Francisco Antonio de Agurto, 1st Marquess of Gastañaga

Francisco Antonio de Agurto y Salcedo Medrano Zúñiga, 1st Marquess of Gastañaga (1640 – 2 November 1702) was a Spanish nobleman, Knight of the Order of Alcantara, of His Majesty's Supreme War Council, General Field Marshal of the Netherlands, Governor and Captain General of the Spanish Netherlands and Viceroy of Catalonia, of Basque origin. Francisco Antonio was the son of Don Antonio de Agurto y Alava and Catalina de Salcedo y Medrano, daughter of Iñigo López de Salcedo Camargo and María Melchora de Medrano Zúñiga y Vallejo.

He was born in Vitoria. He became the I Marquess de Gastañaga and was Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1685 and 1692. He led the Spanish troops in the Battle of Fleurus (1690) and unsuccessfully defended Mons against the French.

Francisco Antonio de Agurto Salcedo Medrano Zúñiga was the son of Antonio de Agurto y Alava, the lord of the House of Agurto and its majorats, a Knight of the Order of Alcántara, and the General Visitor of the same Order in the Kingdom of Navarre and the provinces of Alava and Gipuzkoa, lordship of Vizcaya. His ancestor, Pedro de Agurto y Gaztañaga, sought recognition of nobility and gentry to go to the Indies from Biscay around 1595. The family held titles since the 15th century and owned lands and lordships in the municipality of Llanes, belonging to the Principality of Asturias.

His father served as a royal page to King Philip III of Spain. In 1638, his father participated in the Battle of Fuenterrabia. Holding significant governmental roles in the City of Vitoria, he was also a member of the Brotherhood of San Sebastian and San Julian. His father was born in Vitoria, baptized on July 17, 1610, at the Parish of San Ildefonso, with his godparents being Don Pedro Lopez de Arrieta and Doña Geronima de Aguirre. His father Antonio de Agurto y Alava passed away on October 8, 1680, in Vitoria, and he was interred in the Chapel of San Lorenzo at the Parish of San Vicente.

Francisco Antonio de Agurto y Salcedo Medrano y Zúñiga was the son of Doña Catalina de Salcedo Medrano y Zúñiga, born in the Medrano castle of San Gregorio, Soria. Catalina was baptized on November 14, 1609, at the Parish of San Nicolas in Soria, and died on November 30, 1689, in Vitoria. She was laid to rest in the Chapel of San Lorenzo alongside her husband Antonio de Agurto y Alava. Catalina is the half sister of Luis Salcedo y Arbizu, I Count of Gomara.

His mother Doña Catalina de Salcedo Medrano y Zúñiga was the daughter of Don Iñigo Lopez de Salcedo y Camargo, a Knight of the Order of Calatrava (1634), and Doña Maria Melchora de Medrano Zuniga y Vallejo. Her mother was unable to inherit the majorat of the noble Medrano family (the ancestral house and castle of San Gregorio). Maria de Medrano Zúñiga y Vallejo, Catalina's mother, was the only daughter of Don Diego Lopez de Medrano y Zúñiga, the Lord of the ancestral House of San Gregorio with spiritual and temporal domain, and Doña Maria Melchora Vallejo y Aguirre.

The ownership of the ancestral House of San Gregorio passed to Catalina’s uncle, Don Garcia de Medrano, rector of San Bartolome in Salamanca, Knight of the Order of Santiago, and Oidor of the Council of Castilla.

Francisco Antonio succeeded his brother Juan Miguel in the majorat of his house, due to the latter's death without legitimate offspring. Don Francisco Antonio began as a page to the Count of Monterrey; in 1658, he served in the army of Catalonia in an Alava company, and the following year, he went to serve in Milan in the company of the Marquis of Jodar. Shortly thereafter (1661), he moved to Madrid to resolve some personal matters.

