Diego de Benavides, 8th Count of Santisteban

Diego de Benavides de La Cueva y Bazán, 8th Count of Santisteban del Puerto and 1st Marquis of Solera (sometimes Diego Benavides y de la Cueva, conde de Santisteban del Puerto) (1607, Santisteban del Puerto, Jaén, Spain—ca. March 19, 1666, Lima, Peru), was a Spanish military officer, diplomat, writer and colonial administrator. From December 31, 1661 to March 16, 1666 he was viceroy of Peru.

Diego de Benavides, Horae succisiuae siue Elucubrationes, title page of the 1664 edition

Diego de Benavides, 8th Count of Santisteban, (1607 - 1666) was the father of the 9th Count of Santisteban del Puerto Francisco de Benavides y Dávila, (1740 - 1716), Viceroy of Sicily, 1678 - 1687, Viceroy of Naples,1687 - 1696

Benavides received a Humanistic education with the Jesuits of the Colegio Imperial de Madrid.^[1]

He was a knight of the Order of Santiago and a gentleman of the king's bedchamber. He fought in Aragon and Portugal. After the 1643 war with Portugal, he was captain general of the Borders. Later he was governor of Galicia. In 1653 he was named viceroy and captain general of Navarre. For his valuable diplomatic services in the negotiation of the 1659 Peace of the Pyrenees and the subsequent marriage of Princess Maria Teresa of Austria with Louis XIV of France, King Philip IV made him marquis de Solera.^[1]

His writings included Epigramas latinos del humanista giennense D. Diego de Benavides y de la Cueva (Latin epigrams) and Horae succisiuae siue Elucubrationes. The latter work was a poetic anthology compiled by his sons Francisco and Manuel de Benavides and published in 1660 (second edition, 1664).^[2]

In 1661 he was named viceroy of Peru. During his administration, he was much concerned about the condition of the Indigenous, particularly their education and labor conditions. To address these concerns he issued the Ordenanza de Obrajes (Ordenance of Manufactures) in 1664.

He faced earthquakes to epidemics, and had to suppress fighting between Spanish miners. San Bartolomé hospital was built during his term of office. He built the first theater in Lima. He died in that city in 1666.

References

1. ^ "Diego de Benavides y de la Cueva, conde de Santisteban del Puerto - MSN Encarta". Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwbN67bd. 

External links

• (Spanish) Short biography
• (Spanish) Short biography (Archived 2009-10-31)
• (Spanish) A few biographical details

Government offices
Preceded by Diego López Pacheco	Viceroy of Navarre 1653-1653	Succeeded by Antonio Álvarez de Toledo
Preceded by Luis Enríquez de Guzmán	Viceroy of Peru 1661-1666	Succeeded by Bernardo de Iturriaza
Spanish nobility
Preceded by Francisco de Benavides	Count of Santisteban 1650-1666	Succeeded by Francisco de Benavides
New title	Marquis of Solera 1659-1666