José de Zúñiga y la Cerda (1654–1725) was a Spanish nobleman,
field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
and governor of
Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...
(1699–1706) and
Cartagena de Indias
Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...
in present-day
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
(1712–18). He served twenty-seven years in the
Spanish Netherlands
The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
, rising to the rank of field marshal. He participated in the defense of the town of
Melilla
Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...
when it was besieged by the Moors.
Political career
Governor of Florida
King
Carlos II of Spain
Charles II (6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700) was King of Spain from 1665 to 1700. The last monarch from the House of Habsburg, which had ruled Habsburg Spain, Spain since 1516, he died without an heir, leading to a European List of modern gre ...
Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...
on January 30, 1699. The oath of office with instructions concerning the responsibilities of his appointment was administered by the court of the
Casa de Contratación
The ''Casa de Contratación'' (, House of Trade) or ''Casa de la Contratación de las Indias'' ("House of Trade of the Indies") was established by the Crown of Castile, in 1503 in the port of Seville (and transferred to Cádiz in 1717) as a cro ...
(in English: House of Trade) in
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
, on May 20, 1699. He was given a license to carry four slaves, and he sailed to
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
in the fleet commanded by General
Manuel de Velasco y Tejada Manuel de Velasco y Tejada was a Spanish Navy officer and colonial administrator commanded the Spanish fleet during the Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702 during the War of Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great po ...
on May 23, 1699.
Zúñiga was governor of Florida from 1699 until 1706. In 1701, he appointed
Juan de Ayala y Escobar
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...
as "visitador general" of Apalachee to investigate the terms of the peace that the native tribes there had made with other peoples, such as the towns of
Apalachicola Province
Apalachicola Province was a group or association of towns located along the lower part of the Chattahoochee River in present-day Alabama and Georgia. The Spanish so called it because they perceived it as a political entity under the leadership of ...
.Grady, p. 110. During his administration he improved the castle (''castillo'') or fortress and the town defenses of
St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...
, the capital of the province. In 1702 St. Augustine was besieged by English troops under Colonel James Moore, who lacked heavy artillery to capture the fort. The siege resulted in the burning of the town outside the fort. Zúñiga y la Cerda ordered the remaining Spanish missions in Apalachee and
Timucua Province
Beginning in the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Spain established missions in Spanish Florida (''La Florida'') in order to convert the indigenous tribes to Roman Catholicism, to facilitate control of the area, and to obstruct ...
to be moved closer together for defensive purposes. The English and their Indian allies fled with the arrival of a relief
flotilla
A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet.
Composition
A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same cla ...
commanded by Esteban de Berroa and Capt. Lope de Solloso, leading a team of Galician recruits and militia troops from
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. Zúñiga's term as governor of Florida ended on April 9, 1706.Cahoon, Ben U.S. States F-K
Governor of Cartagena de Indias
Zúñiga was appointed governor of
Cartagena de Indias
Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...
in 1706 (or 1712) to replace Juan Diaz Pimienta. He served until 1710 (or 1718), and returned to Spain in the only boat of the fleet of Admiral
Antonio de Ulloa
Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Guiral (12 January 1716 – 3 July 1795) was a Spanish Navy officer. He spent much of his career in the Spanish America, Americas, where he carried out important scientific work. As a scientist, Ulloa is re ...
that survived a storm in the
Bahamas
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
. He died in 1725.
References
Sources
* Alcedo, Antonio de (1812). The Geographical and Historical Dictionary of America and the West Indies. Vol. 1. London: G.A. Thomson Esq.
* Alcedo, Antonio de (1812). The Geographical and Historical Dictionary of America and the West Indies. Vol. 2. London: G.A. Thomson Esq..
* http://pares.mcu.es «AER (Archivos Españoles en Red)».
* . Nº 14. Page 110.
*
* .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cerda, Jose de Zuniga y la
Royal governors of La Florida1654 births1725 deaths