José de la Serna

José de la Serna

José de la Serna e Hinojosa (* 1770 in Jerez de la Frontera , † 1832 in Cádiz ) was the 40th and last reigning Spanish viceroy in Peru .

He entered the military at a very young age and took part in the defense of Ceuta against the Moors as early as 1784 . Until 1813 he fought for Spanish independence against the British and French. In 1815, with the rank of major general, he was appointed commander of the Spanish troops in Perú . He held this office until 1819. After a short stay in Spain , he returned to Peru in 1820, where he gained influence through political maneuvers and manipulation and in 1821 achieved the highest office, that of viceroy.

Until 1824 he had to watch how the independence movement of the South American patriots achieved more and more successes. After his generals were defeated in various battles, he decided to take command himself. With an army of 10,000 infantrymen and 1,600 cavalrymen, he marched from Cuzco towards the army of the rebels under the leadership of Antonio José de Sucre , which he met on the pampas of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824.

In the battle, which lasted less than an hour, he lost 2,000 men. 3,000 of his soldiers were captured and the remainder put to flight. He himself was captured injured. Nevertheless, he was allowed to return to Europe soon afterwards. He was received with all honors in Spain and held high administrative offices until his death.

The Battle of Ayacucho brought the end of Spanish colonial times in South America.

predecessor	Office	successor
Joaquin de la Pezuela	Viceroy of Peru 1821–1824	Pío de Tristán (formal)