Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

JUAN DE ESCOVEDO (d. 1J78)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V09, Page 768 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

JUAN DE See also:

ESCOVEDO (d. 1J78)  , See also:Spanish politician, secretary of See also:Don See also:John of See also:Austria, and chiefly notable as having been the victim of one of the mysteries of the 16th See also:century, began See also:life in the See also:household of Ruy See also:Gomez de See also:Silva, See also:prince of See also:Eboli, the most trusted See also:minister of the See also:early years of the reign of See also:Philip II . By the will of the prince he was endowed for life with the See also:post of Regidor, or legal representative of the See also:king in the See also:municipality of See also:Madrid . He was also associated with See also:Antonio See also:Perez as one of the secretaries who acted as the agents of the king in all dealings with the various governing boards which formed the Spanish See also:administration . When Don John of Austria, after the See also:battle of See also:Lepanto in 1571, began to See also:launch on a policy of self-seeking See also:adventure, See also:Escovedo was appointed as his secretary with the intention that he should See also:act as a check on these follies . Unhappily for himself and for Don John he went See also:heart and soul into all the prince's schemes . He began to disobey orders from Madrid and became entangled in intrigues to See also:manage or even to coerce the king . In See also:July 1577, and contrary to the king's orders, he came to See also:Spain from See also:Flanders, where Don John was then See also:governor . It is said that he discovered the love intrigue between Antonio Perez and the widowed princess of Eboli, See also:Ana See also:Mendoza de la Cerda . This is, however, See also:mere See also:gossip and supposition . There can be no doubt that he was a busy intriguer, or that the king, acting on the then very generally accepted See also:doctrine that the See also:sovereign has a right to act for the public See also:interest without regard to forms of See also:law, gave orders to Antonio Perez that he was to be put out of the way . After two clumsy attempts had been made to See also:poison him at Perez's table, he was killed by bravos on the See also:night of See also:Easter See also:Monday, the 31st of See also:March 1578 . According to an old tradition the See also:murder took See also:place outside the See also:church of St Maria in Madrid, which was pulled down in 1868 .

See Gaspar Muro, La Princesse d'Eboli (See also:

Paris, 1878) ; and W . H . See also:Prescott, Reign of Philip II . (1855–59) .

End of Article: JUAN DE ESCOVEDO (d. 1J78)
[back]
ESCORIAL
[next]
ESCUINTLA

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.