Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 8th Duke of Alburquerque
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Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva 8th Duke of Alburquerque Caballero de Santiago |
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| Viceroy of Sicily | |
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In office 1668–1670 |
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| Monarch | Philip IV |
| Preceded by | Francesco Caetani |
| Succeeded by | Claude Lamoral, Prince of Ligne |
| Viceroy of New Spain | |
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In office August 15, 1653 – September 15, 1660 |
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| Monarch | Philip IV |
| Preceded by | Luis Enríquez de Guzmán, conde de Alba de Liste |
| Succeeded by | Juan de Leyva de la Cerda, conde de Baños |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c.1619 Barcelona, Spain |
| Died | March 27, 1676 (aged 56–57) Madrid, Spain |
| Spouse(s) | Juana de Armendáriz |
| Religion | Catholic |
Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva y Enriquez de Cabrera, 8th Duke of Alburquerque, Marquis of Cuéllar, Count of Ledesma and of Huelma, Grandee of Spain (1619 – March 27, 1676) was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from August 15, 1653 to September 15, 1660. He was also viceroy of Sicily from 1668 to 1670.
Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva was born at Barcelona into one of the most aristocratic families of Spain, as the eldest viable adult male from the third marriage of his father, the 7th duke, (1575–1637). His father was "one of the toughest, most rigorous, and successful of the viceroys of Catalonia...and had specialized in hte [sic] suppression of disorder." Don Francisco's first marriage to Doña Antonia, a powerful "de Toledo-Beaumont" family woman, was childless. Further, the only offspring of the duke's marriage with Ana María de Padilla, his second wife, deceased before 1614, also from a powerful family, Beltran, died at age 16 before 1617. In his 3rd marriage, the heirless duke, married to a woman surnamed Enríquez de Cabrera y Colonna, who produced 10 children; his wife survived him some 21 years.
Francisco, the eldest male, entered military service when very young. He served in the cavalry in Flanders. Later, as general of cavalry, he fought in the defense of Tortosa and in the siege of Barcelona in 1650. One feature of his career would be also his Ambassadorial activities in the Germanic countries.
He made his formal entry into Mexico City to take up the reins of government on August 15, 1653. He was accompanied by his wife, Juana de Armendáriz, the daughter of Lope Díez de Armendáriz, a previous viceroy of New Spain.
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