In 1662, he was appointed a knight of the Order of Alcantara by His Majesty. In 1668, he was appointed Field Marshal in Flanders with the Tercio of Infantry. On August 11, 1674, while attending the Count of Monterrey, he fought in the Battle of Seneffe, commanding the cavalry and achieving a great victory. In 1682, he was appointed General Field Marshal of Flanders and in the same year, he hosted Mary II of England, Princess of Orange during her visit to Brussels.

On June 20, 1685, at dawn, the Marquess of Granada, who held the positions of Governor and Captain General of the Netherlands, passed away. Gastañaga received the Order of Carlos II on September 26, 1683, but did not assume it until the death of the Marquess of Granada, whom he replaced in June 1685. At sunrise, the royal decree was opened in the chapel of the Royal House of Marimont, in the presence of all the generals and ministers. A royal proclamation was made, in the form of a patent, appointing Don Francisco Antonio de Agurto, 1st Marquess of Gastañaga as Governor and Captain General of the Netherlands, with all the clauses, prerogatives, and authority enjoyed by his predecessor, in recognition of his great merits, distinguished services, complete satisfaction, and the trust that His Majesty had in him. The Council of Castile recommended to His Majesty to urgently grant a title to Francisco de Agurto, considering that until that moment, all the Governors of the Netherlands had held a title of Castile. Immediately, on January 23, 1686, the King granted him the title of Marquess of Gastañaga, with the previous viziership of the same name. He was appointed Captain General and Governor of the States of Flanders in June 1685, a position he held until 1692.

The Marquess Francisco Antonio de Agurto Salcedo Medrano Zuñiga took command of the Army of Flanders during his time in Government over the Habsburg Netherlands. In 1688, Gastañaga's Army of Flanders numbered 25,539 officers and men, and by 1689 the total strength of his army increased to 31,743 men. This was the peak strength of the Army of Flanders in the Nine Years War.^[1]

He had previously held various military positions leading the armies in Flanders. In reality, he was the last Spanish person to hold this position, as the Marquis of Bedmar only served as interim governor between 1702 and 1704. He used the initial moments of his administration to visit Brabant and Flanders and focused on strengthening fortifications and reviewing pending legal matters within the country.^[1]

The Ratisbon Convention (1684) had signed a truce between Spain and France, but the French armies' incursion into the Palatinate in 1688 suggested that this truce would be broken. Gastañaga was alerted to an imminent French offensive and attempted to arrange military collaboration with the Prince of Waldeck, commander-in-chief of the troops in the United Provinces.

In 1689, the sole-director of the first Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels, Don Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano, accompanied Don Francisco, being Master of Camp General, on the journey and visit, as Sebastian himself wrote, "to see some of Germany's places, which were Cologne, Bonn, Kolbenz and Trier," where they met the Elector of Trier, Johann Hugo von Orsbeck.^[2]

Don Francisco led the Spanish troops in the Battle of Fleurus (1690), fought on 1 July 1690 near the town of Fleurus in modern Belgium. This was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War. In 1690, the main theatre of the Nine Years' War moved from the Rhineland to the Spanish Netherlands. Fleurus was one of the bloodiest battles of the age, with enormous losses on both sides, according to Austrian historian Gaston Bodart. In a bold envelopment, Marshal Luxembourg, commanding a French army, inflicted a severe defeat on an Allied force led by Prince Waldeck. Waldeck eventually retired on Brussels, where his injured troops were replaced with men from fortress garrisons. 15,000 Spanish troops under the Marquis of Gastañaga joined the main Allied army, numbering at 70,000 men.^[1]

In February 1691, Gastañaga set off for The Hague, where he met with the electors of Bavaria and Brandenburg, the landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, and various allied army commanders, in the presence of King William III of England, to agree on joint actions against the French offensive. However, France attacked Dutch troops in Namur, and the loss of this stronghold, considered one of the most important in the Netherlands, turned public opinion against Gastañaga in both Spain and the Dutch Republic. He was accused of not taking the necessary measures for defense while assuring William III that there was no danger, misleading him about the number of troops that made up the garrison.

