José Nicolás de Azara

Don José Nicolás de Azara, Duke of Nibbiano ( born December 5, 1730 in Barbuñales at Barbastro in Aragon; † January 26, 1804 in Paris) was a Spanish politician, diplomat and patron of the arts. He was the older brother of naturalist Félix de Azara.

Life and political activity

Azara studied law and literature in Huesca and Salamanca, he completed his studies with a doctorate. As a civil servant in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was under Charles III. 1765 ambassador in Rome. Here Azara worked as a diplomat in the following 33 years, first as Attorney General and from 1785 to 1798 as ambassador to Spain.

Azara had a special share of the prohibition of the Jesuit Order by Pope Clement XIV on August 6 in 1773. Clemens After death he was in the election of Pius VI. help. Pius had to deal with the declining influence of the Catholic Church on the policy during his pontificate. Azara 1783 successfully mediated the dispute between the Vatican and Joseph II, who wanted to introduce a state church in Austria.

Played an important role Azara also in negotiating the Peace of Basel on July 22, 1795 between France and Spain. When the French occupied Rome in 1798 for the second time, he retired to Florence, where Pius VI. had been banished. After the Pope and his death in 1799 Valence deportation he acted in his name and behalf, to the successor Pius VII was elected by the conclave in 1800.

Since March 1798 Azara was Spanish ambassador in Paris. He pursued a france friendly course and closed on March 27, 1802 the Peace of Amiens to Charles IV of Spain. He also led the negotiations between Spain and France, which led to the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso of October 1, 1800 in which Spain ceded the Louisiana Territory to France and eventually completely surrendered to Napoleon.

In November 1803 Azara was recalled from his post as ambassador and died a few weeks later.

Patron of the Arts

José Nicolás de Azara was not only a diplomat, art collector and patron of the arts. In Italy, he acquired a collection of Greek portraits he Charles III. gave and which is now preserved in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. He also helped the now forgotten Irish scientist William Bowles (1720-1784), who had no knowledge of Spanish, a translation whose main work An Introduction to the Natural History and Physical geography of Spain to a publication of the book.

Azara particularly supported the painters and writers Anton Raphael Mengs, with whom he was friends with the publication of his works. So wrote Azara, that Mengs after his return from Rome, Augustus III. some portraits presented as samples of your work:

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The genus Azara from the family of pasture plants was named after José Nicolás de Azara.