Manuel Abad y Queipo
Encyclopedia
Manuel Abad y Queipo was a Spanish
Roman Catholic bishop of Valladolid
(now Morelia
, Michoacán
) in the Viceroyalty of New Spain at the time of the Mexican War of Independence
.
. Thereafter he went to Guatemala
with Bishop Monroy. In Guatemala he was ordained a priest. Beginning in 1784 he resided in Valladolid (Morelia), where Bishop Antonio San Miguel made him a judge in a canon law court. In 1805 he obtained a doctorate in canon law from the University of Guadalajara
. On the death of Bishop San Miguel, the Council of the Indies named him canon of the cathedral of Valladolid, a position which he held until 1815.
a report entitled Representación al rey, sobre immunidades del clero (Description to the King, of the Immunities of the Clergy). In this document he outlined the social and political situation in New Spain and explained the symptoms of discontent. He proposed the general abolition of tribute levied on the Indigenous
; the free distribution of royal lands; agrarian reform that would permit poor people to obtain 20- or 30-year "leases" on uncultivated land belonging to the large landowners, but without paying rent; and the right to establish cotton and woolen mills.
In 1804 he opposed Godoy
's Cédula de la Caja de Consolidación. This order was the equivalent of disentailment
of the church because it ordered the transfer of income from the religious estates and foundations to the government. In 1805 and 1807 he forwarded two other reports to the king.
In 1810 the Regency (the Spanish government fighting the French invasion) named him bishop-elect of Michoacán. He took over the diocese before the arrival of the pontifical bull confirming his position. The pope did not approve his nomination, and thus the bull never arrived.
.
Still, on 24 September 1810, Abad y Queipo published the decree excommunicating insurgents Hidalgo y Costilla, Ignacio Allende
, Juan Aldama
and Mariano Abasolo
for "disturbances of the public order, corrupting the public, sacrilege [and] perjury", according to the canon Siquis suadente Diabolo. The insurgents disputed the legality of the excommunication, based on the lack of papal approval of Abad y Queipo's appointment.
In 1815 Abad y Queipo sent another report to the king (Ferdinand VII now), denouncing the mistakes of Viceroy Félix María Calleja
and the lack of prudence of Lardizábal, minister of the Indies. After this he was recalled to Spain, on the pretext of giving information about the independence movement, but really to respond to the complaints against him concerning his "liberal and beneficent ideas in favor of the Americas and their inhabitants".
The Spanish revolution of 1820 designated him a member of the provisional junta, charged with overseeing the conduct of King Ferdinand. Later he was a deputy to the Cortes for the province of Asturias. Even later he was named bishop of Tortosa
, but once again the papal bull confirming his position did not arrive.
In 1824 came the absolutist reaction, after Ferdinand was again restored to the throne. Abad y Queipo was now old and deaf, but he was imprisoned again, this time in the monastery of Sisla, in Toledo. He died a prisoner in 1824.
.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Roman Catholic bishop of Valladolid
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Morelia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Morelia is a Metropolitan Archdiocese, responsible for the dioceses of Apatzingan, Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas, Tacámbaro and Zamora...
(now Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
, Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
) in the Viceroyalty of New Spain at the time of the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
.
Education and early career
Born in Asturias in the 18th century, Manuel Abad y Queipo obtained his baccalaureate in law and canon law from the University of SalamancaUniversity of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
. Thereafter he went to Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
with Bishop Monroy. In Guatemala he was ordained a priest. Beginning in 1784 he resided in Valladolid (Morelia), where Bishop Antonio San Miguel made him a judge in a canon law court. In 1805 he obtained a doctorate in canon law from the University of Guadalajara
University of Guadalajara
University of Guadalajara is a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It is the second oldest university in Mexico, the fifth oldest in North America and the fourteenth oldest in Latin America...
. On the death of Bishop San Miguel, the Council of the Indies named him canon of the cathedral of Valladolid, a position which he held until 1815.
Political activity in the Viceroyalty of New Spain
In 1799 he wrote to King Charles IVCharles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
a report entitled Representación al rey, sobre immunidades del clero (Description to the King, of the Immunities of the Clergy). In this document he outlined the social and political situation in New Spain and explained the symptoms of discontent. He proposed the general abolition of tribute levied on the Indigenous
Indigenous peoples of Mexico
Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...
; the free distribution of royal lands; agrarian reform that would permit poor people to obtain 20- or 30-year "leases" on uncultivated land belonging to the large landowners, but without paying rent; and the right to establish cotton and woolen mills.
In 1804 he opposed Godoy
Manuel de Godoy
Don Manuel Francisco Domingo de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, de los Ríos y Sánchez-Zarzosa, also Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria de los Ríos Sánchez Zarzosa , was Prime Minister of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808...
's Cédula de la Caja de Consolidación. This order was the equivalent of disentailment
Fee tail
At common law, fee tail or entail is an estate of inheritance in real property which cannot be sold, devised by will, or otherwise alienated by the owner, but which passes by operation of law to the owner's heirs upon his death...
of the church because it ordered the transfer of income from the religious estates and foundations to the government. In 1805 and 1807 he forwarded two other reports to the king.
