Melchor Bravo de Saravia

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Melchor Bravo de Saravia (center) next to Gamboa (left), and Sotomayor (right).
(Representation from 1616)

Melchor Bravo de Saravia y Soto Mayor (* 1512 - according to other sources, 1497 - in Soria , Spain ; † December 8, 1577 in Soria) was a Spanish judge and colonial official. He served on an interim basis as Viceroy of Peru and as Spanish Governor in Chile .

Life

Origin and education

There is no agreement among historians about the year of birth: José Toribio Medina mentions 1512, while Diego Barros Arana points to 1497.

Bravo studied law during his youth , later documents and his tomb identify him as a "doctor". In the service of the Spanish Crown, he initially acted as the administrative judge of Naples .

At the Real Audiencia of Lima

1547 King named him Charles V to Oidor the new Real Audiencia , which he in the Kingdom of New Granada was set up and sent him into present-day Peru . During his tenure, the uprising of Francisco Hernández Girón (1552–1557) fell, which brought the royal administration in South America to the brink of collapse. During this time he officiated interim as Viceroy of Peru . Bravo also distinguished himself as a prudent commander in suppressing the uprising.

Term of office as Governor of Chile

When the Real Audiencia of Chile was established in Concepión in 1565 , the four oidores , who were called to Chile by King Philip II , ruled the colony. In 1567 the king decided that he did not want to leave the colonial administration to a body of four people, so he instead appointed a governor as the responsible representative of the crown. He transferred this office to Melchor Bravo de Saravia.

In July 1568 Bravo reached the port of La Serena with his family and entourage from Peru . There he left his family behind and, despite his age, made the long and arduous journey on horseback to Santiago de Chile , where he arrived on August 16, 1568.

Above all, the population hoped that the governor and the troop reinforcements he brought with him would bring an end to the labor and resource-robbing war with the locals. With the beginning of spring, in September 1568, he set out with his army from Santiago and reached Concepción in November. At first he hoped to subdue the Indians peacefully, but the indigenous people resisted the proselytizing and pacification attempts of the Spaniards by force of arms. As a result, Bravo started another attempt to subjugate the locals by force of arms.

In January 1569, under the command of Martín Ruiz de Gamboa , the Spaniards suffered a devastating and demoralizing defeat while fighting with the Indians at the Battle of Catirai . Bravo tried with his troops to bring supplies for the besieged Spaniards. As a result, the Europeans had to give up the fortified settlements of Cañete and Arauco . Defeated, the troops around the governor Bravo de Saravia withdrew to the coast and reached Concepción again at the end of March 1569.

Bravo asked the king for further reinforcements for the colony and offered his replacement in view of his lack of military success.

On February 8, 1570 , a severe earthquake struck Concepción. The following tsunami did not reach the city until some time later, so that there was time enough to get the residents to safety. The buildings and fortifications of the city, however, were largely destroyed.

Towards the end of the year fresh colonial troops arrived in Chile from Lima, and Bravo undertook another campaign to subdue the Mapuche . Again the Spaniards were unsuccessful, the Indians surprised the conquistadors at Purén , Bravo dispatched support troops under the orders of his son Ramón, but even they were unable to achieve anything.

In 1571, the establishment of the diocese of La Imperial fell under Bravo's tenure . Soon after, construction began on the San Francisco Church , which is the oldest surviving structure in Santiago today.

Criticism and replacement

The clergy criticized the system of forced labor that locals were forced to use in the mines of Chile. In 1572 Philip II changed the tax system to a tax system. The administration of Melchor Bravos was also heavily criticized by church representatives at the Spanish court. The governor is incapable, does not listen to the advice of experienced military personnel, he is also corrupt and enriches family members and friends, so the allegations.

Bravo asked again for his recall in view of the ongoing military defeats and criticism of his administration. In 1573 the king complied with his request, and in 1575 Melchor Bravo de Saravia returned to Europe. Two years later he died in his hometown, where he is also buried.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Medina, p. 140.
  2. ↑ Barros Arana, p. 287, writes Bravo was seventy years old at the time of his appointment as Chilean governor - i.e. 1567 - and had been in South America for twenty years.
predecessor Office successor
Antonio de Mendoza Viceroy of Peru (acting)
1552–1556 		Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza
personal data
SURNAME Bravo de Saravia, Melchor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bravo de Saravia y Soto Mayor, Melchor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Governor of Chile
DATE OF BIRTH 1497 or 1512
PLACE OF BIRTH Soria , Spain
DATE OF DEATH December 8, 1577
Place of death Soria , Spain