Everything about Nicol S De Ovando totally explained
Fray don Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres (
Castile,
1460 –
Madrid,
May 29,
1518) was a
Spanish soldier from a noble family and a
Knight of the
Order of Alcántara. He was Governor of the Indies (
Hispaniola) from
1502 until
1509.
Early life
Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres was born in 1460 Castile. Born into a noble and pious family, son of
don Diego Fernández de Cáceres y Ovando, 1st Lord of the
Manor House del Alcázar Viejo, and first wife
doña Isabel Flores de las Varillas, a distant relative of
Hernán Cortés, he entered the Military
Order of Alcántara, where he became a
Master (
Mestre or
Maitre) or a
Commander-Major (
Comendador-Mayor). This brotherhood, founded in
1156, could be compared with the
Order of Templars. His first born brother was
don Diego de Cáceres y Ovando.
Selection as governor
As
Commander of
Lares, he was a very appreciated man of the Spanish Catholic Kings and in particular of
Queen Isabella. So, on
September 3,
1501, The Spanish Crown decided to replace
Francisco de Bobadilla and make Ovando the third Governor and Captain-General of the Indies, Islands and Firm-Land of the Ocean Sea from complaints from
Christopher Columbus in
1502.
Expedition to the Americas
Thus, on
February 13,
1502, he sailed from Spain with a fleet of thirty ships. It was the largest fleet that had ever sailed to the New World.
The thirty ships carried 2,500 colonists. Unlike
Columbus's earlier settlements, this group of colonists was deliberately selected to represent an organized cross-section of Spanish society. Ovando's plan was to develop the
West Indies economically and thereby expand Spanish political, religious, and administrative influence in the region. Along with him also came
Francisco Pizarro, who would later explore western
South America and conquer the
Inca Empire. Another ship also carried
Bartolomé de las Casas later known as the 'Protector of the Indians'. Plans were made in 1502 also for
Hernán Cortés to sail to the Americas with him, a family acquaintance and twice distant relative, but an injury he sustained while hurriedly escaping from the bedroom of a married woman of
Medellín prevented him from making the journey.
Administration
When Ovando arrived in Hispaniola in 1502, he found the natives in a state of revolt. He ruthlessly suppressed this rebellion through a series of bloody campaigns. The administration of Ovando in Hispaniola was one of great cruelty toward the Indians. When the Spaniards arrived in
1492, the native population was estimated to be about 500,000. According to a census taken in
1507, the native population had been reduced to 60,000.
Ovando founded several cities on Hispaniola and also developed the
mining industry, introduced the
cultivation of
sugar cane with plants that he imported from the
Canary Islands, and commissioned expeditions of discovery. The Spanish Crown wasn't only interested in using the natives to help provide food but also wanted to exploit native labor to extract the
gold from the nearby
mines.
Ovando ordered the first importation of Spanish-speaking slaves of
African descent (
Ladinos) into the Americas in
1501. Many of the Spanish elite ordered small numbers of slaves to work as servants in their homes. Most of the slaves were sent to work in the sugar cane fields.
Ovando was recalled to Spain in
1509 by
King Ferdinand, who was keeping a promise that he'd made to
Queen Isabella on her death-bed. He was succeeded by
Diego Columbus, but was permitted to retain possession of all his property.
He died on
May 29,
1518 in
Madrid,
Spain and was buried in the church of San Benito d'Alcantara.
Note
Ovando made
Hernán Cortés a
notary and gave him a grant of land. This provided Cortés with the start of his career as a
conquistador.
Sources
- Cunha, Fernando de Castro Pereira Mouzinho de Albuquerque e (1906-1998), Instrumentário Genealógico - Linhagens Milenárias. MCMXCV, pp. 311
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