Perhaps disillusioned by the difficult situation in the southern provinces, the Marquis soon recognized, during the War of the Grand Alliance (1688-1697), that the Spanish Netherlands had become a bastion for Germany, Italy, and the Dutch Republic against the armies of Louis XIV. Spain was thus to play a negligible role in its defense. This sentiment was almost a prophecy about the fate of the southern Dutch provinces in the subsequent years during the War of the Spanish Succession (1699-1714).^[1]

The Marquess of Gastañaga unsuccessfully defended Mons against the French. The loss of the city of Mons had assured the Prince of Orange that it was impregnable, but he only managed to hold it for two days, losing it on March 26, 1692. This event and other military misfortunes led the Marquess of Gastañaga to be removed these positions by Elector Maximilian Emmanuel in December 1691, who arrived on 26 March 1692, and the Marquess, handing over his powers to his successor, embarked as a prisoner in Ostend. Upon his arrival in Spain, he was interned in Burgos Castle, where he would be judged by a council of three advisors representing the Councils of State, Castile, and War. In 1693, after his recall, the court martial exonerated him of all blame for losing Mons.^[3] In Madrid, a committee composed of a State Councilor, a Councilor of Castile, and a Councilor of War absolved him of any responsibility regarding the issue of Flanders.^[1]

On 1 March 1687, Don Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano, the sole-director of the first Modern Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels in Europe (Brussels, 1675-1706) dedicated his academic book: "El ingeniero: primera parte, de la moderna architectura militar (1687)" to the 1st Marquess of Gastañaga, whom he chose as the patron and protector of his Royal Military and Mathematics Academy:^[4]

"To the Most Excellent Lord Marquis of Gastanaga (D. Francisco de Agurto Salcedo Medrano Zúñiga), Knight of the Military Order of Alcantara, Governor and Captain General of the Low Countries. Most Excellent Lord, It is quite an adventure, Most Excellent Lord, for one to change while in a good position, something that many have experienced (even entire republics). Once, I chose Your Excellency as my patron and protector of this academy, and I have often celebrated my good choice in finding and still finding you so accommodating that I will never dare to risk such high favor. My humble works testify to it, as after the practical artilleryman and geography, this third one seeks the same sacredness as the others, confident that I will find in Your Excellency's benevolence the welcome that Flavius Josephus' writings received from Emperor Titus, and not the disdain shown by Antigonus, King of Macedonia, to a philosopher for dedicating a book of justice to him (at a time when he was deposing kings and sovereigns). Even though Your Excellency emulates the generous deeds of this prince in everything else, in this matter, as the aforementioned Emperor did, you surpass him, for when this volume deals with justice, it would find no greater support anywhere else than in Your Excellency, always striving for its preservation. And since human malice does not allow for its preservation without the power of arms, and the force of arms obliges (those who wish to live securely while preserving it) to close and fortify their defenses, there would be no reason, Most Excellent Lord, for this treatise on Modern Fortification to seek any other shade than that of Your Excellency, who, being so well-versed in its theory and experienced in its practice, can accurately judge the errors it may contain (which, being my work, it might have). So that, corrected by your great talent, it may travel to the farthest corners without the fear of falling into the hands of a fearful censor, a privilege that my previous books have obtained and still obtain, bearing the superscription of Your Excellency, who, if not constrained, offends your modesty by hearing recitations of the heroic deeds you have performed in the worthy positions you have held. Here, my pen would have plenty of space to expand upon the glories that Your Excellency has achieved, from the position of Captain of Spanish Infantry to that of most deserving Governor of these states, which you possess today with such general applause. Likewise, it would sing praises and accolades to the ancient and noble lineage of Your Excellency's ancestors, although many more classical and authoritative chroniclers than I have already done so. I have no other authority but that which I derive from being Your Excellency's devoted servant. May our Lord protect Your Excellency's most excellent person for many years, which I desire, need, and the monarchy requires. Brussels, 1st of March 1687".

