Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea marquis de la Ensenada

Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea marquis de la Ensenada (born June 2, 1702, Alesanco, near Logroño, Spain—died December 2, 1781, Medina del Campo) was a Spanish statesman who, as prime minister from 1743 to 1754, pursued a vigorous reform policy that succeeded in advancing internal prosperity and promoting military strength. Ensenada owed his early advancement to the chief minister of King Philip V (reigned 1700–46), José Patiño, who put him in charge of work at...