ENSENADA, CENON DE SOMODEVILLA, MARQUES DE LA (I 702--1781), Spanish statesman, was born at Alesanco near Logrono on June 2, 1702. He entered the civil service, and was employed on various important missions. In 1736 Charles, after wards King Charles III. of Spain, conferred on him the Neapol itan title of Marques de la Ensenada. In 1742 he became secre tary of State and war to Philip, duke of Parma. In the following year (April ii, 1743), on the death of Patinos's successor Cam pillo, he was chosen by Philip V. as minister of finance, war, the navy and the Indies (i.e., the colonies), and became, in fact prime minister at the age of forty-one. During the remainder of the king's reign, which lasted till July i 1746, and under his suc cessor Ferdinand VI. until I754, Ensenada was the effective prime minister.
His administration is notable in Spanish history for the vigour of his policy of internal reform. Under his direction the despotism of the Bourbon kings became paternal. Public works were under taken, shipping was encouraged, trade was fostered. numbers of young Spaniards were sent abroad for education, Many of them abused their opportunity, but on the whole the prosperity of the country revived, and the way was cleared for the more sweeping innovations of the following reign. Ensenada was a strong partisan of a French alliance and of a policy hostile to England. Sir B. Keene, the English minister, supported the Spanish court party opposed to him, and succeeded in preventing him from adding the foreign office to others which he held. Ensenada would probably have fallen sooner but for the support he received from the Portuguese queen, Barbara. In 1754 he offended her by opposing an exchange of Spanish and Portuguese colonial pos sessions in America which she favoured. On July 20, he was arrested by the king's order, and sent into mild confinement. On the accession of Charles III. in 1759, he was released from arrest and allowed to return to Madrid. On April 18, 1766 he was again exiled from court, and ordered to go to Medina del Campo. He had no further share in public life, and died on Dec. 6, 1781.
For his administration see W. Coxe, Memoirs of the Kings of Spain of the House of Bourbon (1815), but the only complete account of Ensenada is by Don Antonio Rodriguez Villa, Don Cenon de Somode villa, Marques de la Ensenada (Madrid, 1878) .