Juan Pedro Coronado Wittemberg (1761–1832), a captain in the Spanish Royal Navy, took part in some of the principal naval campaigns of his time, from the expeditions against Algiers and the blockade of Gibraltar to the Battle of Cape Finisterre. Yet the political upheavals of the early nineteenth century turned his distinguished career into a prolonged struggle to defend his honour and reputation.
Juan Pedro Coronado Wittemberg: a sailor caught between naval glory and the political turmoil of nineteenth-century Spain
The history of the Wittembergs in Spain was not confined to commerce, landed property or relations with the nobility and the administration of the Monarchy. Over several generations, some members of the family succeeded in entering key institutions of the State, including the Church, the Army and the Navy.
One of the most distinguished figures in this history was Juan Pedro Coronado Wittemberg (1761–1832), an officer of the Royal Navy who attained the rank of captain and took part in some of the most important naval operations of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
His biography provides an extraordinary account of the development of the Spanish Navy during the reigns of Charles III and Charles IV, as well as of the profound political changes Spain underwent during the Napoleonic invasion and the reign of Ferdinand VII.
Throughout his career he sailed in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and American waters; fought against Algerian corsairs; took part in operations off Gibraltar and Algiers; carried out important hydrographic work in the Caribbean; and served as second-in-command of the ship España during the Battle of Cape Finisterre, as part of Federico Gravina's squadron.
Yet his story also contains a deeply dramatic episode: the French occupation of Almería, the accusations of disloyalty and the successive investigations into his political conduct, which would shape the remainder of his professional life. Although he was cleared of the charges, he never fully recovered his former standing in the Navy.
Family origins and entry into the Royal Corps of Naval Cadets
Juan Pedro Coronado Wittemberg was born in Valencia on 8 July 1761. He was the son of Juan Pedro Coronado Navas and Ana Dominga Wittemberg Mendieta, whose marriage produced nine children.
His father was a distinguished judge of the Royal Chancery of Granada, whilst his maternal grandfather, Jorge Wittemberg Aguilar, was an important landowner in Málaga and a representative of the Common Council. Both played a decisive role in the education and advancement of the young Juan Pedro and his brother Joseph when they decided to enter the Navy.
In 1776, the genealogical and nobility inquiries required for admission to the Royal Corps of Naval Cadets were opened. Evidence was gathered from various distinguished individuals, including members of the clergy and nobility, as well as representatives of Granada's institutions, in order to establish the family's qualifications.
Juan Pedro's file described him as a well-presented young man of noble birth and good conduct, with a knowledge of grammar and arithmetic. It also included the Royal Patent of Nobility issued by the Royal Chancery of Granada in 1745, which recorded the noble ancestry of the Wittemberg family and its origins in important German duchies and counties.
The two brothers initially enrolled in the Cartagena Naval Department and subsequently moved to the Royal Naval Cadet College on the Isla de León, near Cádiz. Their paths, however, diverged. Joseph contracted an illness which forced him to return to Málaga and eventually abandon the college, whereas Juan Pedro persevered and qualified as a naval cadet in 1777.
His education was remarkably comprehensive. He studied mathematics, navigation, gunnery, shipbuilding and seamanship, fortification, drawing, fencing, dancing and languages. He excelled particularly in mathematics, a subject in which he had already attained a considerable level before entering the college.
Thus began a career that would span more than half a century and take our protagonist across different seas and oceans, serving under some of the most distinguished commanders in the Spanish Navy.
The Mediterranean: privateering, engagements against Algiers and the blockade of Gibraltar
During his first decade of service, Juan Pedro spent much of his time in the Mediterranean, taking part in privateering operations against pirates and smugglers who threatened Spanish trade routes and coastal waters.
On 23 April 1779 he joined the ship San Juan Bautista, aboard which he carried out privateering operations until June of the following year. He subsequently transferred to the xebec Gamo, taking part in missions along the coasts and islands of Catalonia.
On 14 July 1780 he joined the ship Lebrel, which formed part of the squadron commanded by Captain Francisco de Vera. This force fought a fierce engagement against three Algerian xebecs, which were left dismasted after six hours of fighting.
The action was accompanied by an extraordinarily violent storm. Coronado himself would later recall how the Lebrel had nearly foundered off the Barbary coast. To save her, it became necessary to throw ten guns, various pieces of equipment, timber and even the ship's boat overboard.
