Francisco de Aguirre (conquistador)
Encyclopedia
Francisco de Aguirre was a Spanish
conquistador
who participated in the conquest of Peru
, Bolivia
, Chile
and Argentina
.
, participating in the Battle of Pavia
and the assault on Rome
in 1527. While in Rome as an Alférez in 1517, he was charged with the protection of a convent and as a reward, the Pope allowed him to marry his cousin, María de Torres y Meneses, while the King appointed him Corregidor of Talavera de la Reina.
He moved to Peru in 1536, with a large retinue that included slaves and servants. He was part of the relief expedition that saved Gonzalo Pizarro
, who was under siege in Cochabamba
, and between 1538 and 1539 he participated in the conquest of the province of Charcas
, in present-day Bolivia
, under the command of Diego de Rojas
.
was on his way to conquer Chile
in 1540, he moved his troops (composed of 15 horsemen and 10 foot soldiers) to Tarapacá
, where he waited for two months in order to join him. Aguirre quickly became a close confidant of Valdivia and achieved a premier place in the new colony, being named one of the Alcaldes of the first settlement of Santiago
and being severely injured in the defense of the city on September 11, 1541, when local Indians led by Michimalonco
destroyed it.
and the Choapa River
, charged with the reconstruction of La Serena, which had been destroyed by Indians from the north. He was chosen for this task since he had already demonstrated a strong hand in the war against the Indians and their resulting punishment. On August 29, 1549, Aguirre refounded the city, constructing a fort for its defense. He then led his troops out in persecution of the Indians. The north of Chile would remain free of danger from then on, although somewhat depopulated and deficient in labor.
In 1551 the Lieutenant General of La Serena, Aguirre took possession of Tucumán, on the other side of the Andes
, after disputing the claim of Núñez de Prado, who was unaware of the authority of Valdivia. There, after a series of exploratory expeditions, he founded the city of Santiago del Estero del Nuevo Maestrazgo
on July 25, 1553 (although some historians consider that its real foundation was in 1550).
, his will was opened and found to designate Aguirre in the absence of Jerónimo de Alderete
. When he received the news, he was in Tucumán, and Francisco de Villagra
had already managed to be acknowledged as governor, due to the death of Alderete and the absence of Aguirre.
Apprised of the situation by his friends in La Serena, he immediately returned there, where he was welcomed as Captain General
and Governor
of Chile. He communicated his arrival to the Cabildo
(town council) of Santiago, letting it be known that the troops under his command were prepared to maintain his position, which was his by right of Valdivia's will. The Cabildo of Santiago, however, refused to acknowledge the declaration, disarming the contingent of troops under Aguirre's brother Hernando which had been sent to deliver it. The conflict was finally resolved when a petition was sent to the Audiencia in Lima
, which determined that the council had to submit to the command for six months, after which the viceroy
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete
would designate a new governor. If the term expired, Villagra would be the governor, in command of the army of the south. Aguirre wanted to ignore the verdict, but his forces were too small to match Villagra's if there was a confrontation, so he accepted it bitterly.
In 1557 the viceroy's son García Hurtado de Mendoza arrived as the newly designated governor. One of his first actions was to have Aguirre and Villagra arrested, despite their courteous behavior in front of him.
appointed him as Governor of the province of Tucumán, who was at the point of being lost to a general uprising of the local population. In 1564, when the conquest of this region was at the point of being reversed, Aguirre returned it again to Spanish domination.
During his mandate, a rebellion was fomented by Jerónimo de Holguín, which concluded with the capture of Aguirre. Freed later, he was indicted by the ecclesiastical authority of Charcas for having made heretical statements.
The constant turmoils of his administration motivated the viceroy to remove Aguirre from his post, naming in his place Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera
. In 1576, Aguirre returned to Chile and settled modestly in La Serena, where he was held in respect until his death in 1581.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
who participated in the conquest of 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....
