José Patiño Rosales

José Patiño y Rosales
Copy made in 1828 by Rafael Tegeo, from an original by Jean Ranc (Naval Museum of Madrid).
Secretary of State of Spain
Monarch	Philip V of Spain
Personal details
Born	José Patiño y Rosales (1670-04-11)11 April 1670 Milan, Duchy of Milan
Died	3 November 1736(1736-11-03) (aged 66) Royal Site of San Ildefonso
Parent(s)	Lucas Patiño de Ibarra, 1st Marquis of Castellaro and Count of Belvedére in Italy, and Beatriz de Rosales y Facini.
Occupation	Secretary of State and of the Office for the affairs of War, Navy, Indies and Finance. Of His Majesty's Council of State. Governor of the Treasury and its tribunals. Superintendent General of Royal Revenues.
Awards	Grandee of Spain of the First Class (title) Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece Commander of Alcuesca of the Order of Santiago

José Patiño y Rosales, known in Italy as Giuseppe Patino (11 April 1670, Milan, Duchy of Milan – 3 November 1736, in the palace complex of La Granja de San Ildefonso), was a Spanish statesman, Secretary of State of Spain during the reign of Philip V.

Historical context

When Charles II "the Bewitched", the last of the Habsburgs, died without issue, he was succeeded on the throne by the first Spanish sovereign of the House of Bourbon, Philip V. His consolidation on the throne came only after the War of Succession, in whose outcome the great royal houses of Europe had an interest. In this period, the old "Councils of Spain" lost the considerable influence, jurisdiction and powers they had held during the period of the House of Austria, and the Secretaries of the Office acquired greater authority and initiative. The new dynasty preferred them to the Councils, but always subject to the sovereign will of the King or the Queen. One author would say that this was "in order to be able to handle them more easily and secretly."

Biography

José Patiño's great-grandparents, who were natives of the Kingdom of Galicia, settled in Italy at the end of the 16th century, and there held important military posts. José Patiño was born in Milan on 20 December 1670. He was baptized in the parish of San Esteban de Borgoña in Milan on 27 December 1670; a legalized copy of his baptismal certificate is found in his file of admission to the military order of Alcántara in 1708, which is kept in the National Historical Archive in Madrid. His date of birth has often been erroneously given, in reputable sources, as 11 April 1666, which is the date of birth in Milan of his brother Mateo José Melchor, also baptized in the parish of San Esteban de Borgoña, who died at the age of ten in Milan on 5 July 1676. In the historical fragments of Patiño's life published in Valladares's Semanario erudito, it is said that he was born on 29 December 1667, which practically coincides with the date of birth of his sister Polonia María Josefa, born in Milan on 29 September 1667, baptized in the parish of San Esteban de Borgoña, and who died in Milan at seven months of age on 23 April 1668. His parents were Lucas Patiño de Ibarra, a native of Milan, 1st Lord of Castelar (the Castilianized form of the Italian Castellaro), and as such 1st Lord and Marquis of the ducal fief of Castellaro in Lodi (Milan) by purchase he made from the Royal Chamber on 19 November 1675, swearing fealty as feudatory to King Charles II of Spain, who was the Duke of Milan; Lord and Count of the imperial fief of Belvedere in Asti (Piedmont), of His Majesty's Secret Council in Milan, then belonging to the Spanish Crown, and inspector general of the army, castles and artillery of Milan, Piedmont and Lombardy; and his second wife Beatriz de Rosales y Facini, born in Milan, daughter of the 1st Lords and Counts of Vailate from 1647 and 1st Lords from 1650 and Marquises from 1657 of Castelléone.

Patiño was educated in Milan, entering the Jesuit novitiate to perfect his studies. Moving afterward to one of the houses the Society owned in Rome, he was professor of first-year Grammar at the college of Tivoli in Rome. He did not receive major orders (the priesthood), the reasons being unknown. His departure from the Society of Jesus was explained at the time as follows:

"His elder brother, on the eve of his marriage, had an elegant carriage built in Rome and the wedding trousseau acquired, the Jesuit being placed in charge of everything. With such boldness and exactness did the latter wish to fulfill his family's mandate that he made the first use of the coach and the liveries, parading ostentatiously through the streets of Rome."

In 1707 Philip V granted him a future seat "in the first one to fall vacant" in the Senate of Milan, which he never actually obtained because of the War of Succession. He was a member of His Majesty's council in the Royal Council of the Orders of Spain, and was dubbed knight and Commander of Hornachos in the Order of Alcántara in 1708. He was Captain of Justice of Finale, a post he held until the Spanish garrison evacuated the place and the entire State of Milan.

