Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea, 1st Marquess of Ensenada (April 20, 1702 – December 2, 1781), commonly known as the Marquess of Ensenada, was a Spanish statesman. He played a key role in crafting and enforcing the Great Gypsy Round-up, officially known as the General Imprisonment of the Gypsies, which was an attempt to exterminate the

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

living in Spain, leading to the death of 12,000 Romani People.

Biography

Little is known of Somodevilla's parents, Francisco de Somodevilla and his wife, Francisca de Bengoechea, nor is anything known of his own life prior to entering the civil administration of the Spanish navy as a clerk in 1720. He was born in Alesanco near

Logroño Logroño ( , , ) is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja, Spain. Located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in the right (South) bank of the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of pa ...

. He served in administrative capacities in

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

in that year and in the reoccupation of

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

in 1731. His ability was recognized by Don

José Patiño Don José Patiño y Rosales (11 April 1666 – 3 November 1736) was a Spanish statesman who served as acting First Secretary of State of Spain from 1734 to 1736. Life His father, Don Lucas Patiño de Ibarra, Señor de Castelar, who was by ...

, the chief minister of King

Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598) * Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Sp ...

, This includes as a footnote: For his administration see William Coxe, ''Memoirs of the Kings of Spain of the House of Bourbon'' (London, 1815), but the only complete account of Ensenada is by Don Antonio Rodriguez Villa, ''Don Cenón de Somodevilla, Marqués de la Ensenada'' (Madrid, 1878). who promoted him to supervise work at the naval arsenal at Ferrol, the main base of the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, 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 navigation ...

's Maritime Department of the North since the time of the early

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. A branch descended from ...

. Somodevilla was also involved in the endeavors by the Spanish government to elevate the king's sons by his marriage to

Elizabeth Farnese Elisabeth Farnese (Italian: ''Elisabetta Farnese'', Spanish: ''Isabel de Farnesio''; 25 October 169211 July 1766) was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She was the '' de facto'' ruler of Spain from 1714 until 1746, since she managed ...

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

and

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

, on the thrones of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

respectively. In 1736 Charles, afterwards King Charles III of Spain, conferred on Somodevilla the Neapolitan title of ''Marqués de la Ensenada''. While an ''ensenada'' is a

roadstead A roadstead or road is a sheltered body of water where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor without dragging or snatching.United States Army technical manual, TM 5-360. Port Construction and Rehabilitation'. Washington: United States. Gove ...

or a small bay, some of the ancestry-conscious upper-classes and nobility of the court, envious of the rise of this upstart

self-made man A self-made man is a person whose success is of their own making. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, has been described as the greatest exemplar of the self-made man. Inspired by Franklin's autobiography, Fr ...

delighted in the pun, that the name from the title can be phonetically divided into three Spanish words "''en si nada''," which means "in himself nothing." Ensenada was one of the new type of royal advisor, the talented man of no social standing. In 1742 Ensenada became Secretary of State and War to Philip, duke of Parma. The following year, on April 11, 1743, after Patinos's successor Campillo died suddenly, as Marquess of Ensenada, he was chosen by Philip V as Minister of Finance, War, the Navy and the Indies (i.e. the ultramarine portion of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

). Ensenada met the nomination with a ''

nolo episcopari The Latin expression ''nolo episcopari'' is the traditional formal refusal made by a cleric in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches of an offer as appointment as a bishop. It means, literally, "I do not wish to be bishoped". A historical myth ...

'', professing that he was incapable of filling the four posts at once. His reluctance was dismissed by the king, and he became prime minister at the age of forty-one. During the remainder of the king's reign, which lasted till July 11, 1746, and under his successor

Ferdinand VI Ferdinand VI (; 23 September 1713 – 10 August 1759), called the Learned (''el Prudente'') and the Just (''el Justo''), was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death in 1759. He was the third ruler of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty. He was the ...

until 1754, Ensenada was the prime minister, leading the country to victory alongside France and Prussia in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

. His administration is notable in Spanish history for the vigor of his policy of internal reform. He drew up reports on the finances and general condition of the country for the new king on his accession, and again after peace was made with

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Aix-la-Chapelle Aachen is the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is located at the northern foothills of the High Fens and the Eifel Mountains. It sits on the Wurm Riv ...

on October 18, 1748. Under his direction the rule of the

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon, a beer produced by Brasseries de Bourbon * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * Bourbon coffee, a type of coffee ma ...

kings became more centralized, public works were undertaken, shipping was encouraged, trade was fostered and numbers of young Spaniards were sent abroad for education. Ensenada was a

regalist Regalism is the idea that the monarch has supremacy over the Church as an institution, often specifically referring to the Spanish monarchy and the Catholic Church in the Spanish Empire. Regalists sought reforms that "were intended to redefine the ...

, who sought to increase the power of the crown and bring the Catholic Church more under its control. He initiated reforms that "were intended to redefine the clergy as a professional class of spiritual specialists with fewer judicial and administrative responsibilities and less independence than in Hapsburg times." From 1749 onwards Ensenada encouraged one of the most important

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

and statistical investigations in the Europe of his time, known as Catastro of Ensenada, as a first step of a broader reform on taxes. Ensenada joined with Jorge Juan and

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 ...

in harsh criticism of the functioning of the Spanish Empire in Spanish America, targeting corruption and inefficiency. Juan and Ulloa's secret report was a devastating indictment of the American-born Spanish elites (''criollos'') and the incompetence of colonial rule. This report was to influence crown policy in what became known as the Bourbon Reforms. Brading, D.A. ''The First America: The Spanish Monarchy, Creole Patriots, and the Liberal State, 1492-1867''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1991, p. 470. Ensenada was a strong supporter of an alliance with France in opposition to Britain. British ambassador

Sir Benjamin Keene Sir Benjamin Keene (1697–1757) was a British diplomat from Norfolk, who served as British Ambassador to Spain from 1729 to 1739, then again from 1748 until his death in Madrid in December 1757. He has been described as "by far the most promine ...

supported the Spanish court in opposing Ensenada, and succeeded in preventing him from adding the foreign office to the others which he held. Ensenada would probably have fallen sooner but for the support he received from the Portuguese queen, Barbara. In 1754 he offended her by opposing an exchange of Spanish and Portuguese colonial possessions in America which she favored. Following a scandal at court resulting from a conspiracy between

José de Carvajal y Lancáster José de Carvajal y Lancáster (1698 – 8 April 1754) was a Spanish statesman who served as the first secretary of state from 1746 to 1754. Biography He was son of the Duke of Liñares and his mother was descendant of infante Jorge de Lancas ...

and Keene, Ensenada was arrested by the king's order on July 20, 1754, and was sacked as prime minister upon Carvajal's death (see ''

Enlightenment Spain The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment () came to History of Spain, Spain in the 18th century with the Spanish royal family, new Bourbon dynasty, following the death of the last House of Habsburg#Spanish Habsburgs: Kings of Spain, Kings of Portugal ...

''). He was sent into mild confinement at

Granada Granada ( ; ) 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 foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

; he was afterwards allowed to relocate to

Puerto de Santa Maria Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...

. On the accession of Charles III in 1759, he was released and allowed to return to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. The new king named him as member of a commission appointed to reform the taxation system. Ensenada soon offended the king. On April 18, 1766, he was again exiled from court, and ordered to go to

Medina del Campo Medina del Campo is a town and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Part of the Province of Valladolid, it is the centre of a farming area. It lies on the banks of the Zapardiel river, in the centre of t ...

. He remained here until his death on 2 December 1781 and was never again involved in public life.

Biography

See also

References

Further reading