Joaquin de la Pezuela

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Joaquín de la Pezuela, Spanish viceroy of Peru (1816–21)

Joaquín de la Pezuela y Sánchez Muñoz de Velasco , Marquis de Viluma (* 1761 in Naval , Huesca Province in Spain , †  1830 in Madrid ) was a Spanish officer and viceroy of Peru .

Origin and career

Pezuela came from a Hidalgo family that originally came from Santander in Cantabria . He attended the artillery college in Segovia , enlisted in the Spanish army, fought against the British during the siege of Gibraltar and later, in 1793 and 1794, against the French in Guipúzcoa and Navarre . In 1805 he went to America as commander of the army in Alto Perú - today's Bolivia .

Pezuela was called to Peru by Viceroy José Fernando Abascál y Sousa and the royal artillery was subordinated to him there. He reorganized the artillery and took care of its modernization, paying special attention to technical aspects. In 1813 he was promoted to brigadier.

The Wars of Independence

As a defender of the Spanish crown, Pezuela fought against the South American independence movement. He defeated Manuel Belgrano on October 19, 1813 in the Battle of Vilcapugio and on November 14, 1813 in the Battle of Ayohuma in what is now Bolivia. After these successes he advanced south and occupied San Salvador de Jujuy in northern Argentina on May 27, 1814 and Salta on July 25, 1814 . However, under constant attacks from General Martín Miguel de Güemes ' gauchos , he was forced to withdraw. He lost 1200 men on the retreat to Jujuy.

In 1815 Joaquín de la Pezuela fought against José Rondeau , whom he defeated in the Battle of Sipe-Sipe (Viluma). This battle took place on November 29, 1815 near Cochabamba in Alto Perú. It was one of the most severe defeats the freedom fighters suffered in the South American Wars of Independence. The rebels lost 2,000 men and all their artillery.

For his successes, Pezuela was promoted to lieutenant general in 1816 and received the title of Marqués de Viluma . By royal order of October 15, 1815, he was appointed the incumbent viceroy of Peru, replacing the dismissed José Fernando Abascál y Sousa. On July 7, 1816, Pezuela became Viceroy and Captain General of Peru.

In 1819 Joaquín de la Pezuela was attacked in Callao by the Thomas Cochranes squadron . This was the prelude to further operations by the Chilean squadron on the coast of Peru, which culminated in the landing of a Chilean-Argentinian liberation army under José de San Martín the following year. The success of this expedition brought de la Pezuela politically into distress. Hence a group of officers began to conspire against the viceroy. At a meeting in Aznapuquio, they signed a protocol demanding his abdication. José de la Serna e Hinojosa , the head of the conspirators, was chosen on January 29, 1821, by de la Pezuela himself as his successor. Pezuela returned to Spain in 1825, where he held the office of Captain General of New Castile . He died in Madrid in 1830.

His son Juan de la Pezuela y Ceballos , Conde de Cheste (1809–1906), born in Lima, was a Spanish general, conservative politician and scholar. He was naval and trade minister in the Spanish government and later a senator.

Web links

Commons : Joaquín de la Pezuela  - collection of images, videos and audio files

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predecessor Office successor
José Fernando Abascál y Sousa Viceroy of Peru
1816–1821 		José de la Serna e Hinojosa
personal data
SURNAME Pezuela, Joaquín de la
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pezuela, Joaquín de la y Sánchez Muñoz de Velasco, Marquis de Viluma
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Viceroy of Peru
DATE OF BIRTH 1761
PLACE OF BIRTH Naval
DATE OF DEATH 1830
Place of death Madrid