For thirty-six hours the crew remained in a critical situation, fearing for their lives at every moment. Eventually, the ship managed to reach Cartagena on 25 August 1780.
Shortly afterwards, he took part in the operations associated with the capture of Mahón and in the prolonged blockade of Gibraltar. There he held various commands aboard smaller vessels: gunboat No. 14, bomb vessel No. 7 and, later, gunboat No. 5, from which he directed several attacks against enemy batteries and ships.
He also took part in the two expeditions against Algiers. In March 1783, whilst serving aboard the xebec San Antonio, he took command of gunboat No. 18 and led nine attacks against the city's defences.
During the 1784 expedition he returned to Algiers aboard the xebec Catalán, this time in command of bomb vessel No. 21, from which he led a further eight attacks against the Algerian positions.
During these years he served under distinguished naval commanders, including Barceló, Valcárcel and Lleceta. In a later statement, he summed up this period with a striking expression that reveals much about the conditions of his service:
“...because of my temperament, it always seemed that hard work and bullets were my inheritance.”
It was a professional life marked by constant danger, successive campaigns and a level of activity which, in his own words, had kept him continually exposed to the risk of losing his life.
Marriage and the first expeditions to the Americas
On 21 February 1786, by then a frigate lieutenant, he obtained permission to marry his cousin, Josefa Wittemberg Cotrina. The wedding took place in Málaga in April, after his return from the Mediterranean campaigns.
His father's death, which occurred that same year, obliged him to request an extension of leave so that he could deal with inheritance matters and the corresponding division of the estate alongside his brothers.
In February 1787 he requested a transfer to the Cádiz Naval Department and the opportunity to undertake longer voyages. Finally, on 26 December, he joined the storeship Rita, bound for Havana. There he transferred to the frigate Santa Catalina, remaining in Cuba until July 1788.
During the following years he carried out various missions transporting funds and sailing among Spain's American possessions. In 1788 he conveyed funds to the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo, a service he continued the following year aboard the frigate Venus.
In May 1790 he joined the frigate Atocha, aboard which he transported a corvette and three brigs from Cartagena de Indias to Havana. On 12 July of that year he was promoted to lieutenant of the ship.
In 1793 he went to sea once again, this time aboard the ship Gallardo, joining the squadron of Francisco de Borja. He took part in the Mediterranean campaign and in the capture of the islands of San Pietro and Sant'Antioco, which had been under French control and were recovered for the King of Sardinia.
In March 1794 he was appointed aide-de-camp to Pedro de Cárdenas, a squadron commander in the Royal Navy, with whom he travelled to North America.
Cárdenas's satisfaction with his services was reflected in a recommendation addressed to Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán, one of the most prominent figures in the Spanish Navy. It praised Coronado's intelligence, energy and prudence, and also recalled his actions at Gibraltar and Algiers, where he had commanded armed vessels.
This was an important commendation for an officer who was still very much on the rise in his profession.
The brig Descubridor and hydrographic surveys in the Caribbean
In the following years Juan Pedro continued to hold various commands and undertake different assignments. In 1796 he commanded the brig Ligero, transporting troops and correspondence between various ports in the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. He also sailed under the orders of José de Mazarredo, one of the great figures of the Spanish Navy.
On 16 July 1799 he was given command of the ship Descubridor, with which he joined Mazarredo's Spanish squadron and the French squadron commanded by Admiral Bruix. The naval force anchored first at Cádiz and subsequently at Brest, where Coronado remained until May 1802.
During his stay in France he improved his command of the French language and was assigned to the advanced naval station at Canaret, where he took part in the training of naval cadets. His time in Brest therefore had an importance extending beyond that particular campaign: there he acquired a practical command of French which would later prove useful both in his professional dealings and in his diplomatic responsibilities.
On 5 October 1802 he was promoted to frigate captain. Shortly afterwards he began a new assignment in North America, which Coronado himself would later describe as:
“...a campaign full of mishaps and perhaps the most distinguished of my naval career.”
The Descubridor made several voyages between Cartagena de Indias, Veracruz, Havana and Puerto Rico. One of its most challenging missions was to find a safe route to Puerto Casilda, in Trinidad, Cuba.
The available hydrographic charts contained serious errors. Coronado encountered currents, reefs, sandbanks and dangerous mangroves, whilst the geographical positions indicated on the charts failed to correspond with reality.
