Francisco López de Zúñiga y Meneses, 2nd Marquis of Baides and Count of Pedrosa ( Villa de Pedrosa,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

; 1599–1655) was a Spanish soldier who served as

Royal Governor of Chile The Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the Royal Governor also held the title of a Captain General. There were 66 such governors or captains du ...

from May 1639 to May 1646. The son of Francisco López de Zúñiga y de la Cerda and María Meneses y Padilla. López de Zúñiga was a knight of the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" (St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgri ...

and Count of Pedrosa. He was married to María de Salazar in 1636. For 16 years he served in the Spanish army, fighting in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In 1639 he was named Governor of the

Captaincy General of Chile The Captaincy General of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ) or Governorate of Chile (known colloquially and unofficially as the Kingdom of Chile), was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1817 that was, for most of its existenc ...

. During his rule, corruption flourished. However he liked the Jesuits and admired Fr.

Luis de Valdivia Luis de Valdivia (; 1560 – November 5, 1642) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary who defended the rights of the natives of Chile and pleaded for the reduction of the hostilities with the Mapuches in the Arauco War. Following the 1598 revolt of the ...

, and he brought gifts to make a new agreement with the natives. In 1641 he held the Parliament of Quillin, in the Quillin River valley, with the

toqui Toqui (or Toki) (Mapudungun for ''axe'' or ''axe-bearer'') is a title conferred by the Mapuche (an indigenous Chilean and Argentinian people) on those chosen as leaders during times of war. The toqui is chosen in an assembly or parliament ('' c ...

Lincopinchon and established the first peace in the

Arauco War The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force Mapuche ...

with the indigenous

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...

people. Nevertheless, a year later the Spaniards began using the military to put down uprisings. At the end of his term he embarked on a Spanish armada departing from Callao,

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on its way back to Spain. Although he lived to see his son born during the voyage, the fleet was attacked by an English squadron while within sight of Cadiz, Spain, and López de Zúñiga was killed in this Battle of Cádiz (1656), as was his wife and one of his daughters.

Sources

* * * 1599 births 1655 deaths Royal Governors of Chile Counts of Spain Marquesses of Spain Knights of Santiago Captaincy General of Chile Spanish generals Spanish military personnel 17th-century Spanish people {{Spain-mil-bio-stub