Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent

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Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent, Spanish Viceroy of Peru

Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent , Spanish : Manuel de Amat y de Junyent (* 1704 , according to other sources: March 1707 in Vacarisses near Barcelona ; † February 14, 1782 in Barcelona) was an officer , high official, governor of Chile ( 1755–1771) and finally Viceroy of Peru (1761–1776).

Life

Earlier career

Felipe Manuel Cayetano d'Amat i de Junyent was born in 1704 (according to other sources: 1707) to an aristocratic family in Catalonia . His father was José d'Amat i de Planella, Marquis of Castellbell and one of the founders of the Academia Desconfiada . His mother was Marianna Junyent i de Vergós, daughter of the Marquis of Castellmeià .

After school and study visits to Valencia and Barcelona, ​​he joined the army in 1715 at the age of 11. Apparently, impressions of a Spanish military action against the French in Aragón were partly responsible for this . After serving as second lieutenant in an infantry division in Barcelona until 1721 , he joined the Order of Malta . During this time he was given command of a Dragoons regiment in Africa. In the Battle of Bitonto (May 25, 1734) he was involved in the victory over the Austrians under the command of Count von Montemar . In the same year he took part in the successful siege of Geta . For his services he was finally appointed field marshal . After a short stay in Barcelona and a few years in Mallorca , he was appointed governor of Chile and thus automatically president of the Real Audiencia there.

Governor of Chile

After taking office on December 28, 1755, he traveled all over Chile and commissioned the construction of fortifications on the coastline and the Mapuche border . He also founded the cities of Talcamávida , Hualqui and Nacimiento . He tried to make peace in negotiations with the warlike Mapuche. However, after two meetings, in 1758 in Salto del Laja and 1760 in Santiago de Chile , he was only able to achieve partial success and thus not secure the peace between Chiloé and Concepción in the long term.

Historical view of the Plaza de Armas in Santiogo de Chile

In Santiago de Chile in particular, he began a brisk construction activity and brought the Rococo to the Andean country. He commissioned bridges over the Río Mapocho and built the Plaza de Armas . Under his reign, the Royal University of San Felipe , the first university in Chile, began teaching in 1758 after long years of preparation. On October 12, 1758, he also set up the first police unit in Chile, the so-called Dragones de la Reina (Queen's Dragoons).

An appeal process he had initiated , the Juicio de residencia , for the appointment as Viceroy of Peru was finally successful. On October 12, 1761 he was officially appointed successor to José Antonio Manso de Velasco . He passed the office of Chilean governor on an interim basis to his protégé Félix de Berroeta , a former adjutant who was governor of Valdivia at the time.

Viceroy of Peru

During his time as Viceroy of Peru , there were other important buildings, e. B. the fortress Real Felipe in Callao, the Alameda de los Descalzos , the Paseo de Aguas and the redesign of the Alameda de Acho . He also founded the Royal University of San Carlos .

During his administration, the Plaza de Toros de Acho , the world's third oldest bullring and the first bullring in Peru, was built. It was inaugurated with a great celebration on February 22nd, 1762.

During his tenure, Amat sent on orders and with the support of King Charles III. a total of four expeditions to the South Pacific island world :

  1. Expedition to Easter Island (1770) with two ships under the command of Don Felipe Gonzales de Haedo
  2. First expedition (1772–1773) to the Society Islands - mainly to Tahiti - and to the Tuamotu Archipelago with the frigate Aguila under the command of Domingo de Boenechea
  3. Second expedition (1774–1775) to Tahiti with two ships, again under the command of Domingo de Boenechea
  4. Third expedition (1775) to Tahiti under the command of Cayetano de Lángara

The aim of these ventures was to first determine to what extent the English and French colonization efforts of the Pacific islands were successful and to extend the Spanish influence to the South Pacific. Furthermore, the Catholic mission should be promoted or established in this part of the world. On July 17, 1776, d'Amat was replaced as viceroy by Manuel de Guirior .

End of life

On October 22, 1777, he returned to his native Spain and in 1779, at the age of 72, married Maria Francisca de Fivaller y de Bru , who was only 24 years old . She was actually his nephew's bride, Amat himself had chosen the young girl for him. But the groom didn't show up at church on the wedding day and let the wedding break. The former viceroy could not allow the improper behavior of his nephew to adhere to the honor of his family and offered himself as the new bridegroom on the same day. Poor Maria gratefully gave him the yes, because her only alternative would have been to enter a monastery. Amat died on February 14, 1782 without leaving any legitimate children. His widow inherited the magnificent palace that Amat had built right on the Rambla , the Palau de la Virreina .

From a relationship with his long-time lover during his time as Viceroy of Peru, the actress and singer María Michaela Villegas y Hurtado, known as La Perricholi , he left an illegitimate son.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Michi Strausfeld : Barcelona - A travel companion. Insel Verlag, Frankfurt am Main / Leipzig 2007, ISBN 978-3-458-34951-8 , p. 39.
predecessor Office successor
José Antonio Manso de Velasco Viceroy of Peru
1761 - 1776 		Manuel de Guirior
personal data
SURNAME Amat i de Junyent, Manuel d '
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Amat y de Junyent, Manuel de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish viceroy in Peru
DATE OF BIRTH uncertain: 1704 or March 1707
PLACE OF BIRTH Vacarisses
DATE OF DEATH February 14, 1782
Place of death Barcelona