Editing Nicolas de Ovando

{{Villain Infobox
|Image = Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres.jpg
|fullname = Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres
|alias = Nicolas Ovando
|origin = Brozas, Extremadura, Spain
|occupation = Governor of the Indies
|goals = "Pacify" the South American natives <small>(succeeded)</small>
|crimes = [[Mass murder]]<br>[[Slavery]]
|type of villain = Oppressive Governor}}
'''Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres''', mostly known as ''Nicolas de Ovando'' (1460 - 1511), was a Spanish soldier and Governor of the Indies from 1502 until 1509. He was responsible for the brutal oppression of the native Taíno people, who were murdered ''en masse'' under his administration.
==Biography==
Ovando was born in the Spanish province of Extremadura in 1460. As a Commander of the military Order of Alcántara, he became a favourite of the so-called "Catholic Monarchs" ([[Isabella I of Castile]] and [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]]), and so was dispatched to the "New World" of South America to replace former governor Francisco de Bobadilla. Ovando thus set sail on February 13, 1502, with a fleet of thirty ships carrying a total of 2,500 colonists, the largest fleet to set sail for the New World.<ref name=Britannica>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolas-de-Ovando Nicolás de Ovando, Spanish military leader], ''Britannica''</ref> [[Hernán Cortés]] was initially supposed to be part of this expedition, but injured himself escaping from the bedroom of a married woman he was sleeping with and did not come.<ref>[https://alexashtonlife.com/2017/10/07/hernan-cortes-sexual-appetite-affected-history/ How Hernán Cortés’ Sexual Appetite Affected the Course of History], ''Alex Ashton''</ref> As Cortés was a distant relative of Ovando, Ovando still rewarded him with a land grant and made him a notary.<ref>[https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/hernan-cortes-0015327 Hernan Cortes: The Conquistador Who Beat the Aztecs], ''Ancient Origins''</ref>

Ovando reached the New World in April 1502, at which point he assumed the position of Governor. One of his first actions as governor was to order the importation of the first Spanish-speaking black slaves into the New World, who he allowed nobles to use as servants in their homes. African slaves were not the only group of people he oppressed; the indigenous peoples of Hispaniola were violently suppressed by Ovando's government. One particularly heinous atrocity was the [[Jaragua Massacre]], which occurred during a celebration in the village of Guarva in 1503. Men sent by Ovando, supposedly on a goodwill visit, suddenly turned on the natives present and slaughtered them, including the children.<ref>Bartoleme de las Casas, ''History of the Indies'', 1561</ref>

In 1503, a group of native Taíno rebelled against Ovando's oppressive government and attacked a garrison in Higüey, killing eight soldiers. Ovando responded by sending a 300-strong force led by [[Juan Ponce de León]] to subdue the revolution, leading to the outright massacre of the Taíno people in the area and the killing of their leader.<ref>[https://www.grunge.com/239468/ponce-de-leons-tragic-story/ The Troubled History of Ponce de Leon], ''Grunge''</ref> Suspecting further rebellions, in 1504 Ovando lured the Haitian monarch Anacaona to a feast before accusing her of treason and having her executed.<ref name=Today>[https://www.historytoday.com/archive/head-head/caribbean-history-key-understanding-modern-world Is Caribbean History the Key to Understanding the Modern World?], ''History Today''</ref> This was followed by the extermination of most of her subjects, the Xaraguans, in a brutal war.<ref name=Today/> Ovando also established a labour system known as ''encomienda'', which allowed the Spanish settlers to use the natives as slave labour in the gold mines<ref name=Britannica/>and led to many of them being worked to death.<ref>[https://www.worldhistory.org/Encomienda/ Encomienda], World History Encyclopedia</ref> Ovando's mistreatment of the natives was so extreme that the population of natives in Hispaniola dropped from 500 000 to 60 000 during his tenure as governor.<ref>Bartoleme de las Casas, ''History of the Indies'', 1561</ref> He also developed the mining industry, introduced the cultivation of sugar cane with plants imported from the Canary Islands, and commissioned expeditions of discovery and conquest throughout the Caribbean.

In 1509, King Ferdinand responded to Ovando's crimes against the natives by stripping him of his position and recalling him to Spain,<ref name=Britannica/> although he was allowed to retain all property he brought back from the Americas. Ovando died on May 29, 1511 in Madrid.

==References==
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[[Category:List]]
[[Category:Male]]
[[Category:Early Modern Villains]]
[[Category:Mass Murderers]]
[[Category:Oppressors]]
[[Category:Lawful Evil]]
[[Category:Slaver]]
[[Category:European Villains]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Corrupt Officials]]
[[Category:Spain]]
[[Category:Xenophobes]]
[[Category:Imperialists]]
[[Category:Karma Houdini]]
[[Category:Deceased]]
[[Category:Medieval Villains]]