Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires
Rafael de Sobremonte | |
---|---|
Succeeded by | Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros |
Personal details | |
Born | Jacques de Liniers July 25, 1753 Royalist |
Spouse(s) | Martina de Sarratea (1772–1805), elder sister of Manuel de Sarratea |
Domestic partner(s) | Ana Perichon between 1806 and 1808 |
Occupation | Naval officer |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Spain |
Battles/wars |
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Santiago Antonio María de Liniers y Bremond, 1st Count of Buenos Aires,
He was popularly regarded as the hero of the reconquest of Buenos Aires after the first
He defended the settlement against a
Early life
Santiago de Liniers y Bremond, Chevalier of the
The Liniers family had been part of the
In 1765, when Jacques was 12 years old, he entered the military academy of the Order of St. John. (As a younger son who was unlikely to inherit the title or the estates, Liniers was sent to their school in order to train for a military career.) After three years, he graduated with the Cross of Chevalier (1768). He was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant of Cavalry in the Royal-Piémont Regiment in the French Royal Army.[4]
Serving the Spanish Crown
In 1774 Liniers requested dismissal and re-enlisted as a volunteer in the campaigns against the Moors in Algiers. He benefited from the third Pacte de Famille (1761), which allowed Frenchmen to take part in Spanish military campaigns with equal rights and requirements as the Spaniards. At the campaign's conclusion, Liniers took an exam as a Midshipman in Cádiz, to serve as a volunteer for the Spanish Crown. In 1775 he earned the rank of Ensign in the Spanish Navy.[5]
In 1776, under the orders of
In 1779, Liniers was an officer on the San Vicente. Spain joined the
Liniers distinguished himself during the American Revolution. In 1780, with a few sloops, he captured a three-masted ship of 24 guns. In 1782, he distinguished himself particularly in the siege of Port Mahon: under fire, he moved to where two British ships had collided, which were laden with arms and ammunition. He captured the ships and conveyed them to the Spanish lines. He was promoted to Frigate Captain.[7]
A few months later Liniers took part in a
The Spanish court rewarded Liniers for this diplomatic success, promoting him to the rank of captain and entrusting him with the command of the Río de la Plata in 1788 to organize a flotilla of gunships. Liniers took with him his son Luis and his first wife, Juana de Menviel, whom he had married in Málaga. She died two years later in 1790. Liniers married again, this time in Buenos Aires, to María Martina Sarratea, daughter of one of the richest merchants of Buenos Aires.[9]
First British Invasion
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The Napoleonic Wars expanded to South America. Britain gained naval supremacy over France with its victory at the battle of Trafalgar. France attacked Britain economically by imposing the Continental System, locking the continent to British trade. Needing new markets, Britain invaded Buenos Aires and Montevideo, two Spanish colonies in South America (Spain was allied to France in the war). Home Riggs Popham attempted to invade Buenos Aires, without official orders.[10]
June 23, 1806, a British expeditionary force of 1,700 men landed on the left bank of the Río de la Plata and invaded Buenos Aires, which had been abandoned by the Viceroy. Liniers remained in the city in disguise, staying in the Dominican convent. At the altar of the Virgin, he vowed to return with the colours (flags) of the British. He escaped to Montevideo and, with the help of its governor Pascual Ruiz Huidobro, galvanized the people, raising a force of 1,200 volunteers.
He embarked with this liberation army on a few schooners, which joined a French privateer corvette. Landing on August 4, Liniers and his men rushed across the marshes to Buenos Aires. The city was recovered after fierce street fighting that ended with the storming of the cathedral, which had been fortified by the British. British General
Designation as viceroy
After the victory, the society stayed on military alert, suspecting that the British might counterattack. The
A new British task force, much larger than the first one, arrived the next year. It was led by Samuel Auchmuty, later replaced by John Whitelocke. This time they attacked Montevideo, which fell under their domination. The Real Audiencia of Buenos Aires decided to depose Sobremonte from his role as viceroy, confirmed Liniers as commander-in-chief, and appointed him as interim viceroy. It was an unprecedented action.
Second British Invasion
Once the Banda Oriental had been secured, the British prepared the attack on Buenos Aires. They were aware that the city was prepared for the invasion, but their forces were greater than in the first one, 23 ships and 11,000 soldiers.[12] John Whitelocke, leader of the British forces, moved to Buenos Aires next to the River. Liniers left the city to battle him, being defeated, but managed to retreat and return to Buenos Aires. Álzaga, assuming that Liniers had died, put his defense plans in motion, and the morale of the troops rose when Liniers returned alive.[13] The British forced an entry into the city and encountered strong resistance, with many British battalions eventually being overwhelmed, while others tried to resist at strategic points. Whitelocke suggested a truce, which was rejected by Liniers, who also attacked the British ships within cannon range. Whitelocke's defeat was complete, and Liniers demanded that all British forces be removed from the territories of Viceroyalty, including the Banda Oriental, in no more than 2 months, as well as an exchange of prisoners. Whitelocke accepted the conditions and surrendered.
Government
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There was a large number of celebrations after the victory against the British. Liniers was officially appointed as viceroy in May 1808, and awarded the title of "Count of Buenos Aires". However, this victory of the Argentine people which was obtained without any military help from Spain led to a new political situation in which some will for independence started to emerge. In this configuration Liniers, who appeared to be a fantastic leader during the emergency crisis, began to be criticized by the different parties including the conservative members of the Cabildo, led by Álzaga.
