José Ramón Rodil, 1st Marquess of Rodil
The Marquess of Rodil | |
---|---|
Prime Minister of Spain | |
In office June 17, 1842 – May 9, 1843 | |
Preceded by | Antonio González y González |
Succeeded by | Joaquín María López |
Minister of War of Spain | |
In office April 27, 1836 – May 15, 1836 | |
Preceded by | Ildefonso Díez de Rivera |
Succeeded by | Antonio Seoane |
In office August 20, 1836 – November 26, 1836 | |
Preceded by | Andrés García Camba |
Succeeded by | Javier Rodríguez |
In office June 17, 1842 – May 9, 1843 | |
Preceded by | Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel |
Succeeded by | Francisco Serrano |
Personal details | |
Born | Spain | February 5, 1789
Political party | Progressive Party |
Alma mater | Mondoñedo Seminary University of Santiago de Compostela |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Spain |
Rank | Captain general |
Unit | Literary Battalion |
Battles/wars | Spanish War of Independence First Carlist War |
He led the
Early life
Rodil was born on 5 February 1789 in
Last Stand in Callao
In 1824, Rodil assumed command of the last Spanish stronghold on Peruvian territory in the port of
Callao was soon populated by more than 8,000 refugees, half of them royalist fighters led by Rodil.[3] Despite being informed in January 1825 about the capitulation at Ayacucho and its terms, this Spanish chief rejected the surrender proposal and insisted on defending Callao, hoping at some point to receive military reinforcements from Spain that never arrived.
The Patriots, despairing at the resistance of the Spaniards, threatened reprisals against the defenders of Callao but were countermanded by Bolívar: "Heroism does not merit punishment. How we would applaud Rodil if he were a patriot!".[4] Nevertheless, in the long run, resistance proved futile; two of Rodil's trusted comrades who commanded other forts nearby, and their forces, jumped to the nationalist side, thus revealing Rodil's potential defensive plans. The siege came to an end with the inability of the besieged to continue, with many of them dying as a result of the conditions in the port, themselves the result of a lack of resources and hygiene. On January 22, 1826, Rodil surrendered to Venezuelan general Bartolomé Salom and was allowed to go back to Spain, which he did, accompanied by a hundred Spanish officers and soldiers who had served under him.[2]
Return to Spain and later life
Back in Spain, Rodil was more respected than his other Army colleagues, such as
References
External links
- Media related to José Ramón Rodil y Campillo at Wikimedia Commons