– Don Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano^[4]

During his time as Governor and Captain General of the Habsburg Netherlands, Don Francisco Antonio de Agurto Salcedo Medrano became the patron and protector of the first modern Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels, directed by Sebastian Fernández de Medrano (Mora, 1646 - Brussels, February 18, 1705).^[5]

In 1689, a military treatise and rules were published in Madrid, written by the Most Excellent Don Francisco Antonio de Agurto Salcedo Medrano, Marquis of Gastañaga, Governor and Captain General of Flanders, addressed to the Most Excellent Don Nicolas Fernandez de Cordova Ponce de Leon, Marquis of La Granja, General Commissioner of Infantry and Cavalry of Spain.^[6]

Gastañaga was 55 when he took command in Catalonia, serving as Viceroy from 1694 to 1696. On October 28, 1694, he was appointed Viceroy of Catalonia, which caused great scandal at the Court, as they had not forgotten his disastrous performance in Mons. He remained in this position until May 10, 1695, when he was removed from office due to his conflicts with the archduke and his policy of approaching peasant armies. In 1701, he was appointed colonel of the newly created cavalry corps. As Viceroy of Catalonia, he was confronted with a French invasion during the War of the Grand Alliance.

He began a new royal chapel of Saint Joseph in Waterloo in 1687 an attempt to curry favour with the court, but was recalled to Madrid for his failure to hold Mons. The marquis decided that building a new chapel on the site dedicated to Saint Joseph (a spiritual model to Agurto's sovereign Charles II) would be a good way of remedying the sickly Charles's continuing and desperate sterility (despite his two marriages he had produced no heir). The ceremony of laying the first stone took place on 26 June 1687, in the presence of the Archbishop of Mechelen.

A Latin inscription, still visible on the pediment of the ‘Pronaos’ (porch) refers to this occasion:

"To our great and good God, and dedicated to Saints Joseph and Anne, for the succession desired by the Catholic Lords to Charles II, King of Spain and the Indies and Prince of Belgium, Francisco Antonio de Agurto Marquess of Gastañaga offers this chapel and lays its foundation stone with a prayer for all eternity". - Francisco Antonio de Agurto, Marquess of Gastañaga

This church has been erected as a rotunda according to a model not much used in Belgium. The dome was built in 1690. The other parts of the church were rebuilt in 1855. At the frontispiece an inscription recalls in memory that the first stone of edifice was laid in 1690 by the Marquis of Gastañaga, Governor of the Netherlands.

In the inside of the dome, numerous commemorative plates indicate the names of officers of the allied armies who were killed during the Mount-St-Jean’s battle of Waterloo on June 18th 1815.^[7] The Chapel Royal was restored in 1844, and again in 1968. It is topped by a cupola the four lobes of which are in the form of leaves. Light enters through six oculi and a cylindrical lantern housing eight. The Royal Chapel (1690) has an interesting Moorish Baroque dome. The pulpit of truth, probbaly made by Antwerpian Van Hoof was carved in solid oak in the Baroque style, the pulpit comes from the Cistercian abbey of Aywiers. The four main panels represent the Sermon on the Mount, the miraculous draught of fishes, the Samaritan woman and Jesus welcoming the children. Below the main body of the pulpit we see Jesus with Martha and Mary.

He died unmarried and without offspring in Zaragoza on November 1, 1702, while traveling to Madrid to assume the position of Chief of the Royal Guard, a corps created by King Philip V to protect his Royal Person and the Royal Family. Shortly after his death, his executor Bernardo de Santa Maria de Salazar stated that Gastañaga was heavily in debt both in Spain and Flanders. On the other hand, the kingdom owed him salaries from his time as Governor, a debt that, as a special favor to him, was recognized by Felipe V, who ordered the outstanding amount to be paid. All his assets in Flanders were sold, but even so, the debt could not be fully settled. After his death, the title of Marquess of Gastañaga went to his brother, Iñigo Eugenio de Agurto y Salcedo Medrano y Zuñiga (1648–1715), Captain General of the Audiencia of Guadalajara in Mexico and Captain General of the Audiencia of Guatemala.

• The Agurto family tree at the Wayback Machine (archived April 12, 2006)