On one side, Spanish leaders criticized the new power of the Argentine people issued from the formation of criollo armies, and thought that Spanish influence was in danger. On the opposite side, criollo people who were asking for more independence, had some difficulty understanding the perfect sense of loyalty of a navy officer issued from old French nobility who intended to respect his oath to the king of Spain.[14]
In this context, every action coming from Liniers became a source of criticism. As an example, his relation with Ana Périchon "la pericona" was severely pointed out, forcing him to lock her at her home and later to deport her to colonial Brazil. In the same spirit, his French birth became highly controversial when France invaded Spain, and started the Peninsular War, which included the removal of the Spanish king and queen by the French occupying forces. Despite the clear statements by Liniers of remaining loyal to the Spanish Empire and his refusal to accept Joseph Bonaparte as king, his political enemies created rumours that he was plotting to accept Bonaparte.[15] They also promoted in the Río de la Plata the xenophobia that was taking place in Spain against the French, as an indirect means to attack Liniers and lower his prestige. The arrival of Sassenay, an agent of Napoleon seeking recognition for Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain, boosted rumors and controversy.
The criollo peoples promoted the
The Junta of Seville appointed a new viceroy, Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros. Some Criollos proposed Liniers to resist the replacement with the forces under his command. It was considered that only a rightful king could appoint viceroys, and despite the circumstances of his designation Liniers had been confirmed in office by Charles IV; whereas Cisneros, appointed just by the Junta, may have lacked such legitimacy. However, Liniers rejected the proposal, and gave up government without resistance.
After leaving government, he retired from politics and moved to Córdoba province, settling in the town of Alta Gracia. However, he came out of his retirement shortly after, when news of the May Revolution arrived to the province.
Counterrevolution and execution
The governor of Córdoba, Juan Antonio Gutiérrez de la Concha, called for a meeting of the social elite of Córdoba, Liniers included, in order to discuss reactions towards the Primera Junta. At this time, Liniers's father-in-law, Martín de Sarratea, wrote a letter to ask him to stay away from the counterrevolution, which he refused in the name of honor and respect to his word.
The Córdoba Cabildo gave recognition instead to the Regency Council of Cádiz, and Cisneros secretly gave authorization to Liniers to raise the viceroyalty against the Junta.
Ocampo refused to execute the prisoners, aware of their popularity, so he delivered them to Buenos Aires as prisoners instead. The Junta feared the effect that the entry of Liniers into the city might have, so Juan José Castelli was sent, with orders to replace Ocampo and execute the prisoners. The execution took place at Cabeza de Tigre, on the border between Santa Fe and Córdoba.
Legacy
Liniers had been recognized in life with a street of Buenos Aires named after him, after the triumph against the British invasions. However, after the counterrevolution and the new number of heroes of the
In 1861, Queen
His house at Alta Gracia was abandoned after his death, and bought in 1820 by José Manuel Solares. His family kept it for a long time, until it was expropriated in 1969 and turned into a museum in 1977. It was declared a heritage of humanity by UNESCO on December 2, 2000.[18]
- One of the best-known portraits of Liniers is La Reconquista de Buenos Aires, by Charles Fouqueray.
- El último virrey, a novel by Horacio Salduna, is based on Liniers' life.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-987-545-584-9.
- Groussac, Paul (1999). Santiago de Liniers: Conde de Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires: Ciudad Argentina. ISBN 987-507-114-5.
- Ortega, Exequiel (1944). Liniers, Una vida frente a la gloria y a la adversidad. Buenos Aires: Editorial Claridad.
- Crónica Histórica Argentina. Codex. 1968.
- ISBN 978-950-07-3180-5.
- ISBN 950-49-0357-6.
- Jacques de Liniers, Général & Vice-Roi de La Plata, par Le Marquis de Sassenay, Editions de La Reconquête, Asuncion 2011.
- Demaría, Gonzalo; Molina de Castro, Diego (2001). Historia Genealógica de los Virreyes del Río de la Plata (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Junta Sabatina de Especialidades Históricas. ISBN 987-1042-01-9.
References
- ^ AquiMontserrat.com Archived September 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Groussac, p. 30
- ^ Groussac, p. 29
- ^ Groussac, pp. 30–32
- ^ Groussac, pp. 32–33
- ^ Groussac, pp. 33–34
- ^ a b Groussac, pp. 34–35
- ^ Groussac, pp. 35–36
- ^ Groussac, p. 36
- ^ Groussac, pp. 39–41
- ^ De Titto, p. 41
- ^ De Titto, p. 42
- ^ De Titto, p. 43
- ^ de Titto, p. 45
- ^ Abad de Santillán, Diego (1965). "Virreyes del Río de la Plata". Historia Argentina (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: TEA (Tipográfica Editora Argentina). p. 212.
Spanish: Nada había en la conducta del virrey que se prestase a tergiversaciones, pero no obstante, españoles peninsulares de Buenos Aires y de Montevideo persistieron en sus planes conspirativos contra él, por extranjero y por francés.
English: There was nothing in the viceroy's conduct that lent itself to misrepresentations, but nevertheless, the peninsular Spaniards of Buenos Aires and Montevideo insisted in their conspiratorial plans against him, for being a foreigner and French. - ^ De Titto, p. 48
- ^ Balmaceda, p. 267
- ^ Elissalde, Roberto L. (July 10, 2010). "Santiago de Liniers, de virrey a estanciero". La Nacion (in Spanish). Retrieved June 1, 2023.