At the Far Reaches of Empire: The Life of Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra - Softcover

Tovell, Freeman M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0774813679 ISBN 13: 9780774813679

Publisher: UBC Press, 2009

Synopsis

Capitán de Navío Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra was the most important Spanish naval officer on the Northwest Coast in the eighteenth century. Serving from 1774 to 1794, he participated in the search for the Northwest Passage and, with George Vancouver, endeavoured to forge a diplomatic resolution to the Nootka Sound controversy between Spain and Britain.

Freeman Tovell's thorough and nuanced study presents this officer of Spain's Enlightened Navy as a key figure in the history of the region. Intelligent, observant, and literate, Bodega received high praise from the viceroys of New Spain under whom he served. His enlightened policy toward the Nuu-chah-nulth and his close association with Chief Maquinna are a matter of record.

Bodega was not without his imperfections -- when his overarching ambition to make a name for himself exceeded his financial reach, he incurred ruinous debts. As a Peruvian creole, he also struggled against the glass ceiling imposed by having been born outside Spain. Despite constant efforts for promotions, he never gained the full recognition from naval and political superiors that his achievements deserved.

Bodega's accomplishments place him in the company of Bering, Cook, Vancouver, La Pérouse, and Malaspina -- those who advanced a better understanding of the geography, ethnography, and natural history of the area. The most complete study of Bodega and his epoch yet written, At the Far Reaches of Empire is an absorbing narrative of eighteenth-century empire building.

About this title

About the Author

Freeman M. Tovell holds degrees in history from the University of Toronto and Harvard, and served in the Canadian Navy during World War II. He subsequently spent thirty-five years in the Canadian Foreign Service, including ambassadorships to Peru and Bolivia. He was for some years Foreign Service Visitor at the University of Victoria and has published numerous articles on Bodega y Quadra.

Edition details

• Publisher: UBC Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0774813679
• ISBN 13: 9780774813679
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 496