Skip to main content

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

To talk about Jose de San Martin, we have to place historically in the South American independence of the Spanish colonies.If we place it chronologically, we will be talking about the beginning of the 19th century. While Europe was living the vicissitudes of a young French military, called Napoleon , in America, the new enlightened currents, the new policies and a society prepared to rule its own future , lit the fuse of the Independence .If we talk about relevant and necessary figures to carry out such a company in South America, we certainly have to refer to Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Marti . In this article we will focus on Jose de San Martin , independence hero of Argentina, Chile and Peru, c How was his life, his motivations, his military career and his independence achievements, a man of firm convictions.

Jose de San Martin | Childhood and Youth

His full name was Jose Francisco de San Marti y Matorras , he was born in Yapeyu or as he was called in his foundation, Our Lady of the Holy Magi of Yapeyu, on February 25, 1778.His death occurred in France, on August 17, 1850, in a small town to the north, Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Jose de San Martin was the son of Lieutenant Governor of Corrientes, Juan de San Martin and Gregoria Matorras del Ser , cousin of Jeronimo Matorras, governor and captain General of Tucuman.He was the youngest of 5 brothers, Maria Elena, Manuel Tadeo, Juan Fermin and Justo Rufino.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Juan de San Martin

Both the father of Jose de San Martin and his mother were Spanish and if we consider the convulsive moments that were living colonies with constant insurrections , the best option was to return to Spain .In 1784 , when Jose was 6 years old, the family moved first to Cadiz and later settled in Malaga.

With just 9 years enters the Seminary of Nobles of Madrid, on Princess Street, it was an institution where young people from families belonging to the nobility and high society were educated , in addition to the military.He received classes in rhetoric, geography, science, drawing, Latin, French and music.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Seminar of Nobles of Madrid

In 1989, I joined the Murcia Regiment , as a cadet since he was only 11 years old, but soon he began to stand out for his military skills, beginning a brilliant military career. His baptism of fire was only 13 years old, participating in the battle of M elilla, in 1791.

After the battle of Melilla, they were followed by the wars of the Rosellon and the Oranges in 1801 .Young San Martin, little by little he managed to climb until in 1803 , he was named infantry captain in the Campo Mayor Volunteer Regiment.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

The Surrender of Dance.

I participate in the battle of Bailen in 1808 , where I fight with great courage and courage against the French invaders, in the Spanish War of Independence , obtaining the appointment for such value of Lieutenant Colonel de Caballeria.

Jose de San Martin | His Family

He married in 1812 with Maria de los Remedios de Escalada , practically a 14 year old girl, Buenos Aires and daughter of a wealthy family.Despite her youth, she was an exemplary marriage, where Maria de los Remedios, was a fundamental support for San Martin, in her ideological as well as patriotic struggle.In fact, her family's support was key so that the Grenadier Regiment on horseback could be created .Died in 1823 when he was only 25 years old, sick with tuberculosis.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Climbing remedies

Mercedes Tomasa San Martin y Escalada , on the other hand, was the only daughter that General Jose de San Martin had.He lived much of his life in France, since Jose de San Martin retired to this country in 1824, disappointed by the channel they had taken things in South America.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Mercedes Tomasa San Martin y Escalada

In France, they also had to retire to a more secluded town called Boulogne-sur-Mer fleeing the revolutionary revolts.Later, both Jose San Martin as his daughter got cholera, this terrible disease, brought something good to the family, his daughter would end up marrying the doctor who attended to them, Mariano Severo Valcarce, with whom he had two daughters, fails living in the population of Brunoy (France) at 58 years of age.

Jose de San Martin | Back to Rio de la Plata

Jose de San Martin, in a short time he had become a military reference, brave, intelligent and with leadership, a man with charisma and leadership.San Martin never stood apart from what happened in America , the independence movements that were beginning to emerge, their contacts with the Masonic lodges , such as Cadiz's , very much in favor of independence, made him rethink his future.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

The restoration of Ferdinand VII, the oath of the king before the Constitution, all in Spain seemed to return to normal.But when the emancipatory revolution broke out in the American colonies and paying attention to the fact that, despite coming from Spanish parents and having lived in Spain practically all his life, a feeling of American patriotic identity , together with a liberal ideology that had emerged in Europe with the French Revolution and that had already crossed the Atlantic, led him to join the cause and contribute militarily to the liberation of his country.

