Jaime Miguel de Guzmán de Avalos y Spinola, Marquis of la Mina, Duke of Palata and Prince of Masa
Encyclopedia
Jaime de Guzmán y Spinola, II Marquis of la Mina (1690 – 1767) was a Spanish Army commander and Captain General
of Catalonia. He was also the Fifth Count of Pezuela de las Torres
, near Alcalá de Henares
.
.
As a young soldier, Jaime de Guzmán y Spinola fought for Philip of Bourbon in the War of Spanish Succession and participated in the attack on Sardinia and Sicily during the War of the Quadruple Alliance
. After the war he became an important diplomat and was embassador to France between 1736 and 1740. In 1738 he was made a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece
.
At the outbreak of the War of the Austrian Succession
he joined the Spanish army in Italy and played an important role in the Battle of Madonna dell'Olmo
. After the disastrous 1746 campaign, he replaced the Count de Gages
as Supreme Commander of the Spanish troops in Italy until the end of the war.
In 1749 he was appointed Captain General
of Catalonia
, a function he exercised for the next 10 years till the death of King Ferdinand VI of Spain
in 1759, but the new King Charles III of Spain
, former King in Naples
, kept him on doing so, for another eight years, until his death, something very inusual.
During his term of power he developed a good school of Military Engineers in Barcelona
, the Academia de Matemáticas de Barcelona, now a prestigious center for the actual chocolat guild masters.
He did much to approve the access to the city from land and sea, the water supply and the street lighting.
His most important works were the construction of Barceloneta
, the San Fernando Castle in Figueras and the reconstruction of the Montjuich fortress. He was buried in the Barceloneta "San Miguel del Puerto Church", an area much decayed along the times but now flourishing again after the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
At his death in Barcelona he was replaced by Irish-Spanish General Bernardo O´Connor
.
Captain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
of Catalonia. He was also the Fifth Count of Pezuela de las Torres
Pezuela de las Torres
Pezuela de las Torres is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain....
, near Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
.
Biography
He was born at SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
.
As a young soldier, Jaime de Guzmán y Spinola fought for Philip of Bourbon in the War of Spanish Succession and participated in the attack on Sardinia and Sicily during the War of the Quadruple Alliance
War of the Quadruple Alliance
The War of the Quadruple Alliance was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria , and...
. After the war he became an important diplomat and was embassador to France between 1736 and 1740. In 1738 he was made a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
.
At the outbreak of the 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...
he joined the Spanish army in Italy and played an important role in the Battle of Madonna dell'Olmo
Battle of Madonna dell'Olmo
The Battle of Madonna dell'Olmo or Battle of Cuneo was fought on the outskirts of Cuneo on September 30, 1744, in the War of the Austrian Succession...
. After the disastrous 1746 campaign, he replaced the Count de Gages
Jean Thierry du Mont, comte de Gages
Jean Bonaventure Thierry du Mont, comte de Gages , Viceroy of Navarre, 1746–1753, a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1745, was a Flemish - Walloon born Spanish General who was awarded by king Philip V of Spain in 1745, the first Bourbon house legal king of Spain since 1713 as a...
as Supreme Commander of the Spanish troops in Italy until the end of the war.
In 1749 he was appointed Captain General
Captain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, a function he exercised for the next 10 years till the death of King Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI , called the Learnt, was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death. He was the fourth son of the previous monarch Philip V and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy...
in 1759, but the new King Charles III of Spain
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...
, former King in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, kept him on doing so, for another eight years, until his death, something very inusual.
During his term of power he developed a good school of Military Engineers in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, the Academia de Matemáticas de Barcelona, now a prestigious center for the actual chocolat guild masters.
He did much to approve the access to the city from land and sea, the water supply and the street lighting.
His most important works were the construction of Barceloneta
Barceloneta, Barcelona
La Barceloneta is a neighborhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The neighborhood was constructed during the 18th century for the residents of the Ribera neighborhood who had been displaced by the construction of the Ciudadela of Barcelona...
, the San Fernando Castle in Figueras and the reconstruction of the Montjuich fortress. He was buried in the Barceloneta "San Miguel del Puerto Church", an area much decayed along the times but now flourishing again after the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
At his death in Barcelona he was replaced by Irish-Spanish General Bernardo O´Connor
Bernardo O´Connor
Bernardo O´Connor y Ophaly, Spanish - Irish General, . First Count of Ofalia in 1776 by King Charles III of Spain in remembrance of the Baronetcy of Ophaly, County Kildare, Ireland, where his family came from. He was a military governor of Tortosa, Pamplona and Barcelona. He was also Captain...
.
Sources
- Biography of the Marquis de la Mina
- http://www.ejercito.mde.es/Unidades/es/unidades/Barcelona/ige/Historia/dep
- http://www.usc.es/estaticos/congresos/histec05/b24_alvarez_nogal.pdf La formación de un mercado europeo de plata: mecanismos y costes de transporte en España por Carlos ÁLVAREZ NOGAL. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. (2005).