Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca (1451–1524) was a
Spanish archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
, a
courtier
A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...
and bureaucrat, whose position as
royal chaplain to
Queen Isabella enabled him to become a powerful counsellor to
Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic Monarchs. He controlled 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 ...
'', an agency which managed expeditions to the
New World
The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
on behalf of the Spanish crown. He later served as the president of the
Council of the Indies, when it was founded in 1521. He managed the administration of a number of significant Spanish expeditions including
voyages by Christopher Columbus and
Magellan's circumnavigation of the earth.
Early life
Rodríguez de Fonseca was born in 1451 in his family's castle in the town of Toro, in the
Province of Zamora
Zamora () is a Provinces of Spain, province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Province of Ourense, Ourense, Province of Le� ...
, the son of Fernando de Fonseca, lord of the towns of
Coca
Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. Coca leaves contain cocaine which acts as a mild stimulant when chewed or ...
and
Alaejos, one of his three children with Teresa de Ayala, daughter of the
Marquis of Cañete The family had originated in Portugal and migrated to the
Kingdom of Castile
The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...
a century earlier. As younger sons, he and his brother,
Alonso de Fonseca y Acevedo, were destined for careers in the Church.
He was the nephew of
Alonso de Fonseca y Ulloa,
Archbishop of Seville. In the dispute over the claim to the throne between
Isabella of Castile and
Joanna la Beltraneja
Joanna of Castile, known as ''la Beltraneja'' (28 February 1462 – 12 April 1530), was a claimant to the throne of Castile, and Queen of Portugal as the wife of King Afonso V, her uncle.
Early life
King Henry IV of Castile married Joan o ...
, the family pledged their loyalty to Isabella, and helped her to ascend to the throne.
With gratitude for his services in this struggle, the young queen recommended Rodríguez de Fonseca to her
confessor, the
Hieronymite monk,
Hernando de Talavera, to educate him in theology and the humanities.
[la web de las biografías "Rodríguez de Fonseca, Juan"]
Rodríguez de Fonseca was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
on 6 April 1493 in the bishop's palace in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.
He was quickly elected by the
cathedral chapter
According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
of Seville to join them as a
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
of the cathedral. He was soon appointed
Dean of the cathedral.
[Historia del Nuevo Mundo "Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca, la cabeza del Nuevo Mundo"]
He later served as
Vicar General
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
of the archdiocese.
Additionally he held the office of
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...
for
Olmedo,
Ávila and Seville.
Control of New Spain
The sovereigns entrusted Rodríguez de Fonseca with building a colonial administration from as early as
Columbus’ second voyage in 1493, which he organized. From that date he gained increasing influence over Castilian colonial policy and emerged as the kingdom’s de facto Minister of Colonial Affairs.
Rodríguez de Fonseca clashed early with Columbus who, he believed, was asserting too much independence from royal authority, and in 1499 Queen Isabella, influenced by him, removed Columbus as governor of the newly found lands overseas. Rodríguez de Fonseca then began to plan and organize a series of voyages, under such captains as
Alonso de Ojeda
Alonso de Ojeda (; c. 1466 – c. 1515) was a Spanish explorer, governor and conquistador. He is famous for having named Venezuela, which he explored during his first two expeditions, for having been the first European to visit Guyana, Curaçao ...
,
Vicente Yáñez Pinzón,
Diego de Lepe, and
Rodrigo de Bastidas, which steadily expanded new discoveries and increased understanding of the islands and mainland of what quickly became known as a
New World
The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
.
In 1503 Rodríguez de Fonseca organized and supervised an important new institution called 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 ...
'', which assumed major responsibilities over the management of the new overseas settlements. He also took the leading role in the evolving
Council of the Indies (formally established in 1524), which in time became the most influential royal institution governing the new settlements. Upon the death of Queen Isabella in 1504, an aging
King Ferdinand allowed Fonseca almost unlimited scope in administering the overseas colonies.
Rodríguez de Fonseca was successively named Bishop of
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...
(1495), of
Córdoba (1499), of
Palencia
Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia.
Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...
(1504), and, finally, of
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...
(1514), one of Castile’s wealthiest dioceses. In 1519 he was also named
Archbishop of Rossano in the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...
. He was named
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
of
La Pernía by the monarchs. In 1513 King Ferdinand had asked the pope to elevate Rodríguez to a new title, that of
Patriarch of the West Indies, a position that would bring a cardinal’s red hat. But the papacy was reluctant to create this title and the
patriarchate
Patriarchate (, ; , ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, referring to the office and jurisdiction of a patriarch.
According to Christian tradition, three patriarchates—Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria—were establi ...
was not created until shortly after Fonseca's death.
Upon Ferdinand’s death in 1516, Rodríguez de Fonseca continued his work under the new sovereign,
King Charles I. He did not enjoy, however, the same confidence he had under the previous monarchs.
He rounded off his career by sponsoring and organizing the epic voyage of
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan ( – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for having planned and led the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he also discovered the Strait of Magellan, allowing his fl ...
, the first one to circumnavigate the globe.
Over his long career, Rodríguez de Fonseca inevitably made many enemies, most notably the
Dominican bishop,
Bartolomé de las Casas
Bartolomé de las Casas, Dominican Order, OP ( ; ); 11 November 1484 – 18 July 1566) was a Spanish clergyman, writer, and activist best known for his work as an historian and social reformer. He arrived in Hispaniola as a layman, then became ...
, known as the
Protector of the Indians, who denounced him for his indifference to the cruelties that Spanish settlers inflicted on the native population of the new lands: when told that 7,000 children had been slaughtered in
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
in three months, he is said to have retorted "and how does that concern me?"
[Diaz, B., 1992, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books. p. xxiii.] He also clashed with
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...
,
[Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books, ] conqueror of Mexico, which led to Cortes' removal from office in 1523.
Death
Rodríguez de Fonseca died in Burgos, where he was still bishop, on 4 March 1524. He was buried at the Church of Santa María la Mayor en Coca in
Segovia
Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Pl ...
, where his tomb still exists.
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez de Fonseca, Juan
1451 births
1524 deaths
People from the Province of Zamora
Spanish people of Portuguese descent
16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Spain
Bishops of Burgos
Bishops of Córdoba
Bishops of Palencia
Bishops in Calabria
University of Salamanca alumni