The Duchy of Veragua (es|Ducado de Veragua) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. It was also a Spanish hereditary domain created in 1537 in the reign of King Charles I in a small section of the territory of Veragua (Gobernaci贸n de Veragua, which had been created in 1502 and extended along the Caribbean coasts of present-day Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama as far to the east as the R铆o Bel茅n). This new lordship was granted by the Crown to Don Luis Col贸n y Toledo, grandson of the discoverer Christopher Columbus, along with the title of Duke of Veragua and Marquess of Jamaica. These are the only Spanish noble titles that did not originate from a royal concession but rather from a definitive settlement after a fierce legal dispute with the Crown. The case was arbitrated by Don Fray Garc铆a de Loayza, Cardinal of Santa Susana, Bishop of Sig眉enza, and confessor to the King.[1]
The Dukedom was a perfect square of twenty-five leagues on a side, extending towards the west from the mouth of the R铆o Bel茅n in the Caribbean, in what is today Panamanian territory. As Panama is less than twenty-five leagues in width at this point, the Duchy extended into the Pacific. By this circumstance, the area of the previous territorial division, Castilla de Oro, was split into two separated parts. The western part, from the Gulf of Nicoya to the border of the duchy, was united with Veragua Real (Royal Veragua) in 1540 to create the province of Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica.
The first Duke of Veragua sent out various expeditions to try to enforce his authority throughout the territory, but they all resulted in disasters due to the resistance of the Indigenous peoples in their homeland and the difficulties of the topography and climate. In one of these expeditions the brother of the Duke, Francisco Col贸n, died at the hands of the natives.
In 1556 the Duke decided to return the domain to the Crown in exchange for an increased annual rent of 17,000 ducats (which was paid to his heirs up to 1898) and the retention of the title (which is still used in Spain). The current Duke of Veragua bears the same name as his ancestor, Crist贸bal Col贸n.
In 1560, King Philip II created the Province of Veragua from the territory of the duchy, which was placed under the jurisdiction of the Royal Audiencia of Panama. This province corresponds approximately to the present-day Panamanian Veraguas Province.
| From | To | Duke of Veragua | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1537 | 1572 | Luis Col贸n de Toledo, 1st Duke of Veragua | |
| 1572 | 1577 | Felipa Col贸n de Toledo, 2nd Duchess of Veragua | |
| 1577 | 1583 | Crist贸bal Col贸n de Cardona, 3rd Duke of Veragua | |
| 1583 | 1626 | Nu帽o 脕lvares Pereira Col贸n, 4th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1626 | 1636 | 脕lvaro Col贸n, 5th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1636 | 1673 | Pedro Nu帽o Col贸n de Portugal, 6th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1673 | 1710 | Pedro Manuel Col贸n de Portugal, 7th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1710 | 1733 | Pedro Manuel Nu帽o Col贸n de Portugal, 8th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1733 | 1739 | Catalina Ventura Col贸n de Portugal, 9th Duchess of Veragua | |
| 1739 | 1785 | James Fitz-James Stuart, 10th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1785 | 1787 | Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 11th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1787 | 1821 | Mariano Col贸n de Larre谩tegui y Xim茅nez de Emb煤n, 12th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1821 | 1866 | Pedro Col贸n y Ramirez de Baquedano, 13th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1866 | 1910 | Cristobal Col贸n y de La Cerda, 14th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1910 | 1936 | ||
| 1936 | 1941 | Ramon Col贸n de Carvajal, 16th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1941 | 1986 | Crist贸bal Col贸n de Carvajal, 17th Duke of Veragua | |
| 1986 | Present | Crist贸bal Col贸n de Carvajal, 18th Duke of Veragua |
This article is a free translation of the article Ducado de Veragua at the Spanish Wikipedia.
