Felipe Santiago Salaverry
Encyclopedia
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...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
– February 19, 1836, Arequipa
Arequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
, Peru) was a Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian soldier, politician and, from 1835 to 1836, President of Peru.
He studied in the College of San Carlos 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...
. When José de San Martín
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...
arrived in Peru in 1820, Salaverry left college despite the opposition of his father, and made his way to Huaura Province
Huaura Province
Huaura is one of nine provinces of the Región Lima on the Pacific coast of Perú. It is bordered by the province of Barranca and the Ancash Region in the north, the provinces of Cajatambo and Oyón and the Pasco Region in the east, the province of Huaral in the south and the Pacific Ocean in the...
, where he volunteered to join the general and his forces. San Martin enlisted him as a cadet of the battalion of Numancia, in which he took part in the campaign against the Spaniards. After the establishment of the republic of Peru, Salaverry rose rapidly in the army. At the age of twenty-eight, he had obtained the rank of general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
.
When the garrison of Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
revolted in January 1835, against then President Luis Orbegoso
Luis José de Orbegoso
Luis José de Orbegoso y Moncada count De Olmos , an aristocratic Peruvian soldier and politician, was President of Peru from 1833 to 1836...
, and pronounced in favor of La Fuente, Salaverry defeated the insurgents. Orbegoso appointed him governor of the fortress. But on February 23, Salaverry rose in arms against the government. After Orbegoso abandoned Lima, Salaverry occupied the capital and proclaimed himself "Supreme Chief of the Republic". In a few months he had possession of the south, and Orbegoso retreated with a small force to the northern provinces.
He sought the intervention of Andrés Santa Cruz, leader of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, with whom Orbegoso concluded a treaty. Soon after, the Bolivian army invaded Peru, and Salaverry retreated to the city of Arequipa
Arequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
. On 7 February, 1836, his forces were totally routed to Socabaya, a district of the city.
After wandering for several days, Salaverry surrendered to General Miller, who delivered him to Santa Cruz. Contrary to the customs of war against enemies who surrender, Santa Cruz ordered the execution of Salaverry. This led to popular resistance and ultimately defeat of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation led by Santa Cruz.