Leonardo Marquez
Encyclopedia
Leonardo Márquez was a Mexican
general. He fought against the United States
in the Intervention of 1846-1848 and was a prominent supporter of Antonio López de Santa Anna
in the revolutionary movement of 1849. After the fall of that dictator, Márquez espoused the cause of Miramón
and Zuloaga against Benito Juárez
.
In 1862, he took up the cause of the French
, and rendered important service to the establishment of the power of Maximilian
, by whom he was placed at the head of the regular army, and was, in 1864, given the mission to Constantinople
. He returned in 1866, and a year later, when the French withdrew, he undertook to organize a native
army to support the Empire.
In October 1866, Maximilian made him a division commander, and in March 1867, sent him to Mexico City
to form a cabinet and raise troops for the relief of Querétaro
. Marquez was a known rival of Miguel Miramón
and would disagree with him constantly. Miramon had proposed an assault on the republican army while they were divided but Marquez opposed the idea, possibly only because Miramon had suggested it. He joined Maximilian at Quetétaro, but broke through the besiegers and made his way to Mexico City for the purpose of organizing a force to relieve the Emperor. Finding this impossible, he conceived the plan of setting up an independent government of his own in the southern states, with Puebla
as the capital. He was defeated before he could reach that city and returned to Mexico, where he was besieged by General Porfirio Díaz
.
The city was captured on 21 June 1867 and Márquez, after remaining in concealment for several months, made his way to Vera Cruz
, and then to Havana
. He was expressly excluded from the amnesty of 1870. He was fanatical and cold-blooded in his disregard of human life, receiving the nickname "The Tiger of Tacubaya
" for the wholesale executions which followed one of his guerilla victories in 1859, though he alleged the express order of Miramón as an explanation. Emperor Maximilian revealed to one of his officers before his execution that he could forgive Lopez's betrayal but not Marquez.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
general. He fought against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the Intervention of 1846-1848 and was a prominent supporter of Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
in the revolutionary movement of 1849. After the fall of that dictator, Márquez espoused the cause of Miramón
Miguel Miramón
Miguel Gregorio de la Luz Atenógenes Miramón y Tarelo was a Mexican conservative general. He served as unconstitutional interim conservative president of Mexico .Miramón was born in Mexico City into a family of French heritage...
and Zuloaga against Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
.
In 1862, he took up the cause of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and rendered important service to the establishment of the power of Maximilian
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
, by whom he was placed at the head of the regular army, and was, in 1864, given the mission to Constantinople
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. He returned in 1866, and a year later, when the French withdrew, he undertook to organize a native
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
army to support the Empire.
In October 1866, Maximilian made him a division commander, and in March 1867, sent him to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
to form a cabinet and raise troops for the relief of Querétaro
Santiago de Querétaro
Santiago de Querétaro is the capital and largest city of the state of Querétaro, located in central Mexico. It is located 213 km northwest of Mexico City, 96 km southeast of San Miguel de Allende and 200 km south of San Luis Potosí...
. Marquez was a known rival of Miguel Miramón
Miguel Miramón
Miguel Gregorio de la Luz Atenógenes Miramón y Tarelo was a Mexican conservative general. He served as unconstitutional interim conservative president of Mexico .Miramón was born in Mexico City into a family of French heritage...
and would disagree with him constantly. Miramon had proposed an assault on the republican army while they were divided but Marquez opposed the idea, possibly only because Miramon had suggested it. He joined Maximilian at Quetétaro, but broke through the besiegers and made his way to Mexico City for the purpose of organizing a force to relieve the Emperor. Finding this impossible, he conceived the plan of setting up an independent government of his own in the southern states, with Puebla
Puebla, Puebla
The city and municipality of Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla, and one of the five most important colonial cities in Mexico. Being a planned city, it is located to the east of Mexico City and west of Mexico's main port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two.The city was founded...
as the capital. He was defeated before he could reach that city and returned to Mexico, where he was besieged by General Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
.
The city was captured on 21 June 1867 and Márquez, after remaining in concealment for several months, made his way to Vera Cruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
, and then to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. He was expressly excluded from the amnesty of 1870. He was fanatical and cold-blooded in his disregard of human life, receiving the nickname "The Tiger of Tacubaya
Tacubaya
Tacubaya is a section of Mexico City located in the west in the Miguel Hidalgo borough. The area has been inhabited since before the Christian era, with its name coming from Nahuatl meaning “where water is gathered.” From the colonial period to the beginning of the 20th century, Tacubaya was...
" for the wholesale executions which followed one of his guerilla victories in 1859, though he alleged the express order of Miramón as an explanation. Emperor Maximilian revealed to one of his officers before his execution that he could forgive Lopez's betrayal but not Marquez.
Publications
- H. H. BancroftHubert Howe BancroftHubert Howe Bancroft was an American historian and ethnologist who wrote and published works concerning the western United States, Texas, Mexico, Central America, British Columbia and Alaska.-Biography:...
, History of Mexico, volumes v and vi (San Francisco, 1888)
External links
- Leonardo Márquez in the Woodson Collection at Rice UniversityRice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
http://www.rice.edu/fondren/woodson/mss/ms356.html