Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca

Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca (* 1451 in Toro, † March 4, 1524 in Burgos) was a Spanish statesman and bishop.

Life

Fonseca was chaplain of Queen Isabella I of Castile, and in 1494 was appointed as Bishop of Badajoz. He later received the dioceses of Córdoba ( 1499 ) and Palencia ( 1505). 1514 he was transferred to the prestigious bishopric of Burgos, where he later died.

However Fonseca devoted his greatest attention to the affairs of state. He traveled in important diplomatic missions for the reyes católicos (Catholic Kings). From 1493 until shortly before his death, he instructed all matters relating to the discovery, conquest and colonization of the New World. He organized the Consejo de Indias and the Casa de Contratación and stood with most Spanish navigators and conquistadors of the early 16th century in connection.

Fonseca was one of a commission of inquiry was investigating Christopher Columbus, because this was not the situation in the new colony under control. This commission advised Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II to withdraw all privileges back to the great explorers. The newly discovered areas should be directly under the crown. Columbus was dismissed from his post and sent in chains to Spain. There he was pardoned, but lost his title viceroy and governor, as well as its reputation.

Bishop Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca was next to Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar the toughest opponent of Hernán Cortés. Since Velázquez well understood with the bishop and his lucrative towns and mines had been in Cuba, he sat for Velázquez an energetic when he asked him for help against Cortés. As the bishop of the Consejo de Indias board, he used his power and threw the messengers that Cortés sent to the royal court to jail. He embezzled letters, falsified information, Christobal de Tapia tried a minion who had married his niece to use as governor of New Spain in order to wrest the power of Cortés. With official documents and blank documents Christobal de Tapia arrived in New Spain. These documents allegedly issued on behalf of the Emperor Bishop Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca. In Veracruz, the men of Hernán Cortés were not impressed by these documents. Because Christobal de Tapia could not prove that the Emperor knew about the takeover of power in New Spain, they told him to his face that Bishop Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca behind it. Cortés helped Christobal de Tapia away with gold gifts on his Endtäuschung and sent him back to Santo Domingo.

The bishop prevented the supply of weapons, soldiers and horses for Cortés Seville in Spain to Vera Cruz and to even large amounts of embezzling gold that Cortés sent to the king. He showed Cortés in court and showered him with processes that occupied the conquistador years.