Notable activities

Politics and State

• In the War of Succession he sided with the House of Bourbon.
• During the war he was appointed Intendant of Extremadura, earning great renown for his administration for having brought under control the disasters produced by the war with Portugal.
• He obtained the surrender of Barcelona in 1714. He was the inspirer of the Nueva Planta Decree for Catalonia of 1716. [1]
• He established the cadastre after the occupation of Catalonia, so that the Principality would contribute to the coffers of the State (by Royal order of Philip V).
• In 1733 he took part in the drafting and signing of the first Family Compact.

Navy

• Once the House of Bourbon was firmly established in Spain, he was appointed by Philip V Intendant General of the Navy (a post equivalent to minister), with the task of promoting and rebuilding the decayed Navy and, in particular, the "Fleet of the Indies", given its notable relationship with commercial activity, and thus revitalizing trade operations with the Spanish overseas provinces. (By Royal order of Philip V)
• In the same Royal decree he was appointed Superintendent of the Kingdom of Seville and President of the Tribunal of Contratación in order to "unify competences", moving almost completely the "administrative seat" of the Casa de Contratación de Indias from Seville, where it had been designated since 1493 (2nd voyage), to Cádiz, which held the "customs-port seat", likewise since 1493 (until 1666). The transfer was directly related to the previous point, but also to the original distribution of the two competences between the two cities, and to the fact that both probably also wished to hold them 'exclusively' since 1493, before the 'official' foundation in 1503 (4th voyage):

Two competences would be necessary: Port-Customs and Administrative Institution of the State:

Assignment of the "port-customs" competence to Cádiz:

"Following the discovery it was believed that Cádiz should be the point of communication and center of operations with America, and for that reason, in the Instruction given to the Admiral for his second voyage, he was told: "Because in Cádiz there must be a Customs house, where everything that is sent or brought is to be loaded and unloaded, and in no other place whatsoever." But since at the same time Columbus had been authorized to choose the city of Andalusia that seemed most convenient to him for organizing the expedition, he chose Seville, and this precedent undoubtedly caused the successive fleets to be prepared there as well, even though, in accordance with what had been ordered, the Customs of Cádiz was created, its oversight being entrusted to the Accountant Juan de Soria.

Assignment of the "administrative" competence to Seville:

"On the single day of 23 May (1493) they signed seventeen ordinances, cédulas and dispatches relating to the expedition (2nd). They then opened a credit for the payment of the couriers of Seville, so active had the correspondence become; they put the supply of victuals and munitions out to public tender; they ordered the authorities of Seville to support the measures taken by the admiral in agreement with Don Juan de Fonseca; they organized the health service of the fleet, appointing as its first surgeon the learned Doctor Chanca, physician of the Infante, and they prohibited going to the Indies with merchandise without the competent authorization."..."Before the admiral left Barcelona, and for the purpose of providing for the arming of the squadron, which was to set sail from Seville, Their Highnesses established in that city an office, which was to be the germ of the powerful administration entitled Royal Council of the Indies."

Add to this the importance that the commerce of Seville already had owing to the privilege granted by Ferdinand the Saint to the Genoese to settle there, owing to the extent of its relations with Africa and to the movement and traffic produced there by the Granada War; bear in mind, moreover, its favorable situation as an inland port, 110 kilometers from the coast, the closest to the central region of Spain, and one will have the explanation of how Seville attained that enormous privilege and a degree of splendor, prosperity and wealth.

In any case, what is certain is that, the Casa de la Contratación having been ordered to be established in the Atarazanas of Seville, it was resolved shortly afterward, in June of the same year 1503, that it should be in the Old Alcázar, and in the following month of November the part of that building called the quarter of the Admirals was handed over to the Officials, where, after minor works, that celebrated establishment was installed.

Vicissitudes of "the Casa de Indias" up to Philip V and Patiño

On establishing the Casa de la Contratación in Seville, says Veitia Linage, no little deliberation took place, and already in 1508 complaints were raised to the King against what was being done in Seville, and he was asked to transfer that institution; but Ferdinand the Catholic refused to grant it, and wrote to the ordinary Justices of the locality that "all were to favor the Casa", for the very reason that, at the request of its Officials, he had not ordered it moved to another place where it might be well situated.

