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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 | 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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