, 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...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Early life
Francisco de Aguirre was the son of Hernando de la Rúa and of Constanza de Meneses. He joined the army of Carlos VCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, participating in the Battle of Pavia
Battle of Pavia
The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–26.A Spanish-Imperial army under the nominal command of Charles de Lannoy attacked the French army under the personal command of Francis I of France in the great hunting preserve...
and the assault on Rome
Sack of Rome (1527)
The Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527 was a military event carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, then part of the Papal States...
in 1527. While in Rome as an Alférez in 1517, he was charged with the protection of a convent and as a reward, the Pope allowed him to marry his cousin, María de Torres y Meneses, while the King appointed him Corregidor of Talavera de la Reina.
He moved to Peru in 1536, with a large retinue that included slaves and servants. He was part of the relief expedition that saved Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso was a Spanish conquistador and younger paternal half-brother of Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca Empire...
, who was under siege in Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
, and between 1538 and 1539 he participated in the conquest of the province of Charcas
Charcas
Charcas may refer to:* Charcas Province, a province in Potosí Department, Bolivia* Real Audiencia of Charcas, one of six political units of the Viceroyalty of Peru* Charcas, a historical name of Sucre, capital of Bolivia...
, in present-day 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...
, under the command of Diego de Rojas
Diego de Rojas
Diego de Rojas was a 16th century Spanish Conquistador. He was born in Burgos and traveled to the city of Santo Domingo in 1516. In 1522 went to Mexico under the command of Hernan Cortes, and subsequently formed part of the conquistador army of Pedro de Alvarado, participating in the conquests of...
.
In Chile
When he heard that Pedro de ValdiviaPedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
was on his way to conquer Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
in 1540, he moved his troops (composed of 15 horsemen and 10 foot soldiers) to Tarapacá
Tarapacá
Tarapacá may refer to:*Tarapacá Province, Chile, a former province, now divided into**Tarapacá Region**Arica-Parinacota Region*Tarapacá Department , a former department of Peru...
, where he waited for two months in order to join him. Aguirre quickly became a close confidant of Valdivia and achieved a premier place in the new colony, being named one of the Alcaldes of the first settlement of Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
and being severely injured in the defense of the city on September 11, 1541, when local Indians led by Michimalonco
Michimalonco
Michima Lonco was an indigenous chief said to be a great warrior, born in the Aconcagua Valley and educated in Cusco by the Inca Empire. He presented himself to the Spaniards, naked and covered by a black pigmentation...
destroyed it.
Lieutenant governor
On June 20, 1549, Aguirre was appointed lieutenant governor of the zone between the Atacama DesertAtacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world...
and the Choapa River
Choapa River
Choapa River or El Río Choapa is a river of Chile located in the Coquimbo Region. The river rises in the Andes, at the confluence of the streams Totoral, Leiva and Del Valle. The river then flows through the town of Salamanca before it meets with its main tributary, the Illapel River...
, charged with the reconstruction of La Serena, which had been destroyed by Indians from the north. He was chosen for this task since he had already demonstrated a strong hand in the war against the Indians and their resulting punishment. On August 29, 1549, Aguirre refounded the city, constructing a fort for its defense. He then led his troops out in persecution of the Indians. The north of Chile would remain free of danger from then on, although somewhat depopulated and deficient in labor.
In 1551 the Lieutenant General of La Serena, Aguirre took possession of Tucumán, on the other side of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, after disputing the claim of Núñez de Prado, who was unaware of the authority of Valdivia. There, after a series of exploratory expeditions, he founded the city of Santiago del Estero del Nuevo Maestrazgo
Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 244,733 inhabitants, making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surface area of 2,116 km². It lies on the Dulce River and on National Route 9, at a distance of...
on July 25, 1553 (although some historians consider that its real foundation was in 1550).
Dispute with Villagra
When Valdivia died in the Battle of TucapelBattle of Tucapel
The Battle of Tucapel is the name given to a battle fought between Spanish conquistador forces led by Pedro de Valdivia and Mapuche Indians under Lautaro that took place at Tucapel, Chile on December 25, 1553...
, his will was opened and found to designate Aguirre in the absence of Jerónimo de Alderete
Jerónimo de Alderete
Jerónimo de Alderete y Mercado was a Spanish conquistador who was later named governor Chile, but died before he could assume his post.-Early life:...
. When he received the news, he was in Tucumán, and Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra Velázquez was a Spanish conquistador, and three times governor of Chile.-Early life:Born at [Santervás de Campos], he was the son of Alvaro de Sarría and Ana Velázquez de Villagra, who were not married. For this reason he took the name of his mother...
had already managed to be acknowledged as governor, due to the death of Alderete and the absence of Aguirre.
Apprised of the situation by his friends in La Serena, he immediately returned there, where he was welcomed as 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 Governor
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...
of Chile. He communicated his arrival to the Cabildo
Cabildo (council)
For a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...
(town council) of Santiago, letting it be known that the troops under his command were prepared to maintain his position, which was his by right of Valdivia's will. The Cabildo of Santiago, however, refused to acknowledge the declaration, disarming the contingent of troops under Aguirre's brother Hernando which had been sent to deliver it. The conflict was finally resolved when a petition was sent to the Audiencia 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...
, which determined that the council had to submit to the command for six months, after which the viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza y Cabrera, 3rd Marquis of Cañete was a Spanish military officer and, from June 29, 1556 to his death on March 30, 1561, the fifth Viceroy of Peru.-Origins and military career:...
would designate a new governor. If the term expired, Villagra would be the governor, in command of the army of the south. Aguirre wanted to ignore the verdict, but his forces were too small to match Villagra's if there was a confrontation, so he accepted it bitterly.
In 1557 the viceroy's son García Hurtado de Mendoza arrived as the newly designated governor. One of his first actions was to have Aguirre and Villagra arrested, despite their courteous behavior in front of him.
Governor of Tucumán
Aguirre's imprisonment in Peru was not appreciated by the King and his advisers, and in 1562 the Viceroy of Peru Diego López de ZúñigaDiego López de Zúñiga y Velasco
Diego López de Zúñiga y Velasco, 4th Count of Nieva was the sixth viceroy of Peru, from April 17, 1561 to his death on February 20, 1564.-Early career:...
appointed him as Governor of the province of Tucumán, who was at the point of being lost to a general uprising of the local population. In 1564, when the conquest of this region was at the point of being reversed, Aguirre returned it again to Spanish domination.
During his mandate, a rebellion was fomented by Jerónimo de Holguín, which concluded with the capture of Aguirre. Freed later, he was indicted by the ecclesiastical authority of Charcas for having made heretical statements.
The constant turmoils of his administration motivated the viceroy to remove Aguirre from his post, naming in his place Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera
Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera
Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera was a Spanish Conquistador, early colonial governor over much of what today is northwestern Argentina, and founder of the city of Córdoba.-Life and times:Cabrera was born in Seville, Spain, in 1528...
. In 1576, Aguirre returned to Chile and settled modestly in La Serena, where he was held in respect until his death in 1581.
See also
- Pedro de ValdiviaPedro de ValdiviaPedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
- Francisco de VillagraFrancisco de VillagraFrancisco de Villagra Velázquez was a Spanish conquistador, and three times governor of Chile.-Early life:Born at [Santervás de Campos], he was the son of Alvaro de Sarría and Ana Velázquez de Villagra, who were not married. For this reason he took the name of his mother...
- Jerónimo de AldereteJerónimo de AldereteJerónimo de Alderete y Mercado was a Spanish conquistador who was later named governor Chile, but died before he could assume his post.-Early life:...
- Diego de RojasDiego de RojasDiego de Rojas was a 16th century Spanish Conquistador. He was born in Burgos and traveled to the city of Santo Domingo in 1516. In 1522 went to Mexico under the command of Hernan Cortes, and subsequently formed part of the conquistador army of Pedro de Alvarado, participating in the conquests of...
- Inés de Suárez
- Arauco WarArauco WarThe Arauco War was a conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people in what is now the Araucanía and Biobío regions of modern Chile...
- Mapuche peopleMapucheThe 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...