Otto Philipp Braun
Encyclopedia
Otto Philipp Braun. Born 13 December 1798 in Kassel
, Principality of Hessen-Kassel (today Germany
). Died on 24 July 1869 in Kassel
, a province of the kingdom of Prussia
. Braun was one of the most successful foreign volunteers participating in the independence war of South America. He was an important supporter of Simon Bolívar
and Antonio José de Sucre
and later of Andrés de Santa Cruz
. In 1838 Braun was awarded the title “Great Marshal of Montenegro” being Bolivias only Great Marshal and South Americas only foreign Marshal until today.
until he joined the volunteer brigade of the horseback rangers of the kingdom of Hessen-Kassel in 1814 in order to fight against the troops of Napoleon. Afterwards Braun went to Hannover where he studied veterinary medicine. He continued his studies at the University of Göttingen.
In 1818 Braun left crisis-ridden Europe and emigrated to the United States
. There he failed to establish himself as a veterinary. His stay on Haiti
as the official horse instructor of King Henri Christophe
ended also without the desired long term contract.
in the midyear of 1820 as a low ranking officer. Felipe Braun, as he was called from then on, participated in the campaigns of Colombia
and the Battle of Carabobo
in Venezuela
. He joined the Guard of Simón Bolívar
in 1821 and accompanied him on his Campaign to liberate today’s Ecuador
and Peru
as one of his many officers.
On August 6, 1824 Braun was the first patriotic soldier to set foot on the plain of Junín, where a superior cavalry force of the royalistic-Spanish army of José de Canterac
was waiting. Due to Braun's unusual conduct and over the years highly trained and well disciplined units, the patriotic cavalry not only resisted the superiority but was able to defeat their opponent. Braun was promoted and belonged from then on to the intimate circle around Simón Bolívar
and Antonio José de Sucre
.
With the latter Braun participated in the liberation of “Alto Peru”
(later Republic of Bolivia
). During his time in Bolivia
(1825–1828) Braun served the Bolivian President Antonio José de Sucre loyal. After uprisings in Cochabamba
and La Paz
which parts of the unit Braun commanded participated, he fell in disgrace. This changed fundamentally when Braun withstood other attempts and bravely attacked the Peruvian invasion of Bolivia of 1828 under general Agustín Gamarra
.
. After a failed diplomatic mission as official representative of the victors Braun had to flee ending up in Valparaíso
, Chile
(1829). A few months later Braun was able to travel to Arequipa
, Peru
, where finally met his wife Justa Germana de Rivero y Abrill, which he had married through written authority in 1828.
In Arequipa
Braun spend almost a year until the Bolivian president Andrés de Santa Cruz
asked Braun to join his new administration. Braun accepted and moved to Bolivia
.
From 1830 until 1839 Braun became one of the most successful generals in Bolivian history. Furthermore Braun became a very valuable adviser of President Santa Cruz. Latter made him Prefect, entrusted whole armies, let him command battles and gave him the responsibility of the ministry of defense. During the Peru-Bolivian Confederation
(1836–1839) Braun served Santa Cruz loyal. After Braun triumphed in the battle of Montenegro against a Argentinean invasion in June 1838 Santa Cruz awarded Braun with the Title: Great Marshal of Montenegro. Until today Braun is the only foreigner ever to have gained this title in South America and the only marshal of Bolivia at all.
After Santa Cruz lost the Battle of Yungay
in January 1839 against a Peruvian-Chilean Invasion his confederation collapsed due to a revolution led by José Ballivián
and José Miguel de Velasco, Braun fell too. He had to leave Bolivia and headed back to Europe. Until today the knowledge about his life after his fall remains uncertain.
. He was put to rest in his near hometown Kassel
. Dozens of newspapers in Europe and South America remembered the contribution Otto Philipp Braun made to the independence of South America as well as to the construction of the Republic of Bolivia
.
