Pedro Cevallos facts for kids
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Pedro Cevallos
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Portrait by an unknown author
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| Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 13 December 1799 – 3 March 1808 |
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| Monarch | Ferdinand VI |
| Preceded by | Mariano Luis de Urquijo |
| Succeeded by | Gonzalo O'Farrill |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pedro Cevallos Guerra
1 August 1759 San Felices de Buelna, Spain |
| Died | 29 May 1838 Seville, Spain |
Pedro Cevallos Guerra (born August 1, 1759 – died May 29, 1838) was an important Spanish politician and diplomat. He worked as the Chief Minister of Spain from 1799 to 1808. This was a time when the Napoleonic Wars were happening. Even though Cevallos was Chief Minister, another powerful person named Manuel Godoy had a lot of influence over Spain's government.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Pedro Cevallos was born in Cantabria, a region in Spain, in 1759. He went to different schools and convents when he was young. In 1777, he started studying law at Valladolid University.
Cevallos was a very good student. After finishing his studies, he became a professor at the same university in 1781. He taught there for many years, until 1790.
Becoming a Diplomat and Politician
In 1790, Cevallos decided to change his career. He joined the diplomatic service. This meant he would represent Spain in other countries.
From 1793 to 1795, he worked as the First Secretary at the Spanish Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. After this, he came back to Spain. He then worked for the government's finance department.
Serving as Chief Minister
In 1799, King Charles IV of Spain chose Cevallos to be his Secretary of State. This job was like being the Chief Minister of the country. Cevallos held this important position until 1808.
However, Cevallos did not have as much power as some Chief Ministers before him. He had to share his power with Manuel de Godoy. Godoy was a former Secretary who was very ambitious. Even though he didn't have an official government role, he had a huge amount of influence over the King and the country's decisions.
The French Invasion of Spain
Spain faced a difficult situation during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1808, things became even worse. Spain and France had agreed to invade Portugal together. Portugal was an old enemy for both countries.
But France had a secret plan. They intended to trick Spain and conquer Spain as well. When Spanish leaders realized this, they urged King Charles IV to give up his throne. His son, Crown Prince Ferdinand, became the new king.
Ferdinand decided to meet with Napoleon, the French leader, in the Pyrenees mountains. He hoped to talk and stop the fighting. However, the French captured Ferdinand and took him as a prisoner to France.
On July 7, Cevallos resigned from his job. He then went to London, England, and stayed there for the rest of the war. He returned to Spain in 1814 after the capital city, Madrid, was freed. Cevallos briefly led the new government starting November 15, 1814. He retired from politics on January 24, 1816. Pedro Cevallos died in 1838.
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