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Maritime Defence of the Viceroyalty of Peru (1600-1700)*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Peter T. Bradley
Peter T. Bradley*
Affiliation:
The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
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Extract

The intrusion into the South Sea in the seventeenth century first of Dutch fleets of exploration and trade, and later of English traders and English and French buccaneers, was to make the development of some measures for defence if not a constant preoccupation, at least from time to time a very urgent necessity, and a costly one. The reluctance on the part of the Crown to support and give financial aid to permanent land based defences, the great length of the coastline of the viceroyalty, and above all the overriding concern for the protection of the Peruvian treasure fleet, are clear indications that the provision of defence at sea was to become an issue of the first importance.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , October 1979 , pp. 155 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1979

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Footnotes

*

I am grateful to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne Research Fund for a grant which enabled me to consult manuscripts used in the preparation of this article.

References

1 Archivo General de Indias, Seville (hereafter AGI), Patronato, 266–2, 266–5, 270-2-2 contain relevant letters and reports of the Crown, audiencia, and Viceroys Toledo, Enríquez, and Villar. Levillier, Roberto, Gobernantes del Perú, 14 vols. (Madrid, 1921–26), 6, 139–153,Google Scholar Toledo to Crown, Oct. 11, 15 79. Biblioteca Nacional Madrid (hereafter BN), 3044, f. 388, “Memorial del gasto y gente de las galeras,” f. 408, “Autos en razón de fortificar el puerto del Callao,” f. 480, “Relación de la orden … para que se sustente la galera.”

2 AGI, Patronato, 270–2–7, “Razón de los baxeles que tiene S.M. en el Perú,” 1588.

3 AGI, Lima, 34, “Relación de la gente de guerra y mar,” and Velasco to Crown, May 8, 1600.

4 Vicente, María E. Rodríguez, El Tribunal del Consulado de Lima (Madrid, 1960), 213–221.Google Scholar

5 Main accounts of these events are: AGI, Lima, 36, Montesclaros to Crown, May 2, Sept. 24, 1615; “Ron dela perdida denra Armada,” “Instrución secreta al Gral. Don Ro. de Mendoça,” “Instrución que a de guardar el Genl. don Rodrigo de Mendoça.” AGI, Lima, 37, “Relación de la Armada.” AGI, Patronato, 229–16, Montesclaros to Crown, Nov. 15, 1614. AGI, Lima, 146, licenciado Cacho de Santillana to Crown, May 19, 1616. British Museum, Additional MSS (hereafter, BM, Add.), 13975, ff. 323–330, “Relacion verdadera … del succeso y perdida de la armada real,” BN, 3044, f. 509, “Relación de las operaciones de la Armada del Peru.” Crespo, Pedro Rodríguez, El peligro holandés de las costas peruanas (Lima, 1964).Google Scholar

6 Beltrán, Ricardo y Rózpide, (ed.), Colección de las memorias o relaciones que escribieron los virreyes del Perú (Vol. 1, Madrid, 1921), 131.Google Scholar

7 Markham, Clements R. (ed.), The Hawkins’ voyages (Hakluyt Soc, series I, vol. 57, London, 1878), xxvii, 328.Google Scholar

8 AGI, Indiferente General, 2662, audiencia to Crown, 1606; and 2663, “Relacion … de los gastos que se hazen en la armada R1, 1607 y 1608.”

9 Beltrán, y Rózpide, , Memorias, 200–201.Google Scholar

10 AGI, Lima, 34, Velasco to Crown, May 5, 1600.

11 AGI, Lima, 135, Admirai Pedro Ozores de Ulloa to Crown, May 2, 1601.

12 BM, Add. 13975, ff. 323v-324.

13 AGI, Lima, 37, acuerdo general de hacienda, April 1, 1617 and Esquiladle to Crown, April 6, 1617. AGI, Lima, 38, Esquiladle to Crown, March 27, 1619. AGI, Lima, 328, Jesuit Provincial to Crown, Feb. 9,1621. BN, 2351, f. 272, “Despachos del P. de Esquilache.”guerra, no. 26. BM, Add. 13977, ff. 341–381, “Relación del Estado del Perú,” f. 364. Beltrán, y Rózpide, , Memorias, 257.Google Scholar

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15 AGI, Lima, 38, “Asiento de la Armada de la Mar del Sur,” and Esquiladle to Crown, March 27, 1619.

16 AGI, Lima, 113, royal officials to Crown, March 15, 1619. AGI, Lima, 328, fiscal Luis Enríquez to Crown, Nov. 7, 1621.

17 AGI, Lima, 41, “Armas y peltrechos de la Mar,” by contador Nicolás de Retana, March 1, 1627, and a report of March 12, 1628.

18 See my article, “Some considerations on defence at sea in the Viceroyalty of Peru,” Revista de Historia de América, 79(1975), 77–97.

19 AGI, Lima, 40, Guadalcázar to Crown, May 24, 1625. AGI, Lima, 571–19, ff. 169–171, cédula of Feb. 25, 1626.

20 Major sources for the Chinchón era are; AGI, Lima, 610, “Relacion que hace del estado del Virreynato … el Conde de Chinchón,” pars. 229, 231, 237–239. AGI, Lima, 55, Chinchón to Crown, Sept. 23, 1642. de Altolaguirre, Angel y Duvale, (ed.), Memorias (Vol. 2, Madrid, 1930), 117–120.Google Scholar de Miguel, José Luis Múzquiz, El Conde de Chinchón, virrey del Perú (Madrid, 1945), 183–186.Google Scholar

21 AGI, Lima, 465, Chinchón to Crown, April 29, 1630.

22 AGI, Lima, 572–21, ff. 135v–137, cédula of Feb. 7, 1636 and 572–22, ff. 16v–17v, cédula of April 6, 1638.

23 AGI, Lima, 572–21, ff. 164v–166, cédula of April 1, 1636.

24 AGI, Lima, 465, Chinchón to Crown, May 24, Oct. 31, 1629 and March 20, 1630.

25 Major sources for the Mancera period are: BM, Add. 13992, ff. 368–385, “Relación del Estado del Govierno del Peru que haze el Marques de Mancera.” BM, Add. 13977, ff. 382–391, report on the state of Peru, published by Villena, Guillermo Lohmann, “Un informe veraz sobre la situación del virreínato en 1640,” Revista Histórica (Lima), 22 (1957/1958), 278–295.Google Scholar Altolaguirre, , Memorias, 183–187.Google Scholar

26 Altolaguirre, , Memorias, 292–293.Google Scholar Josephe, and de Mugaburu, Francisco, Diario de Lima, 1640–1694: crónica de la época colonial (Lima, 1935), 32, 97.Google Scholar Archivo Histórico del Ministerio de Hacienda y Comercio, Lima, 0157, cédula of Sept. 6, 1662.

27 AGI, Lima, 465, Chinchón to Crown, May 9, 1629.

28 AGI, Lima, 50, “El estado en que estan los bageles de la armada del Callao,” June 1, 1640 and Mancera to Crown, May 29, 1640.

29 AGI, Lima, 50, Mancera to Crown, June 8, 1641.

30 AGI, Lima, 50, report of discussions about the galleons, Feb. 12 and May 15, 1640. There is some confusion over the exact size of the Loreto, with the royal officials in Lima suggesting in a letter of May 22, 1622, that she might have been as large as 1100 tons, AGI, Lima, 114.

31 AGI, Lima, 51, Mancera to Crown, June 1, 23, July 20, 1642; June 4, 1643. AGI, Lima, 52, Mancera to Crown, Jan. 16, July 9, 1644.

32 AGI, Lima, 51, Mancera to Crown, June 1, 1642.

33 BM, Add. 13977, ff. 333–340, “Copia de carta que el Capitan Garcia Tamayo y Mendoza … escriue al … Principe de Esquiladle,” July 5, 1644.

34 AGI, Indiferente General, 2574 contains letters and papers on the causes of the incident and the salvage operation. Archivo Nacional, Lima, Consulado, 1- la,2,3,4,6a,7 deal largely with the salvaging of silver and guns.

35 AGI, Lima, 63, “Relazon de la Artilleria Municiones y Pertrechos que se hallan en el Puerto del Callao, Armada del Sur,” and Santisteban to Crown, Jan. 15, 1662.

36 AGI, Lima, 64, Santisteban to Crown, July 5, 1663.

37 AGI, Lima, 72, Lemos to Crown, March 28, 1671.

38 Crahan, Margaret E., “The administration of Don Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull, Duque de la Palata,” The Americas, 27, no. 4(1971), 389–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

39 AGI, Lima, 88, cédula of Dec. 7, 1682. AGI, Lima, 610, “Relación … del Conde de Castellar,” par. 128.

40 AGI, Lima, 86, cédula of Feb. 26, 1684.

41 AGI, Panamá, 96, Sept. 29, 1685.

42 AGI, Indiferente General, 1879, report of junta de guerra, Aug. 1, 1687.

43 Fuentes, Manuel A., Memorias de los virreyes que han gobernado el Perú, 6 vols. (Lima, 1859), 2, 323–326, 328–329.Google Scholar

44 Bradley, , “Considerations on defence at sea,” 92–95.Google Scholar

45 Monclova to Crown, AGI, Lima, 88, Dec. 31, 1691; AGI, Lima, 89, Aug. 5, 1692, Oct. 15, 1693, Aug. 15, 1695; AGI, Lima, 90, June 20, 1695. Mancera to consulado of Lima, AGI, Lima, 107, Nov. 18, 1690. Published in Moreyra, Manuel y Soldán, Paz and del Castillo, Guillermo Céspedes, Virreinato peruano. Documentos para su historia, 3 vols. (Lima, 1954–1955), 1, nos. 59, 77, 108 Google Scholar; II, nos. 155, 143; I, no. 30B. For financial aspects of the merchants’ contributions see Archivo General del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Lima, Libros de Cédulas, 1–7, ff. 307–308, 515; 1–8, ff. 95–96, 142.

46 AGI, Lima, 114, royal officials to Crown, May 22, 1622.

47 AGI, Lima, 55. Salvatierra to Crown, Sept. 1, 1651 and repon of May 20, 1651.

48 AGI, Lima, 573–23, ff. 120–121, cédula of Aug. 28, 1648.

49 Clayton, Lawrence A., “Ships and empire: the case of Spain,” The Mariner’s Mirror, 62 (1976), 235–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

50 BM, Add. 13996, “Cartas que El Conde [de Alba]escriuio,” f. 6, March 24, 1655; ff. 17v–18, May 27, 1655; ff. 94v–96v, Aug. 15, 1656; ff. 104–105, July 15, 1656; f. 343v, Aug. 15, 1658. AGI, Lima, 61, Alba to Crown, June 23, 1660.

5l AGI, Lima, 86, cédula of Feb. 26, 1684.

52 BM, Add. 13975, “Relacion verdadera,” f. 326v. AGI, Lima, 37, “Relacion de la Armada.”

53 AGI, Lima, 67. Lemos to Crown, Dec. 22, 1668.

54 AGI, Lima, 83, Palata to Crown, Oct. 30, 1683 including comments of Vea.

55 AGI, Indiferente General, 1879, Aug. 1, 1687.

56 AGI, Patronato, 270-2-4, 270-2-5, reports of Pedro de Arana, April 8, 9, 1585.

57 AGI, Indiferente General, 2662, 2663 contain papers on the cost of the fleet from 1600-1610. AGI, Lima, 114, royal officials to Crown, May 22, 1622 has details of costs during the Esquilache era. AGI, Lima, 41, reports of the contador Nicolás de Retana, March 12, 1628.

58 AGI, Lima, 35, Montesclaros to Crown, March 31, 1610. AGI, Lima, 39, Guadalcázar to Crown, Dec. 15, 1622.

59 Biblioteca Provincial Universitaria, Seville, Marqués del Risco, II, 330–120, “Capítulos de guerra,” no. 6, report of June 23, 1676.

60 AGI, Lima, 81, report on the fleet, Aug. 24, 1681.