From this moment we have to talk about another Jose de San Martin , forging a historical character that along with Simon Bolivar would go down in history as the great heroes and liberators of South America.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

He first dissociated himself from the Spanish army , requesting his discharge, to then move to London where he would attend various conferences organized by the Great American Reunion, whose ultimate goals were the independence and formation of the new American peoples.in one of these meetings where he met what his wife would be Maria Remedios de Escalada.

Already within the Spanish regiments I contact other South American companions related to the independence of Argentina In 1811, aboard the frigate George Canning left from England in the direction of Rio de la Plata, where he landed on March 9, 1812.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Frigate George Canning

He arrived in Bu enos Aires preceded by its excellent service sheet however, the years spent in the Spanish army, weighed too much for some independentistas. Shortly after I create the Lautaro Lodge , in order to achieve independence from the country of the Spanish.

Jose de San Martin | Triumphs in America

The weakness in military matters of this patriotic movement and not knowing how to deal with the process, made it possible for the Governing Board to maintain its rank as lieutenant colonel of cavalry, that deservedly had won in Spain, and ordered him the creation of the Horse Grenadier Regiment , a regiment that would give him multiple victories like the one obtained in the battle of San Lorenzo.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Horse Grenadier Regiment

Jose de San Martin: Triumphs in America | Fall First Triumvirate

General Manuel Belgrano , had won the battle of Tucuman with the Army of the North.After this news, both San Martin and Alvear were prepared to conduct a military civic uprising , directed and organized by the Lautaro Lodge, this uprising was known as Revolution of October 8, 1812.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

First Triumvirate: Juan Jose Paso, Feliciano Chiclana and Manuel de Sarratea

To overthrow the First Triumvirate was the main objective, a triumvirate that governed the designs of the country, but that for the rest of the population considered them little determined by independence .When it had fallen and after the pressure of the s armed and citizenship bodies, a Second Triumvirate was designated.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

The Assembly, intended to organize a new state and lay the foundations of a new nation, other than the Spanish

This time it was also forced to create a General Assembly, where all the provinces were represented through their delegates, with the intention of declaring independence and drafting the first drafts of a future constitution.But despite all the wishes, the fighting against the Spanish army continued to happen.

Jose de San Martin: Triumphs in America | The battle of San Lorenzo

It was the first military action carried out by San Martin and his Horse Grenadier Regiment on American lands, his mission was to stop the realistic army of Montevideo in its incursions in the banks of the Parana river , an indispensable communication route for the area, since it is also the main tributary of the Rio de la Plata.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Church of San Carlos Borromeo

February 3, 1813 , San Martin troops settled in the nearby convent of San Carlos Borromeo , in the town of San Lorenzo, where they met a contingent of 300 The situation was uncertain, given that San Martin still did not have the necessary confidence, as we have already mentioned, had belonged to the Spanish army, raised in Spain and son of Spanish Yes, he could be a traitor, the battle was going to take place against the troops that represented Spain.

San Martin He dispelled all doubts, in front of his small contingent of grenadiers on horseback, advanced without hesitation to the front .He received a shot that ended the life of his horse and left him imprisoned against his mount, at which point he was about to be executed by a realist, if the brave soldier Juan Bautista Cabral, had not been close, who with his body avoided the bayonets that were heading towards San Martin.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

San Martin defeats the royalists

This heroic event raised the soldier Juan Bautista Cabral to the degree from Sergeant Cabral, which is how he is currently known.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Juan Bautista Cabral dies in action , saving General San Martin.

The importance of this combat, which at first glance would not have seemed too important, was that from this moment the realistic fleets, that They were looting the towns near the Parana River, s and they would move away forever.