Cádiz had from the beginning the recognized right to dispatch some ships to America, up to a number of tons that was modified several times; for this reason it was ordered that the Judges of Seville designate a person who, in their name, would inspect those ships; it was later ordered that the Judges themselves take turns in that service every four months, and the concession in favor of Cádiz having been extended so that the ships coming from the Indies could unload there, provided that everything was taken to the registry of Seville, the Court of the Indies was instituted in Cádiz (3) in the year 1535. "(Under Charles I of Spain)"

The shipowners intensified their complaints at that time and set forth to the King that "the ships were no longer of one hundred tons, but the smallest of two hundred; they were in danger at the bar of Sanlúcar and could not go up the river without great labor and loss of time to reach the docks of Seville". But that city always fought such claims and all the requests that Cádiz made; so that, in spite of everything, and notwithstanding the concession that had been made shortly before (1664) to the port of Bonanza in Sanlúcar de Barrameda for the fleets to be dispatched there, a cédula "(Charles II of Spain)" of 6 September 1666 ordered the suppression of the Court of the Indies of Cádiz, and that everything, together with the Customs, return to Seville.

In this rivalry the triumph falls to Cádiz, and in 1679 the Judge and the Customs are once again taken there, with the power to dispatch one third of the tonnage of the fleets; the cédula dated 4 July 1680 "(Charles II of Spain)" establishes that henceforth the fleets may be dispatched, both on departure and on arrival, in Cádiz as well as in Seville, and, finally, on 8 May 1717, it was decreed that everything relating to the dispatch of the Fleets should be the responsibility of the Intendant General of the Navy of the Kingdom of Seville, who was D. José Patiño, the Presidency of the Tribunal of the Contratación of the Indies being merged into that post. The jurisdiction of the Casa was considerably reduced by this, and the new President, who immediately made use of his powers, was authorized to transfer the Tribunals and Consulado of the Contratación to Cádiz, leaving in Seville no more than a deputation of the Consulado to deal with the matters that arose there."

• On 6 June 1717 he published Ordinances of the Navy, unifying all the existing forces, the "galleys of the Mediterranean", the "ships of the Ocean" and the "galleons of the Indies".
• He built the Arsenal of La Carraca. (By Royal order of Philip V)
• He created the Companies of Gentlemen Midshipmen.
• He promoted the construction of warships and succeeded in giving Spain a Navy suited to its needs, consisting of 31 ships of the line (10 of 70 guns and the rest of 60), 15 frigates and numerous smaller vessels. (By Royal order of Philip V)

War

• He took part in the campaign of Sardinia and organized the forces that lifted the siege of Ceuta by the Moroccans.
• He organized the forces that took possession of Parma and Tuscany in 1731, and those that conquered Oran and Mers El Kébir in 1732.

Posts and commanderies

José Patiño Rosales, by Esteban Aparicio. 1878. (Museo del Prado, Madrid).

• While Superintendent of Extremadura during the War of Succession (which would officially end on 12 September 1714) he received the following communication:

Royal order communicated to D. José Patiño, who at the time was already superintendent of the province of Extremadura, informing him in advance of the King's new appointment for him to go to the Principality of Catalonia "with the same post", dated 21 March 1713:

"On the occasion of Catalonia being evacuated by the enemy troops, and those of His Majesty having to go and occupy it, and the contributions, apportionments and quarters having to be established in that Principality, the practice of which at the beginning requires a person whose direction is assured of success through the intelligence, experience and conduct that the critical nature of the charge demands, and the King finding the fullness of these qualities in those that concur in Your Lordship, he has resolved that Your Lordship go to exercise that superintendency as soon as the troops have occupied that Principality; and so that Your Lordship may be forewarned and have your journey arranged, His Majesty orders me to give Your Lordship this notice in advance, so that as soon as Don Tomás Moreno Pacheco, whom His Majesty has ordered to take charge of that Superintendency, arrives in Mérida, Your Lordship hand over to him its management and papers and set out immediately on the journey to this Court, where Your Lordship will receive His Majesty's orders in everything you are to carry out." Madrid, 21 March 1713.—Josef de Grimaldo.—Sr. D. Josef Patiño.

• Intendant General (Minister) of the Spanish Royal Navy, Superintendent of the Kingdom of Seville and President of the Tribunal of the Contratación for the promotion of the commerce of the Spanish Indies according to the designs of Philip V.