In these circumstances he had to rely on his experience as a navigator to find his bearings and reach Puerto Casilda on 15 August 1802. His skill astonished even the local pilots.
Drawing on this experience, he prepared an initial outline of the actual course that should be followed, correcting bearings and establishing the corresponding latitudes. The work was subsequently refined and sent to José de Espinosa, head of the Hydrographic Depot in Madrid, on 2 March 1803.
Coronado's documentation was archived, and his observations helped to expose the shortcomings of the charts available for that area. The importance of this information led to consideration being given to further hydrographic surveys in order to establish more accurately the positions of coasts, cays, shoals and channels.
The return to the Iberian Peninsula was not without difficulties either. The Descubridor had to endure a terrible storm during the passage from Havana to Ferrol. The weather was so severe that the coasts of Galicia, France and England were strewn with wrecked vessels.
The brig eventually managed to reach Ferrol after sixty-seven days at sea. Coronado arrived exhausted and in a poor physical condition, but received recognition from Captain General Tejada and other senior naval officers.
His service record of 1813 summarised the qualities attributed to him. The section devoted to his personal and professional circumstances described him as “outstanding in piloting and other subjects, including discipline”; it also noted his knowledge of naval equipment and regulations, his command of French, and his proven courage, talent, zeal and good conduct.
The Battle of Cape Finisterre: second-in-command of the ship España
The next major episode in his career took place during the naval operations of 1805. On 16 February of that year he joined the ship España as second-in-command, under Captain Juan Darrac.
The vessel joined the squadron of Federico Gravina, one of the most distinguished figures in the Spanish Navy. The Spanish squadron joined forces with the French fleet under Admiral Villeneuve, forming a powerful combined force which took part in Atlantic operations intended to facilitate Napoleon's plans against England.
Following the expedition to Martinique, during which several English merchant vessels were captured and the Spanish galleon Matilda was recovered, the fleet returned to European waters.
On 22 July 1805 the combined fleet encountered the British squadron commanded by Robert Calder off Cape Finisterre.
Fog, light winds and the difficulty of maintaining formation made the battle particularly challenging. The Spanish ships found themselves in the front line and bore a substantial part of the enemy's fire.
Among them was the España, aboard which Coronado served as second-in-command. The ship suffered severe damage to her masts and rigging and came close to sharing the fate of other Spanish vessels which were eventually captured by the British.
The battle resulted in considerable losses of life and material on both sides. Although its outcome did not achieve the strategic objectives intended by the combined fleet, the performance of the Spanish ships was notable for their endurance and courage.
The España had to be sent to Vigo for repairs. This prevented Coronado from taking part subsequently in the Battle of Trafalgar, one of the best-known episodes in Spanish naval history.
The experience at Finisterre nevertheless represented one of the high points of his military career. Coronado's participation in that campaign placed him among the officers who had directly experienced one of the most momentous episodes in the history of the Spanish Navy.
Captain, Vice-Consul in Morocco and Commander of the Málaga Naval District
In the years that followed, he continued to be entrusted with important responsibilities. He took part in the engagement and surrender of the French squadron in June 1808 and, on the 23rd, assumed command of the ship Neptuno.
During the summer he was appointed Spanish Vice-Consul at the court of Morocco, remaining in Tangier until January of the following year. On 23 February 1809 he was promoted to captain, one of the highest ranks in a naval officer's career.
His knowledge of French was a particularly valuable asset in carrying out this diplomatic responsibility. It was not the result of occasional study: Coronado had improved his command of the language during his stay in Brest, while serving alongside the French and Spanish squadrons. His 1813 service record expressly listed this among his abilities, stating that he “possesses French, though not to a scholarly degree”. This observation shows that his knowledge of the language was officially recognised and formed part of his professional qualifications.
Shortly afterwards he was appointed Commander of the Málaga Naval District, a posting which gave him particular satisfaction because he had relatives there and it was his wife's homeland. He had been separated from her for eighteen years as a result of his professional obligations.
At that point Coronado was in a particularly favourable professional position. He had accumulated extensive experience, demonstrated his abilities in various campaigns and earned the recognition of distinguished senior officers in the Navy.
His next appointment, however, as Commander of the Almería Naval District, would become the most dramatic episode of his life.
