Temperamental new governor arrives in San Antonio

On this day in 1736, Carlos Benites Franquis de Lugo arrived in San Antonio to begin his controversial tenure as ad interim governor of Spanish Texas. Having "a stormy, petulant, and precipitous temper," Franquis refused to show his credentials, insulted both civil and religious authorities, and lost the respect of the missionaries at San Antonio and Los Adaes. In little more than a year as governor, he came near to ruining the province of Texas. He placed his predecessor, Manuel de Sandoval, under arrest, seized his papers, and brought criminal charges against him. In the ensuing investigation, Franquis himself was arrested, removed from office, and retired to San Juan Bautista, where he ran afoul of Fray Miguel Sevillano de Paredes and deserted. He went to Mexico City to plead his case before the viceroy. José Fernández de Jáuregui y Urrutia, the governor of Nuevo León, appointed Prudencio de Orobio y Basterra to succeed Franquis as governor of Texas. After Franquis's trial, which lasted for several years, he served in Veracruz and then in Spain. The date and place of his death are unknown.