Royal order with Titles of Intendant General of the Navy of Spain, etc., in favor of D. José Patiño, of 28 January 1717:

"Don Philip, by the grace of God, etc. Having deemed it advisable to restore the Navy of Spain and the commerce of the Indies, as being of such importance to the public good, and to regulate the armadas, fleets and squadrons that best suit the aforesaid ends and my Royal service, as well as the protection of my extensive maritime coasts on the Ocean and the Mediterranean, and that one of the measures to be taken for its achievement be that of creating a minister who, with the name of Intendant General of the Navy, shall promote the execution and fulfillment of those he considers conducive, in conformity with my Royal orders and the successive determinations I may take and that may be directed to him, in everything concerning the construction of vessels, their careening and repair, the provision of victuals, the purchase of stores, the account of consumption, the account and record of the distribution of the funds employed in these ends and in the pay of seamen and soldiers, both of armadas and squadrons and of individual ships; likewise causing an account and register to be kept of the officers of all classes, soldiers and seamen there may be in the towns and coasts of each province, in order to know their number and quality, and how many of each could be gathered when needed for my service, and those employed in the armaments that are made, of those who remain on the ships for their guard and custody when they are disarmed, and of those discharged to go to their homes; and that consequently he watch over the good order and advancement of the works I may order to be established in the places most suitable, both of vessels and of rigging, canvas and all else concerning their construction and armament, in the care of the storehouses and of whatever, of any kind, is embarked on the ships and remains on them, and in providing what is appropriate, in accordance with the form that may be established, so that wherever my Royal armadas, squadrons and individual ships arrive, they may find what is necessary for the course of their navigation, corresponding, consequently, with all the other subordinate ministers employed in different places and ports in dependence on the Navy, who shall give all the reports and information he may request of them for this purpose; the said Minister also having to ensure that the contracts provided to him for the said works of vessels, artillery, cordage, sails, victuals and other things necessary for the supply and provisioning of my said Royal armadas and squadrons are kept with all exactness, whether they are run by administration or by contract, as well as in the fulfillment of those that are made and to the greater interest and benefit of my Royal Treasury, consulting me on everything he may deem advisable to this end and for the advancement of the Navy; for which charges he shall reside in the place most suitable for their execution and for the dispatch and course that so important a department demands, the conservation of the forests and plantations near the coasts hitherto destined for this service, and the planting of trees, so that they may be cut when needed, whether for the construction of vessels or for careening, likewise being his responsibility; in consequence of which he shall at once request and obtain individual information on all those found capable of serving these ends, distinguishing those in my royal forests or those of private individuals, and their distances from the shipyards where I may order the works to be built, with all else that concerns the greatest convenience and benefit in their transport.

And having full satisfaction and confidence in you, Don Josef Patiño, of my Council of the Orders, for the particular services you have rendered in the posts you have held until now, and in your zeal and experience, I have resolved to choose and appoint you as Intendant General of my Navy of Spain, placing in your charge, by virtue of the authority I grant you, the promotion and supervision of all the aforesaid, as belonging to your office and ministry, as well as watching over everything concerning the economy, order and Service of my Navy, in conformity with my Royal orders, which shall be communicated and directed to you through my Secretariat of the Universal Office:

And since at this beginning, when it is necessary to establish the rules and practice of what I may determine and order to be arranged for the aforesaid establishment that I wish to form of my Navy, and which is to be observed in my kingdoms, it is necessary that all attention and care be placed in the port of Cádiz, from which the fleets, galleons and squadrons are to be fitted out and dispatched, as may suit my Royal service, I have resolved that you go to reside and exercise your post in the said city of Cádiz; and that likewise the superintendency of the Kingdom of Seville be in your charge, according to the rules and instructions given to the particular superintendents, of the troops that may be found in it, of the revenues, duties and Royal interests that belong to me on the ships of arriving fleets, or that may belong to me in any other form, adjusting them to the particular or general orders that may be given to you; and that likewise you preside over the Tribunal of the Contratación, which you shall establish in the number and form that may be prescribed to you in the city of Cádiz; and likewise you shall watch over commerce, not only to propose to me what may be of greatest increase to it, but also to banish the abuses that may have been introduced, and to prevent new ones from being introduced to the detriment of the public and of my Royal interests, to which end the Deputies of the Consulado shall likewise go to reside in Cádiz, so that both it and the Tribunal of the Contratación may attend more easily and promptly to the measures of those who, arriving at Cádiz, must pursue their affairs before their court.

For all of which I give you all the power and authority appropriate for the execution of all the aforesaid, and that of being able to appoint subdelegates, approved by me, who, under your orders, shall execute and cause to be executed everything concerning these charges in the places and matters you may judge most fitting; assigning you a salary of twelve thousand escudos de vellón a year for the dignity of your post and rank. For which I order this your title to be dispatched, signed by my Royal hand, sealed with my secret seal, and countersigned by my undersigned Secretary of the Universal Office of War," in Madrid, 28 January 1717.—I the King.—Don Miguel Fernández Durán.

