. The conspirators wanted to free prisoners and, with their help, take the viceroy as a hostage. They planned to declare Mexico independent and start a war with Spain. They hoped to start a popular uprising with 1,000 pesos, two pistols, and about 50 swords and machetes, under the protection of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Discovery and Aftermath

At their second meeting, Isidoro Francisco de Aguirre, a cousin of Portilla, became worried. He went to the authorities and told them about the plan on November 10, 1799. Viceroy Azanza ordered that the conspirators be arrested quietly. He did not want to reveal their reasons to the public to avoid causing unrest. All the conspirators were caught and spent many years in prison. Their trial was very long and never reached a final decision. Some of them died in prison. Pedro de la Portilla himself lived long enough to see Mexico become independent later.

Even though this plan was not a serious danger to Spanish rule, it showed that people in the colony were thinking about independence. This was influenced by the recent American and French Revolutions.

Later Life and Exile

After his time as viceroy ended in 1800, Azanza returned to Spain. In 1808, he became the minister of the treasury for King Ferdinand VII. He was also part of the group that governed Spain when the king was away.

Soon after, he supported Napoleon Bonaparte. Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, made Azanza the Duke of Santa Fe. When the French were defeated, Azanza was forced to leave Spain. In Spain, he was sentenced to death even though he wasn't there, and his property was taken away. He died in poverty in France in 1826.

See also