WI: the Viceroy of New Spain declared independence during War of Spanish Succession

What if José Sarmiento de Valladares, 1st Duke of Atrisco, a Habsburg supporter refused to give up his control of New Spain, when his Bourbon replacement Juan Ortega y Montañés was sent to be his successor?
 

Flubber

Banned
Hmmm... that is a truly fascinating question.

Atrisco was a bit of a place holder, wasn't he? He hadn't been viceroy for very long when the crisis began and he didn't live long afterwards either, right? ISTR he was married to a descendent of Montezuma.

I guess it depends on how much of a local power base he built between his appointment and his recall. Spain didn't send a replacement out when they told him to come home, he just handed the job over to the man he'd originally replaced and returned home to a fat pension.
 
He may refuse to surrender the province, but he wouldn't dream of declaring independence from Europe; the last riot that burned Mexico City down was less than a generation ago, he's dependent for a great many functions on the Church in Mexico which is in turn dependent on a European monarch (no Viceroy of New Spain would be pleased with the results if Rome got to appoint its archbishop and bishops). He'd declare that New Spain was the property of the House of Habsburg rather than the Crown of Spain (meaning they'll try and rename the place?) and pledge himself to Vienna. And Britain would happily accept that state of affairs, which makes it likely to stick.

The question becomes whether this triggers a cascade among the other three viceroys? Do they declare themselves loyal to the nation of Spain or the monarchs in their person? Again, Britain would be most pleased if two went German and two stayed Spanish....
 
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