Death

He fell ill at San Ildefonso and died at that Royal Site on 3 November 1736. A few days before his death, the King sent to his bedside the grace of Grandee of Spain of the First Class, and the chronicles of Valladares say that as soon as he was informed of the Royal concession, he exclaimed:

"Oh! The King gives me a hat when I no longer have a head!"

Despite his posts, he died without any increase in his wealth, leaving his brother's children only the title of Grandee of Spain. The King paid for his burial and ordered "ten thousand masses" to be said in his honor. He was buried in the Jesuit Novitiate on Calle de San Bernardo in Madrid, in the chapel of Santa Ana of the church of El Salvador, and he was given the funeral of an Infante of Spain.

Martín Fernández de Navarrete wrote:

"Patiño economized the Royal Treasury and freed the towns from the extraordinary tributes that the urgencies that arose had previously demanded; the Royal household was paid; the army, provisioned; the revenues of the Crown were put in order; and the Public Treasury acquired the reputation that, as Richelieu said, is its principal wealth."

Inventory of ships of the fleet of the Spanish Royal Navy in 1737

This is an approximation of the state of the Royal Navy that José Patiño left formed at his death at the end of 1736, which he had been in charge of as Minister of the Navy since 28 January 1717.

Type of ship	Name of the vessel
Ships of the line	El Real; Santa Isabel; San Felipe; Santa Ana; La Reina; El Príncipe; La Princesa; El León; Lanfranco; Andalucía; Hércules; Real Familia; Guipúzcoa; Constante; África; Europa; Asia; Nueva España; San Isidro; La Galicia; Santa Teresa; Santiago; San Carlos; San Esteban; Hermiona (2nd); Xavier; Galga; Paloma; San Luis; San Antonio; América; La Esperanza and San Fernando
Frigates	Fama; La Victoria; San Francisco; La Atocha; El Águila; El Retiro and San Juan
Packet boats	Marte; Júpiter; San Diego; El Rosario; Triunfo and San Cayetano
Bomb vessels	Vulcano; Storop; Brontes and Piracmon
Galiots	San Felipe and San Luis
Galleons	Conquistador and El Fuerte
Azogues (mercury ships)	San Fernando and El Incendio
Sloops	La Sirena and La Juno
Pink	La Concepción

See: List of ships of the line of the Spanish Navy

Relatives and heirs

The Patiño family:

• His great-grandfather, Luis Patiño, fought as a mounted arquebusier in Flanders, distinguishing himself in the battles of Villebruque and Indouen; he fought in the great siege of Malta in 1565 and in the battle of Lepanto in 1571; he was Lieutenant of the light cavalry regiment of Don Juan Vélez in the castle of Lodi (Milan), sergeant major of Alessandria della Paglia (Lombardy), and interim castellan of the castle of Lodi.
• His elder brother, Baltasar Patiño y Rosales, 1st Marquis of Castelar, Count of Belvedére, fought at Luzzara, Guastalla and Mantua during the War of Succession; he was intendant general of the Army of Spain, twice secretary of the universal office of War, and ambassador of Spain in Venice and at the Court of France.
• His brother, Diego Patino, Canon of the cathedral of Milan.
• His brother, Félix Patiño y Rosales, fought in the French army sent by Louis XIV to contain the invasion of the pretender Archduke Charles and died heroically in the battle of Zaragoza in 1707.
• His nephew, Lucas Patiño Attendolo Bolognini y Visconti, 2nd Marquis of Castelar, Grandee of Spain of the First Class, Count of Belvedére and Lieutenant General of the Royal Armies, famous for his celebrated retreat from Parma, in the "masterly war" of 1746 against the Germans and Savoyards.
• His great-grandnephew, Ramón Fernando Patiño y Mariño de Lobera, 3rd Marquis of Castelar, Grandee of Spain of the First Class, 4th Marquis of la Sierra and 7th of Villafiel, 8th Count of Guaro and 7th of el Arco, Viscount of Albeos, Count of Belvedére and Marquis of Bianzè, Lieutenant General of the Royal Armies, commanded the Mutiny of Aranjuez in 1808 to overthrow Godoy and personally guarded the prisoner in Aranjuez, Pinto and Villaviciosa de Odón; he was elected interim Regent of the Kingdom during the War of Independence in the secret session of the Cortes of Cádiz of 29 October 1810.
• Finally, the relatives of the same Patiño branch who remained in A Coruña, their ancient cradle, and those who were in Castile, Biscay and Italy, through the branches of Ibarra, Rosales and Facini.

References

• (in English) José Patino in the Classic Encyclopedia, based on the 1911 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica