Ignacio de la Carrera
Encyclopedia
Government Junta of Chile (1810)
Government Junta of the Kingdom of Chile , also known as the First Government Junta, was the organ established to rule Chile following the deposition and imprisonment of King Ferdinand VII by Napoleon Bonaparte...
, and father of the Carrera brothers
Carrera family
The Carrera family of Chile became politically influential during the colonial period, and played a significant role in Chilean Independence. They remained politically important throughout the 19th century...
, who were some of the most important leaders of the early Chilean struggles for independence during the period of the Patria Vieja
Patria Vieja
Patria Vieja refers to a time period in the History of Chile occurring between the First Junta of the Government and the Disaster of Rancagua . This period was characterized by the transformation from a movement of temporary autonomy to one of total independence...
("Old Republic"). Ignacio de la Carrera was of Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
descent.
Life
He was born in SantiagoSantiago, 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...
in 1747, the son of Ignacio de la Carrera y Ureta and Javiera de las Cuevas y Pérez de Valenzuela. He inherited a very considerable fortune from his parents, specially his father, who had been a mining enterpreneur. He married Francisca de Paula Verdugo Fernández de Valdivieso y Herrera, with whom he had four children: Javiera
Javiera Carrera
Francisca Xaviera Eudoxia Rudecinda Carmen de los Dolores de la Carrera y Verdugo , better known as Javiera Carrera, was a member of one of the most aristocratic Chilean families, the Carrera family of Basque origin, who actively participated in the Chilean War of Independence...
, José Miguel
José Miguel Carrera
José Miguel Carrera Verdugo was a Chilean general, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most important leader of the Chilean War of Independence during the period of the Patria Vieja...
, Juan José and Luis
Luis Carrera
Colonel Luis Florentino Juan Manuel Silvestre de los Dolores de la Carrera y Verdugo was a Chilean military officer who fought in the Chilean War of Independence. Together with his brothers José Miguel and Juan José, they were some of most important leaders of Chilean struggle for independence...
, who all went to become some of the most important early leaders of the Chilean struggle for independence.
He began his military career at the end of the 18th century by joining the militia, and later, in 1777, the Prince's Cavalry Regiment. Notwithstanding his military career, he continued taking care of the family business, and was considered one of the wealthiest men in Chile. His family was a member of the highest Aristocracy of the colony, and because of that, he was elected on 18 September 1810 as a member of the First Government Junta of Chile
Government Junta of Chile (1810)
Government Junta of the Kingdom of Chile , also known as the First Government Junta, was the organ established to rule Chile following the deposition and imprisonment of King Ferdinand VII by Napoleon Bonaparte...
, in spite of his personal sympathy for monarchism. This event propelled him into a very active political participation.
In 1811, he became a member of the Superior Court of Government, and in 1812, the Provisional Government Junta. In 1814, when the Spanish authorities reasumed power in Chile, he was arrested and sent exiled to the Juan Fernández Islands
Juan Fernández Islands
The Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first...
. A lengthy judicial process was opened against him for his and his family participation in the first attempt at independent government.
He only was allowed to return to Chile in 1817, together with the rest of all the prisoners of Juan Fernandez. Nonetheless, he had to face the hard reality that his family was scattered, persecuted and exiled in Argentina. His sons Juan José and Luis
Luis Carrera
Colonel Luis Florentino Juan Manuel Silvestre de los Dolores de la Carrera y Verdugo was a Chilean military officer who fought in the Chilean War of Independence. Together with his brothers José Miguel and Juan José, they were some of most important leaders of Chilean struggle for independence...
were executed in the city of Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
on 8 April 1818, while Javiera
Javiera Carrera
Francisca Xaviera Eudoxia Rudecinda Carmen de los Dolores de la Carrera y Verdugo , better known as Javiera Carrera, was a member of one of the most aristocratic Chilean families, the Carrera family of Basque origin, who actively participated in the Chilean War of Independence...
and José Miguel
José Miguel Carrera
José Miguel Carrera Verdugo was a Chilean general, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most important leader of the Chilean War of Independence during the period of the Patria Vieja...
were still in exile, one in Uruguay and the other fighting in Argentina. The Chilean government forced him to pay the cost of the public execution of his sons in Argentina. This last event finally broke his spirit, and he died in 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...
less than a year later.