Diego de Egüés y Belmont (

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, c. 1612 –

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, December 25, 1664), was a Spanish soldier, noble and colonial governor. He is famous for his command of Spanish forces in the naval action of the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He was the eldest son of Martín de Egüés, judge of the Casa de Contratación de Indias and later the Royal Chancery of

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, and Juana Verdugo de la Cueva (or Anne).

Early life and career

His family being politically connected, in his childhood he was a

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. He accompanied his father to the

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when he was appointed president of the

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. After the death of his father, he was appointed Mayor of Oropeza and the valley of

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. Once his term of office expired, Egües served as an infantry captain and saw his first action against the

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in the defense of the port at

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. In 1643 he began his journey back to Spain, which was interrupted by serious injuries received by Egües in a duel fought in the Captaincy General of Cuba against the governor of

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, Bartolome de Osuna. Egües won this battle. He was later a captain in the Carrera de Indias, General Fleet Admiral of the Fleet of New Spain, governor of the

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, and Chief of the Council and Treasury Accounting. He was also a Knight of the

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. He suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Admiral

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at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in April 1657 but did land the crucial treasure ashore even though it would not leave for nearly a year. In 1661 he became president of the

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of the

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, taking office in February of the following year. While in office, he encouraged the creation of Catholic missions among the indigenous Paeces Indians and the tribes of the plains in the province of

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in present-day

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. In 1663, Charguaje and Tama Indians attacked

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and "shattered all the crosses that they found". In Santafé, with the help of the

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Francisco de Caldas Barboza, he opened the first public slaughterhouse, finished the building of the tower and the porch at the Catedral Primada de Colombia and built bridges over the rivers San Agustín,

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and

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Death

He died in December 1664 while in office after several days of illness. During the 18 months following, the government was run by the High Court, presided by head judge, Francisco de Leyva.

Family connections

His great-nephew was

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, who was responsible for the final conquest of the last independent

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kingdom.Jones 1998, pp. xix, 114.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Egues de Beaumont, Diego 1612 births 1664 deaths Egues y Beaumont Spanish colonial governors and administrators Spanish untitled nobility Spanish naval officers 17th-century Spanish people