Juan O'Donojú
Juan O'Donojú (born July 30, 1762 in Seville , Spain , † October 8, 1821 in Mexico City , Mexico ) was a Spanish lieutenant general and in fact the last viceroy of New Spain .
Life
Origin and military career in the war of liberation
Juan O'Donojú was born in Seville in 1762 into a family of Irish descent. His father's name was Ricardo Dunphi O'Donojú; the family was descended from the O'Donoghue on his father's side. His mother was Alicia O'Ryan. Juan embarked on a military career. He married María Josefa Sánchez-Barriga y Blanco. He was one of the leading Freemasons in Spain of his time.
In the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon he fought as a hussar lieutenant under the command of Joaquín Blake y Joyes . In 1809 he took part in the battles of Alcañiz and Belchite .
In early 1814 he was appointed Minister of War by the Government Council of the Cortes of Cadiz .
Exile under Ferdinand VII.
After the return of King Ferdinand VII , Spain returned to absolutism. A commission sentenced the staunch liberal O'Donojú to four years of imprisonment in Mallorca , a strict requirement to stay away from Madrid and other royal residences for another four years and not to hold public office.
Trienio Liberal
In 1820, liberal forces under Rafael del Riego forced the king to recognize the constitution of Cadiz . The liberal revolution led to personnel changes; O'Donojú was rehabilitated and appointed provincial governor ("captain general") in Andalusia .
In early 1821, the government bodies agreed to appoint him general captain in the viceroyalty of New Spain - he received the rights and privileges that corresponded to those of a viceroy . (The constitution no longer provided for the position of viceroy.) On March 2, he received instructions from the War and Overseas Ministry on how to implement the constitutional order in New Spain. On May 30th, he embarked with his wife in Cádiz on board the Asia for America.
Term of office in New Spain
Since his appointment and during his voyage, events had tumbled in Mexico, where separatists and Prospanian forces had fought each other in the War of Independence since 1810 . Colonel Agustín de Iturbide had defected to the rebels with most of the Spanish troops. Viceroy Juan Ruiz de Apodaca had little room for maneuver and was deposed on July 5th by a coup d'état by pro-Spanish forces who had proclaimed Francisco Novella viceroy in his place . This tried to take up the fight for the colony again, but found no response. Only Mexico City, Acapulco , Perote and Veracruz were still in the hands of the Spaniards.
O'Donojú landed on July 30th in San Juan de Ulúa , the fort off the port of Veracruz. The city was besieged by insurgents. After negotiations with the commanding officer of the rebels, Antonio López de Santa Anna , he was allowed into the city on August 3rd. He got a picture of the desolate situation from a Spanish point of view and realized that his instructions had become irrelevant. On the same day he published a proclamation that he had come with liberal intentions, wanted to implement the Constitution of Cádiz and, together with the representatives of the local provinces, wanted to decide the future together.
A meeting was quickly reached with the leader of the independence movement, Agustín de Iturbide . After he had already confirmed the plan of Iguala , he concluded the Treaty of Cordoba with Iturbide on August 24, 1821 without power of attorney , which ended the War of Independence and granted Mexico independence.
He then met with the commanders of the remaining royalist army, Pascual Liñán , José Davila and Francisco Novella . Novella gave him the powers he had seized in the July 5th coup. Both refused to surrender to the insurgents, but also saw themselves unable to continue the fight and defend the fortresses. At least an armistice was reached and the Spaniards allowed to withdraw.
Novella handed over the capital to the insurgents on September 27th. When the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Mexico City on September 28, 1821, O'Donojú was one of the signatories. He died at a Mexico City on October 8, 1821 pleurisy . His tomb is in the Mexico City Cathedral .
His death spared O'Donojú the reaction of the Spanish government: the parliament in Madrid rejected the treaties of Cordoba in February 1822 and refused to recognize the independence of Mexico. The signatories, particularly Juan O'Donojú, were exempted from a general amnesty issued by King Ferdinand VII in 1824.
literature
- José Rogelio Àlvarez (Ed.): Enciclopedia de México. Volume 9. Mexico City 1975.
- Fernando Orozco: Gobernantes de México . 3. Edition. Panorama Editorial, Mexico City 2004, ISBN 968-38-0260-5 ( Google Books [accessed October 12, 2015]).
- Juana Vázquez Gómez: Dictionary of Mexican Rulers, 1325-1997 . Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, CT, USA 1997, ISBN 0-313-30049-6 ( Google Books [accessed July 1, 2015]).
Web links
- Biography (spanish)
- Entry at Geneall.net
| predecessor | government office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Francisco Novella |
Viceroy of New Spain 1821 |
End of the Viceroyalty of New Spain Augustine I as Emperor of the First Empire of Mexico |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | O'Donojú, Juan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Juan José Rafael Teodomiro O'Donojú O'Ryan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish military and last viceroy of New Spain |
| BIRTH DATE | July 30, 1762 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Seville , Spain |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 8, 1821 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Mexico City |