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Manuel Antonio Flórez Maldonado Martínez Ángulo y BodquínReal Academia de la historia
Diccionario Bibliográfico español - Manuel Antonio Flórez
/ref> (in full, ''Manuel Antonio Flórez Maldonado'') (May 27, 1723 in
Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsul ...
,
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") , ...
– March 20, 1799 in
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), an ...
) was a general in the
Spanish navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigat ...
and viceroy of New Granada (1776 – November 26, 1781) and
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
(August 17, 1787 to October 16, 1789).


Early career

Flórez entered the royal navy of Spain, where he commanded various ships of war fighting pirates, in both the Mediterranean and in Spanish possessions in America. He distinguished himself for his valor as well as his knowledge, and was made a knight of the military Order of Calatrava. He became commandant of the Naval Department at el
Ferrol Ferrol may refer to: Places * Ferrol (comarca), a coastal region in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain * Ferrol, Spain, industrial city and naval station in Galicia, Spain ** Racing de Ferrol, an association football club * Ferrol, Romblon, municipality in ...
, a major naval base, shipbuilding center and arsenal in northwestern Spain. He served in that position for four years (1771–75). Flórez was named viceroy of New Granada, and sailed to take up the position on December 3, 1775. He served in this capacity for 11 years and 5 months. He was well liked in New Grenada. He resigned in 1787, citing ill health. However, his resignation was apparently motivated by dissatisfaction of
José de Gálvez José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...
, Minister of the Indies, and Archbishop Antonio Caballero y Góngora of Bogotá.


As Viceroy of New Spain

In 1787 he was named viceroy of New Spain and president of the Audiencia of Mexico. He arrived in
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on July 18, 1787 and took possession of his new offices in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...
on August 17. In office, he raised three new battalions of volunteers, those of Mexico, Nueva España, and Puebla. He refused to share his authority with
Francisco Mangino Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name '' Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father o ...
, who had been named superintendent of New Spain (1787). He sent 50,000 pesos annually to New York, on orders of the Crown, for businesses there. He intervened in a dispute between missionaries and the military governor of California. He arranged that the sons of the largest landowners of the colony be given high positions in the colonial army. In 1788 he arranged with the Spanish government to bring in 11 German miners from Dresden to teach Mexican miners recent technical advances in metallurgy. During his administration the Real Estudio Botánico opened. On April 28, 1788, the distinguished Mexican historian and Jesuit Francisco Javier Alegre died in exile in Bologna. On June 4, 1788, the expedition of Esteban José Martínez sailed from
San Blas, Nayarit San Blas is both a municipality and municipal seat located on the Pacific coast of Mexico in Nayarit. City San Blas is a port and popular tourist destination, located about north of Puerto Vallarta, and west of the state capital Tepic, and th ...
, in the ''
Princesa Princesa may refer to: * Spanish ship ''Princesa'', various Spanish Navy ships * Princesa Oliveros (born 1975), Colombian track and field hurdler * Princesa, Santa Catarina, a municipality of Brazil * ''Princesa'' (film), a 2001 film directed b ...
'' to explore the North Pacific coast. This expedition sailed as far as the Bering Strait. On August 12, 1788, Lorenzo de Zavala was born in Yucatán. He was later vice-president of the independent
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. King
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died on December 14, 1788, after a long reign. The sumptuous obsequies after his death cost the treasury of New Spain a great deal. Viceroy Flórez was personally very affected, because Charles III had been his protector. The Audiencia informed the Crown of Flórez's failing health, and he was ordered to step down because of it. He was granted six months' additional pay to cover his expenses on the return to Spain. He returned there on October 16, 1789, where he was awarded the Cross of the Order of Charles III and named honorary captain general of the navy. He died in Madrid on March 20, 1799.


References

* "Flores, Manuel Antonio," ''Enciclopedia de México'', v. 5. Mexico City: 1987. * García Puron, Manuel, ''México y sus gobernantes'', v. 1. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984. * Orozco L., Fernando, ''Fechas Históricas de México''. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1988, . * Orozco Linares, Fernando, ''Gobernantes de México''. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, .


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flórez, Manuel Antonio Viceroys of New Spain Viceroys of New Granada 1723 births 1799 deaths People from Seville Spanish generals Spanish history in the Pacific Northwest 1770s in the Viceroyalty of New Granada 1780s in the Viceroyalty of New Granada 1780s in Mexico 1780s in New Spain 18th-century Spanish people