Bishop of Michoacán
In 1807 he traveled to Spain to seek his habilitation, since his status as an illegitimate child prohibited his promotion to the higher levels of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. He returned to New Spain in the position of vicar general.In 1810 the Regency (the Spanish government fighting the French invasion) named him bishop-elect of Michoacán. He took over the diocese before the arrival of the pontifical bull confirming his position. The pope did not approve his nomination, and thus the bull never arrived.
During the insurrection against Spain
He strongly and energetically opposed the movement for Mexican independence from Spain. He had been, however, a friend of Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, leader of the Revolutionary army that began in 1810, and he sought the friendship of members of the revolutionary juntas of Valladolid and San Miguel el GrandeSan Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende is a city and municipality located in the far eastern part of the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico. It is 274 km from Mexico City and 97 km from the state capital of Guanajuato...
.
Still, on 24 September 1810, Abad y Queipo published the decree excommunicating insurgents Hidalgo y Costilla, Ignacio Allende
Ignacio Allende
Ignacio José de Allende y Unzaga , born Ignacio Allende y Unzaga, was a captain of the Spanish Army in Mexico who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secret meetings organized by Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, where the possibility of an independent New Spain was...
, Juan Aldama
Juan Aldama
Juan Aldama was a Mexican revolutionary rebel soldier during the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. He was also the brother of Ignacio Aldama....
and Mariano Abasolo
Mariano Abasolo
Mariano Abasolo was a Mexican revolutionist, born at Dolores, Guanajuato. He participated in the revolution started by Hidalgo in 1810 and rose to be a major-general. He fought at Puente de Calderón, was taken prisoner by the Spaniards, was tried at Chihuahua, and was sentenced to ten years'...
for "disturbances of the public order, corrupting the public, sacrilege [and] perjury", according to the canon Siquis suadente Diabolo. The insurgents disputed the legality of the excommunication, based on the lack of papal approval of Abad y Queipo's appointment.
In 1815 Abad y Queipo sent another report to the king (Ferdinand VII now), denouncing the mistakes of Viceroy Félix María Calleja
Félix María Calleja del Rey, 1st Count of Calderón
Félix María Calleja del Rey, 1st Count of Calderón was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from March 4, 1813, to September 20, 1816, during Mexico's War of Independence.-Before the insurrection of 1810:Captain Calleja del Rey accompanied the Count of Revillagigedo to New Spain in...
and the lack of prudence of Lardizábal, minister of the Indies. After this he was recalled to Spain, on the pretext of giving information about the independence movement, but really to respond to the complaints against him concerning his "liberal and beneficent ideas in favor of the Americas and their inhabitants".
Return to Spain
He obtained an interview with Ferdinand VII, who not only pardoned him, but named him Minister of Grace and Justice in the royal government. This occurred on 24 June 1816, but on 27 June the Inquisition brought its case again, accusing Abad y Queipo of being a friend of the insurgents, living an irreligious life, and holding revolutionary ideas. He was imprisoned two months in the jail of the Inquisition.The Spanish revolution of 1820 designated him a member of the provisional junta, charged with overseeing the conduct of King Ferdinand. Later he was a deputy to the Cortes for the province of Asturias. Even later he was named bishop of Tortosa
Bishop of Tortosa
The Bishop of Tortosa is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tortosa in Spain. The bishop is a suffragan of the Archbishop of Tarragona.-List of bishops of Tortosa:*San Rufo 64 - 90?*Macià s. II*Quart c. 156*Eustorqui s.III*Exuperanci ¿ - 369...
, but once again the papal bull confirming his position did not arrive.
In 1824 came the absolutist reaction, after Ferdinand was again restored to the throne. Abad y Queipo was now old and deaf, but he was imprisoned again, this time in the monastery of Sisla, in Toledo. He died a prisoner in 1824.
Works
Many of his writings were published in Semanario Político y Literario (Political and Literary Seminar) and in Observador de la República Mexicana (Observer of the Mexican Republic). The Colección de escritos más importantes (Collection of the Most Important Writings) was published in Mexico City in 1813. His "Testamento político" ("Political Testament") was published in the Historia of Lucas AlamánLucas Alamán
Lucas Ignacio Alamán y Escalada was a Mexican scientist, politician, historian and writer. He studied at the Real Colegio de Minas de la Nueva España. He frequently traveled on his credentials as a scientist and diplomat, becoming one of the most educated men in Mexico...
.
External links
- A short biography from Appleton's Cyclopedia of American BiographyAppleton's Cyclopedia of American BiographyAppletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography is a six-volume collection of biographies of famous Americans. It was published between 1887 and 1889 by D. Appleton and Company, New York. The general editors were James Grant Wilson and John Fiske; the managing editor from 1886 to 1888 was Rossiter...
A short biography (Archived 2009-11-01) Some more biographical information Decree of excommunication against Miguel Hidalgo