Nicolás de Ovando
Encyclopedia
Fray Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres (Castile
, 1460 – Madrid
, May 29, 1518) was a Spanish
soldier
from a noble family and a Knight
of the Order of Alcántara
. He was Governor of the Indies (Hispaniola
) from 1502 until 1509. His administration is perhaps best known for its brutal treatment of the native Taino population of Hispanola.
, 1st Lord of the Manor House
del Alcázar Viejo, and first wife Isabel Flores de las Varillas, a distant relative of Hernán Cortés
, he entered the Military Order of Alcántara
, where he became a Master (Mestre or Maitre) or a Commander-Major (Comendador-Mayor). This brotherhood, founded in 1156, could be compared with the Order of Templars. His first born brother was Diego de Cáceres y Ovando
.
and in particular by Queen Isabella
. So, on September 3, 1501, The Spanish Crown decided to replace Francisco de Bobadilla
and make Ovando the third Governor and Captain-General of the Indies, Islands and Firm-Land of the Ocean Sea from complaints from Christopher Columbus
in 1502.
The thirty ships carried 2,500 colonists. Unlike Columbus
's earlier settlements, this group of colonists was deliberately selected to represent an organized cross-section of Spanish society. Ovando's plan was to develop the West Indies economically and thereby expand Spanish political, religious, and administrative influence in the region. Along with him also came Francisco Pizarro
, who would later explore western South America
and conquer the Inca Empire
. Another ship also carried Bartolomé de las Casas
later known as the 'Protector of the Indians'. Plans were made in 1502 also for Hernán Cortés
to sail to the Americas with him, a family acquaintance and twice distant relative, but an injury he sustained while hurriedly escaping from the bedroom of a married woman of Medellín
prevented him from making the journey.
Ovando founded several cities on Hispaniola and also developed the mining industry, introduced the cultivation
of sugar cane with plants that he imported from the Canary Islands
, and commissioned expeditions of discovery. The Spanish Crown was not only interested in using the natives to help provide food but also wanted to exploit native labor to extract the gold
from the nearby mines
.
Ovando ordered the first importation of Spanish-speaking slaves of Africa
n descent (Ladinos
) into the Americas in 1501. Many of the Spanish elite ordered small numbers of slaves to work as servants in their homes. Most of the slaves were sent to work in the sugar cane fields.
Ovando was recalled to Spain in 1509 by King Ferdinand
, who was keeping a promise that he had made to Queen Isabella
on her death-bed. He was succeeded by Diego Columbus, but was permitted to retain possession of all his property.
He died on May 29, 1518 in Madrid
, Spain
and was buried in the church of San Benito d'Alcantara.
a notary
and gave him a grant of land. This provided Cortés with the start of his career as a conquistador
.
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
, 1460 – Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, May 29, 1518) was a Spanish
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...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
from a noble family and a Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the Order of Alcántara
Order of Alcántara
The Order of Alcántara , also called the Knights of St. Julian, was originally a military order of León, founded in 1166 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1177.-Alcántara:...
. He was Governor of the Indies (Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
) from 1502 until 1509. His administration is perhaps best known for its brutal treatment of the native Taino population of Hispanola.
Early life
Nicolás Ovando y Cáceres was born in 1460 Brozas. Born into a noble and pious family, son of Diego Fernández de Cáceres y OvandoDiego Fernández de Cáceres y Ovando
Diego Fernández de Cáceres y Ovando was a Spanish military and nobleman.-Life:Diego Fernández de Cáceres y Ovando was a son of Fernán Blázquez de Cáceres y Mogollón, who granted a will at Cáceres in 1443, and wife Leonor Alfón de Ovando, daughter of Fernando Alfón de Ovando and wife Teresa Alfón...
, 1st Lord of the Manor House
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
del Alcázar Viejo, and first wife Isabel Flores de las Varillas, a distant relative of Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, he entered the Military Order of Alcántara
Order of Alcántara
The Order of Alcántara , also called the Knights of St. Julian, was originally a military order of León, founded in 1166 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1177.-Alcántara:...