The French Occupation of Almería and the Trial for Disloyalty
On 2 September 1809 Juan Pedro was appointed Commander of the Almería Naval District. His responsibilities covered the jurisdiction of several maritime districts in the province.
The Napoleonic invasion and the subsequent French occupation of Andalusia radically altered his circumstances. French troops entered Almería in March 1810 and returned at the end of April, remaining in the area until April 1811.
Coronado's career had developed within a Navy profoundly shaped by French influence. For much of the eighteenth century, France had been a political, cultural and military model for the Bourbon monarchy. The training of its officers, relations between the two navies and naval cooperation had all been closely connected with this affinity.
The international situation, however, had changed radically. Following the Napoleonic invasion, France had become Spain's enemy, whilst Great Britain had become its ally. The shift from a traditionally pro-French outlook to an Anglo-oriented alliance also transformed the atmosphere within the naval officer corps. Knowledge, relationships and cultural affinities which had previously been regarded as professional assets were now viewed from a different perspective. In this context, the French education of officers such as Coronado could arouse suspicion, although it did not in itself constitute proof of political allegiance to the invader.
During the occupation, Coronado was forced to remain at his post and maintain administrative relations with the French authorities. Among other matters, he was required to arrange the extraction of lead, attend to certain naval requirements and deal with matters relating to the fisheries.
He also had to communicate with the French general Liger Belair. His knowledge of the language, acquired and improved during his stay in Brest, enabled him to act as an intermediary under these circumstances. The book notes that Coronado discussed with the French general matters relating to coastal defence and the organisation of armed vessels against possible corsair attacks.
When the French left Almería, Coronado requested that his conduct be examined. Nevertheless, on 18 May 1811 he was arrested by order of the Spanish authorities, and a lengthy legal process began, threatening to destroy his reputation.
The specific charge was one of disloyalty — in other words, a failure to demonstrate the allegiance owed to the monarch and the nation. He was accused of having sworn an oath to King Joseph Bonaparte, of having retained his post under the occupying government and of having corresponded with the heads of the French administration. During the proceedings, particular attention was paid to the extent of his cooperation with the enemy in occupied territory, as well as to the reasons for his dealings with General Liger Belair.
The journey to Cartagena was particularly humiliating. Coronado was escorted under guard, deprived of his belongings and forced to endure a long journey to Lorca, where he remained for nearly fifty-two days. He eventually reached Cartagena in a severely weakened state of health.
He was confined in the Battalion Barracks and suffered from serious physical ailments, to the point that he needed help with such basic tasks as eating. The surgeon José Franco examined him and attributed his condition to the sleepless nights, anxieties and distress caused by the political and judicial situation he was facing.
The trial began in December 1811. Coronado had to explain why he had not left Almería, why he had sworn allegiance to the intruding king and what kind of cooperation he had provided to the French authorities.
His defence rested on one fundamental argument: he had remained at his post in obedience to orders received from the Spanish authorities and because he considered his presence necessary to protect the interests of the Navy and the maritime population.
According to his testimony, the Captain General of the Cartagena Naval Department had instructed him that, in the event of a renewed French occupation, he should remain at his post, even if this required him to swear an oath to the intruding king. The country's interests, he had been told, would be served by the continued presence of a man of acknowledged integrity.
Coronado also explained that he had prepared a possible means of escape in order to protect the royal funds, the command's archives and his own person. He was responsible for approximately fifty thousand reales in silver belonging to the naval registration funds. He had arranged for a fishing boat to be ready to carry him, together with the chest containing the money, in the event of another French incursion.
However, when the French returned on 29 April 1810, the confusion and speed of events made it impossible for him to embark. The city authorities eventually submitted to José Napoleon I, and Coronado was compelled to swear allegiance to the intruding monarch, as did the other officials in the local institutions.
During the trial he insisted that he had acted under duress and had never abandoned his patriotic convictions. He argued that he had taken the oath for fear of being shot or deported to France, that he had served with reluctance and remorse, and that he had protected compromising documents which, had they been discovered by the French, could have cost him his life.
His command of French, which until then had been a professional asset and had enabled him to carry out his naval and diplomatic assignments, now acquired a different significance. His ability to communicate with the French general was precisely one of the factors that could fuel suspicions about his conduct. Nevertheless, it is important to distinguish between the use of a language and political allegiance to the enemy: the trial was not about whether Coronado spoke French, but whether he had cooperated with the occupying authorities beyond what the circumstances and the duties of his office required.
