Alonso de Figueroa y Córdoba
Encyclopedia
Alonso de Figueroa y Cordova (born 1589? Spain - died 1652); Spanish soldier who, in the days of the reign of Philip IV of Spain
, temporarily carried out the position of Captain General
and Royal Governor of Chile
, besides president of its Real Audiencia of Chile
. His government lasted for 13 months, between April 1649 and May 1650. He was the grandfather of the Chilean historian Pedro de Cordoba y Figueroa.
; became a soldier in Lisbon
. He arrived in Chile at the age of 16 years, in 1605, enlisted in the company of captain Bartolome Paez Clavijo, in the thousand man reinforcement for the Kingdom of Chile
brought from the Iberian Peninsula
by general Antonio de Mosquera to support the Arauco War
. In the following years he rose through the ranks of the army of the Mapuche
frontier. He was an alferez and captain of infantry
and cavalry
; becoming general commissioner of cavalry, finally reaching the rank of Maestro de Campo
in 1625. He was also Corregidor
of Concepcion
during the government of Laso de la Vega
. The governor Martín de Mujica y Buitrón
showed his confidence in him, naming him shortly before dying of apparent poisoning to the key position of governor of Valdivia
.
, Marquess of Mancera, who sent to Chile a list of three possible names. Figueroa was the only one alive among the names, and was formally invested in Concepcion
in May 1649. He apparently arranged to start a new military campaign against the Mapuches and communicated with Peru asking for major resources. In Lima
the new viceroy García Sarmiento de Sotomayor, Conde de Salvatierra, decided not to confirm Figueroa in his position in July of 1649. This rejection discouraged Figueroa from his more ambitious projects. But the continuation of hostilities soon forced to him to put military columns in movement. On December 24, a fort near Valdivia was assaulted by the neighboring natives, guided by a deserter from the Spanish army. The attack was a Mapuche success, because almost all the garrison died and those that lived were taken prisoners and the palisade was set afire. More to the south, the Jesuit Agustín Villaza was kidnapped.
Figueroa moved troops into the neighborhood of Valdivia
and Boroa
. In addition he disembarked a respectable force in Carelmapu, under the command of just named governor of Chiloé, Ignacio de la Carrera Iturgoyen, with instructions to land on the continent and to face the tribes near Osorno
.
This was the situation of the kingdom on May 4, 1650, when the ship brought the new governor, Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona
to Concepcion, ending the government of Figueroa. Figueroa y Córdoba was later named president of the Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogota
in 1652, but news of that appointment found him already dead.
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
, temporarily carried out the position of Captain General
Captain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
and Royal Governor of Chile
Royal Governor of Chile
The Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district known as the Kingdom of Chile. This district was also called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the Royal Governor also held the title of a Captain General...
, besides president of its Real Audiencia of Chile
Real Audiencia of Chile
Royal Audience of Santiago :-Structure:Law XII of Title XV of Book II of the Recopilación de Leyes de las Indias of 1680—which reproduces Philip IV's decree of February 17, 1609—describes the limits and functions of the Audiencia.In the city of Santiago de Chile shall...
. His government lasted for 13 months, between April 1649 and May 1650. He was the grandfather of the Chilean historian Pedro de Cordoba y Figueroa.
Earlier life
Born in CordobaCórdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
; became a soldier in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. He arrived in Chile at the age of 16 years, in 1605, enlisted in the company of captain Bartolome Paez Clavijo, in the thousand man reinforcement for the Kingdom of Chile
Kingdom of Chile
The General Captaincy of Chile or Gobernacion de Chile, was an administrative territory of the Viceroyalty of Peru in the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818, the year in which it declared itself independent, becoming the Republic of Chile...
brought from the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
by general Antonio de Mosquera to support the Arauco War
Arauco War
The Arauco War was a conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people in what is now the Araucanía and Biobío regions of modern Chile...
