Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza
Manuel Rodríguez | |
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Santiago, Captaincy General of Chile | |
Died | May 26, 1818 Tiltil, Chile | (aged 33)
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Military service | |
Battles/wars | |
Manuel Xavier Rodríguez Erdoíza (Latin American Spanish:
Early life
He was born on 27 February 1785 and was the son of Carlos Rodríguez de Herrera y Zeballos (1760-1822), a customs officer from Spain, and María Loreto de Erdoiza y Aguirre (1755-1822), who was a young lady aristocrat from Peru.
Rodríguez entered the esteemed Carolino College where he was a classmate of José Miguel Carrera. He went on to study law at the Royal University of San Felipe, and subsequently became a lawyer in 1807.
The "Patria Vieja" (Old Fatherland) (1810–1814)
On 18 September 1810, in the absence of the Spanish monarch, a national government (Primera Junta Nacional de Gobierno) was formed from which the struggle for Chilean Independence sprang.
In May 1811, he was appointed attorney for
Later in 1811, Rodríguez was elected parliamentary representative for Talca on 4 September, appointed Secretary of War on 15 November and conscripted into the army on 2 December with the rank of captain.
In 1813, the friendship between Rodríguez and Carrera (who by this time had seized control of the Chilean government) had begun to cool. Rodríguez and his brothers were detained and charged with conspiracy against Carrera. They were sentenced to one year's exile on Juan Fernández island; however, Rodríguez was able to procure a document that impeded the completion of this sentence.
Carrera and Rodríguez renewed their friendship in 1814. The government junta presided over by Carrera was replaced by a new one led by Colonel
The Reconquest (1814–1817)
José de San Martín, Governor of Cuyo, welcomed the Chilean exiles with open arms and organized a "Liberation Army" with Chileans and Argentinians included.
San Martín saw in Rodríguez the ideal spy since he was very shrewd and skilled for this position, and furthermore, his humble origins allowed him to easily pass for a commoner. He began creating disguises and communications systems—often carrying out his duties disguised as a
He was the most-wanted man during the rule of the Spanish Governor of Chile,
The "Patria Nueva" (New Fatherland) (1817–1818)
After the victory at
After the events at Cancha Rayada, Rodríguez and other Carrera supporters organised a regiment called the Hussars of Death (Húsares de la Muerte). The characteristic symbol of this organisation was a white skull over a black background, symbolising their will to die in battle rather than allowing the enemy to win. However, this regiment was not considered for the battle of Maipú and was later dissolved by Bernardo O'Higgins (he and San Martín both opposed the Carrera brothers) .
Assassination
Rodríguez was killed on 26 May 1818 in
Rodriguez's body was mutilated and abandoned in a trench, but a group of local peasants found it and recognized Rodríguez, burying him secretly under the La Merced Chapel's altar in
By the end of the 20th century, Rodríguez's body was moved to the General Cemetery of Santiago. It is believed today, however (after some research not yet finished), that the moved remains were not really Rodríguez's, but those of an older unknown soldier wearing the Husares de la Muerte uniform (although at the time of his assassination, Rodríguez was not wearing his legendary uniform), and that Rodríguez's body might still be buried in Til-Til's La Merced Chapel.[2]
In popular culture
- In the 2007 historical fiction TV series Héroes, Manuel Rodríguez is played by popular actor Benjamín Vicuña.
- The outlawed left-wing guerrilla group has fought against the Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorshipduring the 80's.
- In the historical movie El Húsar de la Muerte, Manuel Rodríguez is played by Pedro Sienna.
- Victor Jaradedicated the Song "El Aparecido (Hijo de la Rebeldia)" / "The Appeared (Son of rebellion)" to Manuel Rodriguez
- "Húsar", a 2011 romanticized and dramatized version of the Chilean War of Independence through the eyes of Rodríguez, is a very popular soap opera in Chile.
- El "Húsar de la Muerte", a theater play by the artistic group La Patogallina, is inspired by the historical movie of the same name by Pedro Sienna.
References
- ^ Biografía de Manuel Rodriguez Erdoíza(1786–1818) Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine by Frank Beltrán (in Spanish)
- ^ El Mercurio newspaper (in Spanish)