A war of courtesies: ceremonial as a weapon in the conflict between the viceroy Villamanrique and the archbishop Moya de Contreras

Abstract

The Church-Crown relations have typically been conflictive, especially when their jurisdictions were loosely defined. In 1585, the viceroy marquis of Villamanrique arrived in Nueva España, where he faced a conflict of authority with the deputy viceroy and archbishop, Moya de Contreras. The ceremonial turned out to be a subtle but effective weapon, with a significant influence on how severely the viceroy was sentenced when his appointment ended.