Jose de San Martin: Triumphs in America | The Northern Army

In January 1814, San Martin takes command of the Northern Army and befriends General Denis Belgrano. Since then , his main objective was to arrive with his troops to Lima.Before the impossibility of undertaking the battle for the usual routes, Jose de San Martin ideo cross the Andean mountain range and attack the Peruvian capital from the sea, a movement that no one would expect.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

San Martin knew that the conquest of Chile was an obligatory step for the continental idea I had The only way to end the Spanish yoke was to end the dominance of these in the Pacific and the occupation of Peru, where the power of the region really concentrated.

After a long illness, the general prepares his troops to cross the Andes Mountains.While in Argentina, the declaration of Independence is accepted on July 9, 1816.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

The passage of the Andes

In January 1817 the path to Lima begins About 5000 men among infanteri a, artillery and cavalry, with a reasonable logistic plan and good preparation for battle, addressed the difficult Footsteps of the Ducks and Uspallata, and finally, on February 12, 1817 they engaged in battle against the Realists in Chacabuco. A few days later, General San Martin enters the Chilean capital of Santiago.He had achieved the independence of Chile. Cabildo, meeting on the 18th of that month, I appoint him as Supreme Director, but San Martin resigned in favor of Bernardo O'Higgins.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Independence of Chile

But the royalists rearmed and attacked again to the Chilean capital in March, injuring O'Higgins, defeating them in the battle of Cancharrayada. United Chileans and Argentines, in the battle of Maipu on April 5, 1818, defeat on definitely to the Spanish.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

The release of Peru, and this was launched in 1820, starting with the newly created fleet since Valparaiso in Chile.In July 1821, San Martin liberates Peru and enters triumphantly in Lima, while being designates Protector of Peru.

Jose de San Martin | The Disease of Maria de los Remedios

In 1822, during the Interview of Guayaquil he decided to officially announce his withdrawal and transfer his troops to Simon Bolivar to complete the independence work.The main reasons for his withdrawal is his wife's serious illness, for which he asks the authorities to return to Buenos Aires.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

However, he was denied entry to Buenos Aires , the excuse was that his physical integrity was in danger since the Unitarians wanted to judge him for having disobeyed an order to repress the federals.Finally, Jose de San Martin managed to enter Buenos Aires, but Maria de los Remedios, his wife, muse and companion had died.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Cementeri or of the Recoleta where the rest of San Martin Escalada Remedies rests

Apart from this, their independence work was marred by the continuous wars that followed in the following years between the United Provinces of the Rio de la Silver and, disappointed, in 1824, a year after the death of his wife, leaves for France with his daughter .Alli resides until he dies e n Boulogne Sur Mer on August 17, 1850.

Jose de San Martin | The End of a Hero

He tried to return to Argentina in 1829 , when he learned that the civil war had exploded again.His former subordinate in the army, Juan Lavalle, He had just shot the governor, and he offered Jose de San Martin to be the new governor of Buenos Aires, something that he rejected considering that the situation was too convulsive, despite not returning to Buenos Aires I was continually informed of the situation of the country through friends and meetings with Argentine intellectuals exiled in France.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Bedroom House Museum General.San Martin-Boulogne Sur Mer-France

There is no evidence that they had much relationship with their siblings during their childhood and adolescence, if it is known that they never stopped being in contact even if it was through a letter , being his brother Justo Rufino , who else was at his side accompanying him for long periods in his French residence.

On August 17, 1850, the one who passed to history as the great liberator of the Argentine nation, the so-called Father of the Homeland , a key figure in South American independence and who is a legendary figure in Argentina, Peru or Chile.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Mausoleum of San Marti n, Buenos Aires Cathedral

Jose de San Martin | In Popular Culture

Obviously, such an important figure has been represented countless times in literature, cinema and other cultural expressions in South America, as well as other large and controversial characters like Che Guevara or Simon Bolivar, have given themselves numerous versions of their adventures and their milestones are repeatedly treated in popular culture.

One of the most recent and recommended movies about Jose de San Martin is Revolution: the crossing of the Andes , a 2010 film directed by Leandro Ipina, in which the story of San Martin is told by an old man his employee, already old, in 1880.Older the The Holy of the Sword a 1970 movie directed by Leopoldo Torre Nilsson and that is another of the best cinema shows about the figure of Jose de San Martin.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

Of course, there are innumerable writings, both historical and in a novelistic tone, about the figure of this revolutionary.Some of the most recommended in Spanish are History of San Martin by Augusto Trelles Barcia, Narrate to San Martin by Martin Kohan or Don Jose: The life of San Martin , by Jose Ignacio Garcia.

