Martín Enríquez de Almanza
Martín Enríquez de Almanza | |
|---|---|
| 4th Viceroy of New Spain | |
| In office November 5, 1568 – October 3, 1580 | |
| Monarch | Philip II |
| Preceded by | Gastón de Peralta, 3rd Marquess of Falces |
| Succeeded by | Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, 4th Count of La Coruña |
| 6th Viceroy of Peru | |
| In office September 23, 1581 – March 13, 1583 | |
| Monarch | Charles I of Spain |
| Preceded by | Francisco de Toledo |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Torres de Portugal y Mesía |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Martín Enríquez de Almanza y Ulloa Toro, Zamora Spain |
| Died | March 13, 1583 Lima, Viceroyalty of Peru |
| Signature | |
Martín Enríquez de Almanza y Ulloa, (died ca. March 13, 1583) was the fourth viceroy of New Spain, who ruled in the name of Philip II from November 5, 1568 until October 3, 1580.
Like many of the early viceroys of New Spain, Almanza was of royal heritage. He was a member of the House of Enríquez, one of the four cadet branches of the House of Burgundy, the ruling dynasty in Castile, yet never inherited a title.
Enríquez was 60 when he was appointed viceroy in New Spain. He brought strength and stability in the wake of the encomenderos' conspiracy of the son of conqueror Hernán Cortés, Don Martín Cortés and other encomenderos who challenged the crown's power. He was subsequently viceroy of Peru, from September 23, 1581 until his death in 1583, a post he reluctantly accepted at age 72. He was a very able administrator in Mexico, asserting crown control, and effective in establishing defenses against northern natives who threatened the vital link between the silver mines in north and Mexico's center.