Teodoro de Croix
Encyclopedia
soldier and colonial official in New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. From April 6, 1784 to March 25, 1790 he was viceroy of Peru.
Background
Teodoro de Croix was born in France. He entered the Spanish army at age 17 and was sent to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as an ensign of grenadiers of the Royal Guard. In 1750 he transferred to the Walloon Guards
Walloon Guards
The Walloon Guards were an infantry corps originally recruited in the region now known as Belgium, mainly in Catholic Wallonia, for the Spanish Army...
, bodyguards of the Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
kings of Spain. In 1756 he was promoted to lieutenant and was made a knight in the Teutonic Order. He became a colonel (still in the Walloon Guards) in 1760.
In 1766 he came to New Spain as a captain in the guard of Viceroy Carlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de Croix
Carlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de Croix
Carlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de Croix , was a Spanish general and viceroy of New Spain, from August 25, 1766 to September 22, 1771, a period of considerable turbulence....
. He subsequently served as commandant of the fortress in Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
and as inspector of all troops in the viceroyalty. He served in this capacity until 1770. In 1771 the term of Viceroy Croix ended, and both Francisco and Teodoro returned to Spain. Visitador José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez y Gallardo, marqués de Sonora was a Spanish lawyer, a colonial official in New Spain and ultimately Minister of the Indies . He was one of the prime figures behind the Bourbon Reforms...
returned with them.
Provincias Internas del Norte
The Commandancy General of the Provincias Internas del NorteCommandancy General of the Provincias Internas
The Provincias Internas or Commandancy General of the Internal Provinces of the North was a colonial, administrative district of the Spanish Empire, created in 1776 to provide more autonomy for the frontier provinces in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, present day northern Mexico and southwestern...
(Commandancy General of the Internal Provinces of the North) was established in New Spain in 1776, incorporating Nueva Vizcay
Nueva Vizcaya, New Spain
Nueva Vizcaya was the first province in the north of New Spain to be explored and settled by the Spanish. It consisted mostly of the area which is today the states of Chihuahua and Durango in Mexico.-Early exploration and the Viceroyalty:...
, Santa Fe de Nuevo México
Santa Fe de Nuevo México
Santa Fe de Nuevo México was a province of New Spain and later Mexico that existed from the late 16th century up through the mid-19th century. It was centered on the upper valley of the Rio Grande , in an area that included most of the present-day U.S. state of New Mexico...
, Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, Sonora y Sinaloa
Sonora y Sinaloa
Sonora y Sinaloa was a province in the Provincias Internas and under the jurisdiction of the Real Audiencia of Guadalajara of Viceroyalty of New Spain. After Independence Sonora y Sinaloa became one of the constituent states of the Mexican Republic...
, Las Californias
Las Californias
The Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. This arrangement was a response to numerous attacks by Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
s, Seris, Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
s, and other Indigenous tribes and to the fear of encroachment by other European powers. Headquarters was to be at Arizpe
Arizpe
Arizpe is a small town in Arizpe Municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora. It is located at 30°20'"N 110°09'"W. The area of the municipality is 2,806.78 sq.km. The population in 2005 was 2,959 of which 1,743 lived in the municipal seat as of the 2000 census.-History and origin...
, Sonora.
On May 16, 1776, King Charles III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
of Spain named Brigadier Teodoro de Croix the first commandant general of the new jurisdiction. He replaced Hugo Oconór
Hugo Oconór
-External links:*...
, an appointee of New Spain Viceroy Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa
Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa
Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, marqués de Valleheroso y conde de Jerena was a Spanish military officer, governor of Cuba, and viceroy of New Spain .-Beginning of his administration:He was governor of Cuba when he was named viceroy...
, in charge of Spanish forces on the northern frontier. He was independent of the viceroy of New Spain in most of this territory, but in Alta California the two were to share jurisdiction.
Croix assumed his office on January 1, 1777. He left Mexico City to inspect his new jurisdiction in August. He was responsible for military defense, civilian colonization and conversion of the Indians over the large, sparsely inhabited territory. Croix reported directly to the minister of the Indies, José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez y Gallardo, marqués de Sonora was a Spanish lawyer, a colonial official in New Spain and ultimately Minister of the Indies . He was one of the prime figures behind the Bourbon Reforms...
.
He built up the strongest military force across the northern frontier from Texas to Sonora than had ever been seen in the area, revamping the whole border defense in the process. On October 24, 1781, the king approved the separation of the Californias as a jurisdiction at the level of the Provincias Internas de Occidente.http://www.sbthp.org/soldados/StBarbara/funderon.htm
Viceroy of Peru
Croix was appointed lieutenant general and named viceroy of Peru on February 13, 1783. He relinquished command in the Provincias Internas del Norte to Felipe de NeveFelipe de Neve
Felipe de Neve was a Spanish governor of Las Californias, an area that included present-day California , Baja California and Baja California Sur . His tenure as governor was from 1775 to 1782...
.
As viceroy of Peru, he decentralized the government through the creation of seven intendencias
Intendant
The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
. He built the anatomical amphitheater and began the Botanical Garden of Lima. He adopted rigorous measures to suppress the thought of the Encyclopedists and revolutionaries in the United States and France. He improved the fortification of the coast and collaborated in the creation of the Junta Superior de Comercio and the Tribunal de Minería (1786).
His term as viceroy ended in 1790 and he returned to Spain. In 1791 he was made a colonel in the king's bodyguard and a commander in the Teutonic Order. He died in Madrid the following year.
The people of Lima knew him as el Flamenco (The Fleming
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
).
External links
- Biographical information during the Provincias Internas period
- The Handbook of Texas Online