Viceroyalty of New Granada

The Viceroyalty of New Granada (Spanish Virreinato de Nueva Granada) was a Spanish viceroyalty in South America, which included the present states of Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador. It also claimed the dominated by the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Great Britain Miskito coast. Its capital was initially Cartagena de Indias and Santa Fé de Bogotá (now Colombia), it was divided into governorships.

The viceroyalty was founded on May 29, 1717 the name Virreinato de Santa Fe del Nuevo Reino de Granada. After the dissolution in 1723, it was founded in 1739 under the name Virreinato de Nueva Granada again.

The viceroyalty was formed from parts of the already existing Spanish viceroy of New Spain and Peru empires and was thus the third Spanish viceroyalty on American soil. New Spain consisted of much of the present-day United States, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, with the exception of Panama, and the Philippines, North Borneo and some Pacific islands. It also included to the founding of New Granada and Venezuela. Peru originally covered the entire, Spain after the Treaty of Tordesillas accruing to the South American continent with the exception of Venezuela, and also Panama and the Miskito Coast ( 1655 England ceded ).

The creation of an additional viceroyalty was necessary after the administration of the vast territories that were under Spanish rule, increasingly proved to be difficult in a single viceroyalty. At that time, all goods which were respectively a - running to and from Spain, just across the Isthmus of Panama, then the capital of the Vizeköngreichs Peru, Lima, will be spent. There they were taxed or subject to tax, which led to a significant corruption.

However, the choice of Bogotá as its capital soon proved to be not very favorable, as they located 2,600 meters above sea level, only hard water, the Magdalena River, and was from Honda to achieve an arduous road.

Later, in 1776, a fourth viceroyalty, Río de la Plata was still (today: Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay), was founded.

After independence, the Vice kingdoms from 1810 today's Republic of Colombia initially assumed the name of New Granada until 1819 was part of Greater Colombia. After the dissolution of Great Colombia by the elimination of Venezuela and Ecuador in 1830 Colombia was until 1861 the name of the former Viceroyalty.