One of the most delicate questions raised during the trial concerned the alleged proposal to establish two armed launches to protect the coast against corsairs. The name of José Mazarredo, Coronado's former superior and a figure known for his association with the government of Joseph Bonaparte, also arose in this connection. Coronado denied having made such a proposal to Mazarredo and explained that the French general had compelled him, as a naval expert, to give his opinion.
Finally, the Council of Generals declared Juan Pedro Coronado cleared of all charges by Royal Order of 26 June 1812. The ruling acknowledged that the disloyal conduct of which he had been accused had not been proven.
It was a hugely important moral victory, although it did not restore his former position within the Navy.
Acquittal did not prevent his professional marginalisation
On 6 January 1813 Coronado arrived in Cádiz from Cartagena. He had recovered his rank, but his professional standing had been deeply damaged.
In order to dispel any doubts about his conduct, he requested that his case be reviewed once again. By Royal Order of 25 June 1819, he was again declared cleared and vindicated in respect of the period he had spent in territory occupied by the enemy.
Despite these rulings, his prospects of promotion and advancement remained severely restricted. In December 1819 the promotion he had requested was refused. He subsequently applied for the Cross and Plaque of the Military Order of Saint Hermenegild, which was initially denied, although it was finally awarded to him in October 1822.
During those years he remained without an appointment. In 1823 he acted as prosecutor in the proceedings against several officers connected with the handover of the frigates Prueba and Venganza and the corvette Carmen to the insurgent government of Guayaquil.
The political climate in Spain did little to improve his situation. The Liberal Triennium (1820–1823) and the subsequent restoration of the absolutist regime under Ferdinand VII caused deep divisions among naval officers. Suspicions of liberalism and pro-French sympathies once again fell upon Coronado, limiting his chances of regaining a prominent position.
On 30 August 1824 he received a new appointment as commander of the warships stationed at the naval base of Algeciras. His mission was to cooperate with the military authorities in the Campo de Gibraltar and ensure maritime operations in that area.
The appointment appeared to open a new professional chapter. However, barely six weeks later, an anonymous letter received by the military authorities accused him of being a liberal and of having taken part in the revolutionary events of 1820.
As a result of these suspicions, he was relieved of his command in October 1824 and subjected once again to an investigation into his political conduct. In November 1825 he was declared unvindicated at first instance.
However, on 17 September 1826 the Supreme Military Council overturned that decision and declared him cleared at second instance. It was another moral victory for the naval officer, but one which failed to prevent his professional marginalisation.
In December 1828 he was transferred to the inactive list, bringing his naval career effectively to an end. As a final episode in so many years of uncertainty, a Royal Order of 23 November 1829 finally confirmed his right to wear the Cross and Plaque of Saint Hermenegild.
The distinction came too late, after having previously been granted and withdrawn, but at least it acknowledged the military perseverance that had characterised his career.
“A Continual Civil Death”: Juan Pedro Coronado's Final Appeal
On 11 May 1830, from San Fernando, Coronado wrote a lengthy letter to the Captain General of the Navy. It was the appeal of a man who believed that his professional career had been treated unjustly.
In it he recalled his campaigns, his years of service and the promotions granted to other officers whilst he remained sidelined. It is an extraordinarily revealing document, since it allows us to hear directly the voice of a protagonist whom, until then, we have known chiefly through official files and service records.
One of his most moving expressions describes the situation to which he believed he had been reduced:
“This unexpected blow reduced my existence to a continual civil death, for it destroyed my public reputation, earned through bullets and ceaseless campaigns.”
Coronado knew the inner workings of the Navy well and was aware that he faced a difficult battle. Nevertheless, he wanted it placed on record that he had served for decades and did not consider it fair that his merits should be ignored.
In another passage of his letter, he demanded that, if there were any specific accusation against him, he should be allowed to know of it and defend himself:
“I ask Your Excellency for nothing but justice; and justice requires that, should any offence, stain or slander come to light, I be informed of it and given a hearing, for no one is beyond such things, or the reach of a hidden enemy.”
He concluded his letter with a particularly bitter reflection on the treatment he had received:
“...do not regard my existence as an unbearable burden, nor men as beasts insatiably thirsting for the blood of their fellow human beings.”
