Francisco de Paula Martínez de la Rosa y Cornejo (March 10, 1787 – February 7, 1862) was a Spanish statesman and dramatist and the first
prime minister of Spain
The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government ( es, link=no, Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of 1978 and it was first regula ...
to receive the title of ''President of the Council of Ministers''.
Biography
He was born at
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
, and educated at the university there.
He won popularity with a series of
epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mille ...
s on local celebrities published under the title of ''El Cementerio de momo''. During the struggle against
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
he took the patriotic side, was elected deputy, and at
Cadiz produced his first play, ''Lo que puede un empleo'', a prose
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
in the manner of the younger
Leandro Fernández de Moratín
Leandro Fernández de Moratín (; 10 March 1760 – 21 June 1828) was a Spanish dramatist, translator and neoclassical poet.
Biography
Moratín was born in Madrid the son of Nicolás Fernández de Moratín, a major literary reformer in Sp ...
. ''La Viuda de Padilia'' (1814), a
tragedy
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...
modelled upon
Alfieri, was less acceptable to the Spanish public.
Meanwhile, the author became more and more engulfed in politics, and in 1814 was banished to
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera on the
Barbary Coast,
where he remained until 1820, when he was suddenly recalled and appointed prime minister. During the next three years he was the most unpopular man in Spain; denounced as a revolutionist by the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
s and as a reactionary by the
Liberals, he alienated the sympathies of all parties, and his
rhetoric
Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
earned for him the contemptuous nickname of Rosita la Pastelera (Rosie the compromiser/cake maker).
Exiled in 1823, he took refuge in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, where he issued his ''Obras literarias'' (1827), including his ''Arte poética'', in which he exaggerated the literary theories already promulgated by
Luzán.
Returning to Spain in 1831, he became prime minister on the death of
Ferdinand VII
, house = Bourbon-Anjou
, father = Charles IV of Spain
, mother = Maria Luisa of Parma
, birth_date = 14 October 1784
, birth_place = El Escorial, Spain
, death_date =
, death_place = Madrid, Spain
, burial_plac ...
, but proved incapable of coping with the
insurrectionary movement and resigned in 1834. It is worth noting that, before retiring, Martinez de la Rosa, as President of the Cabinet, approved the royal decree that finally abolished the
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...
.
He was ambassador at Paris in 1839-1840 and at
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1842–1843, joined the Conservative party, held many important offices, and was president of congress and director of the Spanish academy at the time of his death, which took place at
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
on the 7th of February 1862.
As a statesman, Martinez de la Rosa never rose above mediocrity. It was his misfortune to be in place without real power, to struggle against a turbulent pseudo-democratic movement promoted by unscrupulous soldiers, and to contend with the intrigues of the king, the court
camarilla and the clergy. But circumstances which hampered him in politics favoured his career in literature. He was not a great natural force; his early plays and poems are influenced by Leandro Moratín or by
Juan Meléndez Valdés
Juan Meléndez Valdés (11 March 1754 – 24 May 1817) was a Spanish neoclassical poet.
Biography
He was born at Ribera del Fresno, in what is now the province of Badajoz. Destined by his parents for the priesthood, he graduated in law at Sala ...
; his ''Espíritu del siglo'' (1835) is a summary of all the commonplaces concerning the philosophy of history; his ''Doña Isabel de Solís'' (1837–1846) is an imitation of
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
's historical novels.
Through the accident of his exile at Paris he was thrown into relations with the leaders of the French Romantic Movement, and was so far impressed with the innovations of the new school as to write in French a romantic piece entitled ''Abén Humeya'' (1830), which was played at the Porte Saint-Martin. On his return to Madrid Martinez de la Rosa produced ''La Conjuracíon de Venecia'' (April 23, 1834), which entitles him to be called the pioneer of the romantic drama in Spain.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez de la Rosa, Francisco
1787 births
1862 deaths
People from Granada
Moderate Party (Spain) politicians
19th-century Spanish politicians
Prime Ministers of Spain
Foreign ministers of Spain
Presidents of the Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Politicians from Andalusia
Leaders of political parties in Spain
Spanish dramatists and playwrights
Spanish male dramatists and playwrights
Writers from Andalusia
Members of the Royal Spanish Academy
University of Granada alumni
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain
Presidents of the Ateneo de Madrid
Ambassadors of Spain to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland