Francisco de Moncada

Francisco de Moncada (1586-1635) was a prominent Spanish diplomat, soldier and writer of the early 17th century. He was also a governor of the Spanish Netherlands.

Early life

Moncada was born in 1586 to Gaston de Moncada, Marquis of Aytona and his wife Cataline de Moncada (her maiden name) baroness of Callosa. He was taught as a child of the great works of both chivalry and the troubadours, especially Joanot Martorell's "Tirant lo Blanch" which influenced Miguel de Cervantes so much that he praises it in "Don Quixote".

Literary work

Moncada wrote "Expedicion de Catalanes y Argoneses al Oriente". This history gives an account of the followers of Roger de Flor in their cooperation and fighting the Byzantine Empire and later their capture of the Duchy of Athens. Moncada also wrote "Vida de Anicio Manlio Torquato Severino Boecio". This latter work was not published until after Moncada's death, first going to press at Frankfurt in 1642.

Government service

Moncada served as the Spanish ambassador to the Holy Roman Emperor for a time. The emperor Ferdinand II was very impressed with him.

He served as a counselor to Princess Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, regent of the Spanish Netherlands. While serving in Brussels he tried to convince King Felipe IV of Spain to transfer the general management of affairs in his Netherlands possessions to Brussels and remove any responsibility for such matters from the government in Madrid. His proposals to give the various peoples in the Netherlands still under Habsburg rule more say in their governmental affairs were rejected.

He was made the commander-in-chief of the Spanish navy in the Netherlands in 1630. In 1632 he was put in charge of all Spanish forces in the Netherlands. In 1634 he was made governor of the Spanish Netherlands on the death of Isabella Clara Eugenia.

He died of illness in 1635 at the Battle of Goch.

ee also

*Juan de Moncada
*Battle of the Slaak

References

*Introduction to Frances Hernandez' translation of Moncada's "Catalan Chronicle".

External links

*CathEncy|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10476a.htm|title=Francisco De Moncada
*Text of Francisco's "Catalan Chronicle" (in Spanish) http://manybooks.net/titles/moncadad13511351613516-8.html