, where he became a Master (Mestre or Maitre) or a Commander-Major (Comendador-Mayor). This brotherhood, founded in 1156, could be compared with the Order of Templars. His first born brother was Diego de Cáceres y Ovando
Diego de Cáceres y Ovando
-Life:Diego de Cáceres y Ovando, first born son of Diego Fernández de Cáceres y Ovando, 1st Señor of the Manor House del Alcázar Viejo, and first wife Isabel Flores de las Varillas, a distant relative of Hernán Cortés, was the 2nd Señor of the House de las Cigüeñas, at the Plaza de San Mateus of...
.
Selection as governor
As Commander of Lares de Guahaba he was much appreciated by the Spanish Catholic MonarchsCatholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
and in particular by Queen Isabella
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...
. So, on September 3, 1501, The Spanish Crown decided to replace Francisco de Bobadilla
Francisco de Bobadilla
Francisco de Bobadilla was a Spanish colonial administrator. Member of the Order of Calatrava, in 1499, de Bobadilla was appointed to succeed Christopher Columbus as the second governor of the Indies, Spain's new territories in America, by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella...
and make Ovando the third Governor and Captain-General of the Indies, Islands and Firm-Land of the Ocean Sea from complaints from Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
in 1502.
Expedition to the Americas
Thus, on February 13, 1502, he sailed from Spain with a fleet of thirty ships. It was the largest fleet that had ever sailed to the New World.The thirty ships carried 2,500 colonists. Unlike Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
's earlier settlements, this group of colonists was deliberately selected to represent an organized cross-section of Spanish society. Ovando's plan was to develop the West Indies economically and thereby expand Spanish political, religious, and administrative influence in the region. Along with him also came Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire, and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of the Republic of Peru.-Early life:...
, who would later explore western South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and conquer the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
. Another ship also carried Bartolomé de las Casas
Bartolomé de Las Casas
Bartolomé de las Casas O.P. was a 16th-century Spanish historian, social reformer and Dominican friar. He became the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, and the first officially appointed "Protector of the Indians"...
later known as the 'Protector of the Indians'. Plans were made in 1502 also for Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
to sail to the Americas with him, a family acquaintance and twice distant relative, but an injury he sustained while hurriedly escaping from the bedroom of a married woman of Medellín
Medellín (Spain)
Medellín is a village in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain, notable as the birthplace of Hernán Cortés in 1485 and the site of the Battle of Medellín, during the Peninsular War...
prevented him from making the journey.
Administration
When Ovando arrived in Hispaniola in 1502, he found the natives in a state of revolt. He ruthlessly suppressed this rebellion through a series of bloody campaigns. The administration of Ovando in Hispaniola was one of great cruelty toward the Indians. When the Spaniards arrived in 1492, the native population was estimated to be about 500,000. According to a census taken in 1507, the native population had been reduced to 60,000.Ovando founded several cities on Hispaniola and also developed the mining industry, introduced the cultivation
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
of sugar cane with plants that he imported from the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, and commissioned expeditions of discovery. The Spanish Crown was not only interested in using the natives to help provide food but also wanted to exploit native labor to extract the gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
from the nearby mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
.
Ovando ordered the first importation of Spanish-speaking slaves of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n descent (Ladinos
Black Ladino
Black Ladinos were Spanish-speaking black Africans born in Latin America, or exiled to the Americas after spending time in Castile .They were often referred to as negros ladinos , as opposed to negros bozales .Between 1502 and 1518, Spain exiled hundreds of black slaves who had spent time in...
) into the Americas in 1501. Many of the Spanish elite ordered small numbers of slaves to work as servants in their homes. Most of the slaves were sent to work in the sugar cane fields.
Ovando was recalled to Spain in 1509 by King Ferdinand
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
, who was keeping a promise that he had made to Queen Isabella
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...
on her death-bed. He was succeeded by Diego Columbus, but was permitted to retain possession of all his property.
He died on May 29, 1518 in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
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...
and was buried in the church of San Benito d'Alcantara.
Note
Ovando made Hernán CortésHernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
a notary
Civil law notary
Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in person, and are vested as public officers with the authentication power of the State...
and gave him a grant of land. This provided Cortés with the start of his career as a conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
.
Sources
- Cunha, Fernando de Castro Pereira Mouzinho de Albuquerque e (1906-1998), Instrumentário Genealógico - Linhagens Milenárias. MCMXCV, pp. 311
External links
- Museum of Hoaxes
- The Louverture Project: Nicolás de Ovando - Article from Haitian history wiki