. In the following years he rose through the ranks of the army of the Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
frontier. He was an alferez and captain of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
; becoming general commissioner of cavalry, finally reaching the rank of Maestro de Campo
Maestro de Campo
Maestro de Campo was a rank created in 1534 by the Emperor Carlos V, inferior in rank only to the Capitán General and acted as a chief of staff. He was chosen by the monarch in the Council of State, and commanded a tercio. Their powers were similar to those of the old Marshals of the Kingdom of...
in 1625. He was also Corregidor
Corregidor (position)
A corregidor was a local, administrative and judicial position in Spain and its empire. He was the highest authority of a Corregimiento. In the Americas a corregidor was often called an alcalde mayor. They began to be appointed in fourteenth century Castile and the institution was definitively...
of Concepcion
Concepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
during the government of Laso de la Vega
Francisco Laso de la Vega
Francisco Laso de la Vega y Alvarado was a Spanish soldier who served as Royal Governor of Chile from December of 1629 to May of 1639. Victor in many battles against the Mapuche in the Arauco War....
. The governor Martín de Mujica y Buitrón
Martín de Mujica y Buitrón
Martin de Mujica y Buitrón, also known as Martin de Mogica or Muxica ; Spanish Basque military man who was named by king Philip IV of Spain, to be Captain General and Royal Governor of Chile, besides president of its Real Audiencia. His government was from May 1646 and April 1649, when he died,...
showed his confidence in him, naming him shortly before dying of apparent poisoning to the key position of governor of Valdivia
Valdivia, Chile
Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla...
.
Governorship
His appointment as governor of Chile was one of the last administrative acts of the viceroy of Peru Pedro Alvarez de Toledo y LeivaPedro Álvarez de Toledo y Leiva
Pedro de Toledo y Leiva, 1st Marquis of Mancera , was a Spanish nobleman general, colonial administrator, and diplomat who served as Viceroy of Galicia and Peru from December 18, 1639 to September 20, 1648.-Early life:...
, Marquess of Mancera, who sent to Chile a list of three possible names. Figueroa was the only one alive among the names, and was formally invested in Concepcion
Concepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
in May 1649. He apparently arranged to start a new military campaign against the Mapuches and communicated with Peru asking for major resources. In Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
the new viceroy García Sarmiento de Sotomayor, Conde de Salvatierra, decided not to confirm Figueroa in his position in July of 1649. This rejection discouraged Figueroa from his more ambitious projects. But the continuation of hostilities soon forced to him to put military columns in movement. On December 24, a fort near Valdivia was assaulted by the neighboring natives, guided by a deserter from the Spanish army. The attack was a Mapuche success, because almost all the garrison died and those that lived were taken prisoners and the palisade was set afire. More to the south, the Jesuit Agustín Villaza was kidnapped.
Figueroa moved troops into the neighborhood of Valdivia
Valdivia, Chile
Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla...
and Boroa
Boroa
Boroa, is a town in Araucanía, Chile on the shores of Cautín River. The region near the town south of the Cautin River between the Boroa and Quepe Rivers was the Moluche aillarehue of Boroa...
. In addition he disembarked a respectable force in Carelmapu, under the command of just named governor of Chiloé, Ignacio de la Carrera Iturgoyen, with instructions to land on the continent and to face the tribes near Osorno
Osorno, Chile
Osorno is a city and commune in southern Chile and capital of Osorno Province in the Los Lagos Region. It had a population of 145,475, as of the 2002 census...
.
This was the situation of the kingdom on May 4, 1650, when the ship brought the new governor, Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona
Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona
Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona Spanish, soldier and governor of the Kingdom of Chile between 1650-1656. He was son of Antonio de Cabrera y Acuña y de Agueda de Bayona, was a knight of the Order of Santiago and a professional military man...
to Concepcion, ending the government of Figueroa. Figueroa y Córdoba was later named president of the Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogota
New Kingdom of Granada
The New Kingdom of Granada was the name given to a group of 16th century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed by the president of the Audiencia of Bogotá, an area corresponding mainly to modern day Colombia and parts of Venezuela. Originally part of the Viceroyalty of...
in 1652, but news of that appointment found him already dead.
Sources
- José Toribio MedinaJosé Toribio MedinaJosé Toribio Medina Zavala was a Chilean bibliographer, prolific writer, and historian. He was of Basque descent.-Biography:...
, Diccionario biográfico colonial de Chile, Impr. Elziviriana, Santiago, 1906, Pj. 210-211. - Guillermo Coz y Méndez, Historia de Concepción, Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, Alicante, 2002