The chronological successors of the Dukes of Verágua
By Manuel Luciano da Silva, Medical Doctor
July 30 2005

  How did the  Dynasty of the Dukes of Verágua get started?

  Cristóvão Colon or Christopher Columbus before  he died  he published a book called “The Book of Privileges” in which he  collected and described all the contracts he had made with the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Queen Isabella and King Don Fernando, so that his heirs would be informed clearly of their values.

Even before the navigator died, on May 20, 1506, many Spaniards, including the royal monarchs, started to comprehend that the lands discovered by the navigator  in the Americas had enormous dimensions and therefore there was a need to start with tricky legal maneuvers to limit the rights of Columbus ’ heirs in the New World .

After Queen Isabella died in 1504, Cristovão Colon or Columbus lost much in relation with the Royal Court because  King Fernando never like the navigator and begun giving him the cold shoulder.    

This situation continued to get worse with Diogo Colon Moniz, the legitimate son of Cristóvão Colon or Columbus, because the Royal Court started with a serious of litigations which were   called “Pleitos” with the intention of annulling all the Columbus’ heirs rights.   

This unfriendly state of affairs continued until in 1536 (30 years after Columbus ’ death), when an agreement was signed  between Dona Maria de Colon Y Toledo , and Emperor Carlos V of Spain . This lady signed  the document for her eldest son,  Don Luis, because he was metal incapacitated.  With this agreement all the  Columbus’  heirs would give up  all their rights in the New  World and instead would accept  an area of  25 square leagues  of land  which was called  Verágua, localized near by Madrid, Spain.   With this accord the First Duke of Verágua was  considered to be Don Diogo Colon Moniz, born in the island of Porto Santo in the archipelago of Madeira, Portugal,  and legitimate son of Cristóvão Colon and Isabel Moniz.  Let us note that the last name is Moniz because in Spain the name of the mother is always the last one.

Here is the chronological order of all the Dukes of the Verágua.

1. DIEGO COLON Y MONIZ, First   legitimate son of Columbus     (Note the name  Moniz of his Portuguese mother ( 1472- 1526)

2.  DUKE   LUIS COLON DE TOLEDO ( 1522-1572), grandson of  Cristóbal Colon and son of   DON DIEGO COLON
3.  DUCHESS  FELIPA COLON Y MOSQUERA 1549(?)- 1577)
4.  DUKE  NUNO COLON DE PORTUGAL (1568- 1622)
5.  DUKE   ÁLVARO JACINTO COLON DE PORTUGAL Y PORTO CARRENO (? 1636)
6.   DUKE PEDRO NUNO COLON DE PORTUGAL ( 1618- 1673 )
7.   DUKE   PEDRO COLON DE PORTUGAL (1651-1710)
8.  DUKE   PEDRO MANUEL  COLON DE PORTUGAL Y AYALA  (1676- 1733)

 9.   DUCHESS CATALINA VENTURA COLON DE PORTUGAL ( 1690- 1740)
10   DUKE   JACOBO STUART COLON DE PORTUGAL ( 1718- 1785)
11.  DUKE   CARLOS FITZJAMES COLON DE PORTUGAL (1772- 1787)
12.    DUKE  JACOBO FITZJAMES COLON DE TOLEDO ( 1773 -?)

13.  DUQUE    MARIANO COLON DE TOLEDO Y LARREATEGUI ( 1742- 1821 )
14.   DUQUE   PEDRO COLON DE TOLEDO Y RAMJREZ DE BAQUEDANO (1801-1866)

15.  DUQUE   CRISTOBAL COLON DE LA CERDA ( 1837- 1910)

16.  DUQUE    CRISTOBAL COLON Y AGUILERA ( 1878-1936)
17.   DUQUE   RAMON COLON DE CARVAJAL Y AGUILERA ( 1898-1941 )
18. DUQUE      CRISTOBAL COLON DE CARVAJAL Y MAROTO ( 1925- 1986)
19.   DUQUE    CRISTOBAL COLON DE CARVAJAL Y GOROSÁBEl  
              (Nasceu em  1949 e é o actual Duque)

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