Jose de San Martin: A Hero of South America

We hope you liked the article and learned many things about this important figure for the history of South America.Finally, we leave you with some links that could be interesting to complement the information of the article.

Jose de San Martin | Photo Report

In this section we leave you a list of images that have served to illustrate this article and others that are data of battles that may interest you.

Links of interest

In AboutHistory We have many other articles that you may find very interesting:

And if you liked the article, do not hesitate to share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Google +.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Gustavo Adolfo Becquer Biography

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (Gustavo Adolfo Domínguez Bastida; Seville, 1836-Madrid, 1870) Spanish poet.Along with Rosalía de Castro, he is the highest representative of post-romantic poetry, a trend that had as distinctive features the intimate theme and an apparent expressive simplicity, far from the vehemence rhetoric of romanticism. Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (detail of a portrait made by his brother Valeriano, c.1862) Bécquer's work exerted a strong He influenced later figures such as Rubén Darío, Antonio Machado, Juan Ramón Jiménez and the poets of the generation of '27, and critics judge him to be the initiator of contemporary Spanish poetry.But more than a great name in literary history, Bécquer is above all a living poet, popular in every sense of the word, whose verses, with a moving voice and winged beauty, have enjoyed and continue to enjoy the predilection of millions of readers.. Biography Son and brother of painters, he was orphaned at the age of ten and live...

Andrea Pozzo Biography

Andrea Pozzo (Andrea Pozzo, called Father Pozzo; Trento, 1642-Vienna, 1709) Italian painter and architect.He was one of the most brilliant representatives of the art of fake architecture in the Baroque.He painted the vault of the church of San Ignacio in Rome (1685-1694), with particularly surprising optical effects.From 1702 he worked in Vienna decorating the church of the Jesuits, the order to which he belonged, and the palace of Liechtenstein.He wrote the treatise Perspective of painters and architects (1693). Detail of a Self-portrait by Andrea Pozzo From a young age he was passionate about painting and architecture; After a few years of practice, under the influence of the Lombard and Venetian masters, he achieved great skill in drawing and coloring.At the age of twenty-three he expressed a desire to enter the Jesuit order.He became a brother of the Company in Milan in 1665.However, he was able to continue exercising his hobby of painting in the churches of the Order. ...

The great conquerors of history

What do you think has been the greatest conqueror in the world? In today's article we will talk about the great world conquerors and what has been the evolution until today. From the beginning of the world to the current moment, as we know it, there have been multiple conquests, battles and wars that have led to the creation of different kingdoms that have remained for a short time or thousands of years. In today's article we will talk about the great conquerors of antiquity: Alexander the Great Attila Genghis Khan Napoleon Bonaparte Adolf Hitler Article index Alexander the Great Alexander the Great is considered the greatest conqueror in history, hence he was called El Grande. The great conquest that you celebrated was that of Persia, territory after territory ended up being part of its empire : Asia Minor, the Mediterranean Levant, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Central Asia and even invaded India. Attila Attila is another of the ...

Angel Guimerà Biography

Ángel Guimerà (Ángel Guimerà i Jorge; Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1845-Barcelona, ​​1924) Spanish playwright in the Catalan language.He belonged to a Catalan family from El Vendrell (Bajo Penedés) accidentally established in the Canaries.When he was seven years old, his relatives returned to Catalonia, and the boy lived in El Vendrell and later in Barcelona, ​​where he studied at the Escuelas Pías until his father took him to the manor house with him. Ángel Guimerà When, on the death of his father, Guimerà settled permanently in Barcelona, ​​he was already known as a poet in the literary circles of the Catalan capital; There, together with Francesc Mateu and his inseparable friend Pere Aldavert, he founded the fortnightly magazine La Renaixença , an organ of literary and political Catalanism, of which he was a collaborator and later director. In 1874 he joined the group of "Jove Catalunya" and actively participated in the political and cultural movement that advocated t...