The response from Alejo Gutiérrez de Rubalcava, Major General of the Navy, was unfavourable. Although he acknowledged Coronado's professional knowledge and qualities as an officer, he considered him very tired and noted that he had spent years without active service at sea. He also recalled the problems arising from the 1811 proceedings and Coronado's advanced age.
Juan Pedro believed that his career had been unjustly cut short by accusations which had never been substantiated. His final appeal was not merely a matter of money or professional advancement: he wanted to recover the public recognition of an honour he had defended for years.
Juan Pedro Coronado Wittemberg died on 19 May 1832, after a lifetime devoted to the service of the Spanish Navy.
An Enlightenment-era sailor in a Spain that was no longer his own
The career of Juan Pedro Coronado Wittemberg represents a story of service, professional ability and political adversity.
More than five decades elapsed between his admission to the Royal Corps of Naval Cadets in 1776 and his withdrawal from active service. During that time he took part in operations against Algerian corsairs, the campaigns at Gibraltar and Algiers, expeditions to the Americas, hydrographic surveys and the Battle of Cape Finisterre. He attained the rank of captain and held command responsibilities in the Málaga and Almería Naval Districts.
His navigational knowledge and experience were recognised both by his superiors and through the hydrographic work he carried out during his American campaign. He also distinguished himself through his practical command of French, acquired during his stay in Brest and expressly acknowledged in his service record.
Nevertheless, the French occupation of Almería and the subsequent suspicions of collaboration with the enemy irrevocably altered the course of his career. Spain's change in international orientation, from its traditional French influence towards an alliance with Britain, helps explain the new atmosphere of suspicion in which officers of his generation found themselves. Although he was cleared of the charges brought against him, his acquittal failed to restore the recognition and professional opportunities he had previously enjoyed.
His life unfolded during a period of profound political transformation, when loyalties, international alliances and ideological divisions could determine the fate of men serving the Monarchy.
It is particularly significant that an officer trained in the Bourbon Navy, who had sailed under commanders such as Mazarredo and Gravina, learned French in Brest and took part in campaigns of great importance, should have ended his days seeking justice from the very institutions to which he had devoted his life.
His biography ultimately reveals the transition between two worlds: that of the great Enlightenment Navy of the eighteenth century and that of Spain's politically turbulent first third of the nineteenth century. It was a change of era that transformed not only the structures of the State but also the personal destinies of many of the men who had helped to build them.
Juan Pedro Coronado Wittemberg was a naval officer of proven merit, whose story helps recover the memory of a generation of officers who served Spain during one of the most turbulent periods in its history.
The Lísperguer-Wittembergs between the Americas and Spain: from La Quintrala to the Marquis of Valdeflores
The history of the Wittembergs takes on a much broader dimension when considered in relation to the American branch of the Lísperguer-Wittembergs. Family documents make it possible to reconstruct the links between the two branches of a German-origin lineage whose presence extended across both sides of the Atlantic, following the routes of the Spanish Monarchy.
In Chile, this history became associated with one of its best-known and most controversial figures: Catalina de los Ríos y Lisperguer, known as La Quintrala, whose life forms part of the historical and cultural memory of the colonial period. In Spain, meanwhile, one branch of this family connects with the eighteenth century and with Luis José Velázquez de Velasco, Marquis of Valdeflores, a distinguished intellectual and historian of the Spanish Enlightenment.
The relationship between these figures reveals a family history that transcends national borders and the settings which the historiography of the Americas and Europe has traditionally treated separately. From the colonial Chilean society of La Quintrala to the intellectual circles of Enlightenment Spain associated with the Marquis of Valdeflores, the Lísperguer-Wittembergs form a genealogical thread that helps us understand the human, social and cultural connections between the Americas and the Spanish Monarchy.
Further reading on this family history
For readers wishing to learn more about the history of the Wittembergs and their historical connections, Los Lísperguer Wittemberg: una familia alemana en el corazón de la cultura chilena is recommended. This book reconstructs the origins and historical relationships of both branches of the family, placing them within their respective European and American contexts.
The research examines the Spanish connections of the Wittemberg family in considerable detail, documenting their presence in Málaga and Andalusia, their relationships with various noble lineages and their participation in civil, ecclesiastical and military institutions.
The biography of Juan Pedro Coronado is precisely one of the most significant examples of this last dimension: the incorporation of the Wittembergs into the Spanish Navy and their participation in some of the defining episodes of naval history in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
