Francisco Ibáñez Peralta
(Madrid, 1644-Lima, 1712) Governor of Chile.Due to the influences of his family at court, he managed to be appointed Governor of Chile, a position in which he remained between 1700 and 1709, succeeding Tomás Marín de Poveda.His carefree management overshadowed the colony.An intelligent, energetic and realistic man, he did not go to Chile to govern, but to make his fortune.
He stood out for his arbitrary actions, which were carried out since his arrival in Chile, when he refused to swear in as governor before the calbildo, opposing a legal and traditional ceremony.He acquired properties that he later refused to cancel, and sold public office, keeping the money obtained for himself.
His actions provoked uprisings among the soldiers and officers of the southern army, who, under the banner "Long live the king, die the bad government", were on the verge of generating a civil war.The most violent disturbances occurred in February 1703.Ibáñez tried to enter into deals with the leaders who had taken refuge in the churches' asylum, offered them pardon in writing and, once surrendered, betrayed the agreement and had them killed by penalty of the club.
To the smuggling practiced by the Dutch and English ships, the French joined, to a certain extent consented to by the crown, since France was an ally of Spain.Illegal trade from Buenos Aires also increased.The innumerable accusations raised against him finally moved Felipe V to relieve him.
Although his government ended in 1709, he continued in the country concerned about increasing his fortune until the new governor, Juan Andrés de Ustáriz, forced him to leave the kingdom in 1712.Poor, discredited and alone, he entered in the Society of Jesus.
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