Hans richter Biography

Hans Richter (Györ, 1843-Bayreuth, 1916) Conductor of Austro-Hungarian origin.Hans Richter was born into a family of professional musicians: his father was a chapelmaster at Raab Cathedral (now Györ) and his mother, Josephine Csazinsky, a renowned singer.Thus, from his early years, he made general education compatible with music practice and training, first as a member of the choir of the Vienna Hofkapelle and, later, attending violin and horn classes.which were taught at the Vienna Conservatory, where he would later take music theory lessons from Simon Sechter. Following the most common path in the career of most orchestral conductors, he took his first steps in professional music as an instrumentalist, occupying one of the horn seats in the Kärntnertor Theater orchestra.It was the director of this small orchestra who recommended the young man to whom he was already for many and, of course, for himself, the greatest musical figure of the time: Richard Wagner. Richter spent th...

Garnet Joseph Wolseley Biography

Garnet Joseph Wolseley (Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount of Wolseley; Golden Bridge, County Dublin, 1833-Mentone, France, 1913) Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army (1895-1901).During the short period of time that he was in absolute command of the British Army, he carried out a profound reorganization and modernization of it. Garnet Wolseley Son of a British officer, in 1852 he joined the army as second lieutenant of an infantry regiment, with which he distinguished himself in the Second Burmese War (1852-1853), which earned him promotion to the rank of lieutenant..The following year he campaigned in the Crimean War (1854-1856), serving in the corps of engineers.During the siege of Sevastopol he behaved with unparalleled courage and was seriously wounded, after which he was promoted to the rank of captain in December 1854. Once again in active duty, Wolseley participated in the campaign directed to suppress the sepoy rebellion in India (1857-1859), in w...

Giacomo Puccini Biography

Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, present-day Italy, 1858-Brussels, 1924) Italian composer.Heir to the great Italian lyrical tradition, but at the same time open to other currents and styles typical of the turn of the century, Puccini became the great dominator of the international lyrical scene during the first decades of the 20th century.He was not a prolific creator: without counting a few instrumental pieces and some religious pieces composed in his youth, twelve operas make up the bulk of his production, an insignificant figure compared to those of his predecessors, but enough to make him a key author of the repertoire.operatic and one of the most appreciated and applauded by the public. Puccini Giacomo Puccini was born into a family, some of whose members had held, since the 18th century, the position of chapelmaster from Lucca Cathedral.On the death of his father, Michele, in 1863, little Giacomo, despite not having shown a special musical talent, was destined to follow the family ...

Gabriel Orozco Biography

Gabriel Orozco (Xalapa, 1962) Mexican plastic artist, one of the most valued in the international circuit, author of a wide and versatile work that ranges from sculpture to spontaneous installations, including photography, video, drawing and art-object. Gabriel Orozco Considered one of the ten most important and influential creators in the world, perhaps the greatest renovator of the plastic arts in recent years, Orozco's work is essential in any important event of contemporary art and enriches biennials and museums in Europe and America. Gabriel Orozco was born in Xalapa, capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz, in 1962.He grew up and studied in Mexico City, and his personality was forged on the campus and at the National School of Plastic Arts (ENAP) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the largest in Latin America.In 1986 he began, with a one-year study trip to Madrid, the journey of someone who in 2005 was not yet a prophet in his land and for a lon...

Guillaume de Malesherbes Biography

Guillaume de Malesherbes (Chrétien-Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes; Paris, 1721-id., 1794) French lawyer and politician.Son of Guillaume II de Lamoignon, renowned jurist and statesman, he studied law, after which he entered the Supreme Court of Justice. Chrétien-Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes In 1750 his father was appointed Chancellor by Louis XV; Guillaume de Malesherbes, in turn, was appointed director of the censorship office.During his tenure, which he held until 1763, he allowed the publication of Denis Diderot's Encyclopedia , as well as other works critical of the Church and the current political system. In 1775, during the reign of Louis XVI, he was appointed Secretary of State, a position from which he tried, with moderate success, to carry out a profound reform of the economy and the institutions.Malesherbes got some of his bills approved, such as the annulment of the letres de cachet , which allowed the arbitrary arrest of any individual. Howev...