Zenón de Somodevilla, Marquess of Ensenada

Zenón de Somodevilla, Marquess of Ensenada (1702–1781), entered the navy administration in 1720 and rose under Philip V's ministers. In 1736 he was made Marquess of Ensenada, and in 1743 Philip V named him minister of finance, war and the navy. He led Spain through the War of the Austrian Succession and from 1749 ordered the census known as the Catastro of Ensenada.

He strengthened royal control over the Church, promoted public works and sent students abroad. Ousted by court intrigue in 1754, he was briefly recalled under Charles III, exiled again in 1766, and died at Medina del Campo.