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Principality of Hessen-Kassel (today Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). Died on 24 July 1869 in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, a province of the kingdom of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. Braun was one of the most successful foreign volunteers participating in the independence war of South America. He was an important supporter of Simon Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
and Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá , known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" , was a Venezuelan independence leader. Sucre was one of Simón Bolívar's closest friends, generals and statesmen.-Ancestry:...
and later of Andrés de Santa Cruz
Andrés de Santa Cruz
Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana was President of Peru and Bolivia...
. In 1838 Braun was awarded the title “Great Marshal of Montenegro” being Bolivias only Great Marshal and South Americas only foreign Marshal until today.
Early life
Braun went to school in KasselKassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
until he joined the volunteer brigade of the horseback rangers of the kingdom of Hessen-Kassel in 1814 in order to fight against the troops of Napoleon. Afterwards Braun went to Hannover where he studied veterinary medicine. He continued his studies at the University of Göttingen.
In 1818 Braun left crisis-ridden Europe and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. There he failed to establish himself as a veterinary. His stay on Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
as the official horse instructor of King Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution, winning independence from France in 1804. On 17 February 1807, after the creation of a separate nation in the north, Christophe was elected President of the State of Haiti...
ended also without the desired long term contract.
Liberation of South America
Therefore he joined the army of Simón BolívarSimón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
in the midyear of 1820 as a low ranking officer. Felipe Braun, as he was called from then on, participated in the campaigns of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and the Battle of Carabobo
Battle of Carabobo
The Battle of Carabobo, 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by Simón Bolívar, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal Miguel de la Torre. Bolívar's decisive victory at Carabobo led to the independence of Venezuela....
in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. He joined the Guard of Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
in 1821 and accompanied him on his Campaign to liberate today’s Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and 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....
as one of his many officers.
On August 6, 1824 Braun was the first patriotic soldier to set foot on the plain of Junín, where a superior cavalry force of the royalistic-Spanish army of José de Canterac
José de Canterac
José de Canterac was a Spanish general of French origin who fought in the Spanish American wars of independence. As Field Marshal, he took command of the Spanish Army in South America in 1822. His defeats at the Battle of Junín and the Battle of Ayacucho led to his capitulation to the Patriot forces...
was waiting. Due to Braun's unusual conduct and over the years highly trained and well disciplined units, the patriotic cavalry not only resisted the superiority but was able to defeat their opponent. Braun was promoted and belonged from then on to the intimate circle around Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
and Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá , known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" , was a Venezuelan independence leader. Sucre was one of Simón Bolívar's closest friends, generals and statesmen.-Ancestry:...
.
With the latter Braun participated in the liberation of “Alto Peru”
Upper Peru
Upper Peru was the region in the Viceroyalty of Peru, and after 1776, the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, comprising the governorships of Potosí, La Paz, Cochabamba, Los Chiquitos, Moxos and Charcas...
(later Republic 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...
). During his time in 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...
(1825–1828) Braun served the Bolivian President Antonio José de Sucre loyal. After uprisings 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 La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
which parts of the unit Braun commanded participated, he fell in disgrace. This changed fundamentally when Braun withstood other attempts and bravely attacked the Peruvian invasion of Bolivia of 1828 under general Agustín Gamarra
Agustín Gamarra
Agustín Gamarra Messia was a Peruvian soldier and politician, becoming twice President of Peru from 1829 to 1833 and from 1838 to 1841....
.
Revolutionary aftermath
In the Peruvian-Colombian war of 1828/29 Braun fought on the side of Simón Bolívar, Antonio José de Sucre and Juan José FloresJuan José Flores
Juan José Flores y Aramburu was a Venezuelan military general who became Supreme Chief, and later the first President of the new Republic of Ecuador. He later served two more terms from 1839 to 1843 and from 1843 to 1845, and is often referred to as "The founder of the Republic".-Biography:Flores...
. After a failed diplomatic mission as official representative of the victors Braun had to flee ending up in Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, 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...
(1829). A few months later Braun was able to travel to 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
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....
, where finally met his wife Justa Germana de Rivero y Abrill, which he had married through written authority in 1828.
In 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...
Braun spend almost a year until the Bolivian president Andrés de Santa Cruz
Andrés de Santa Cruz
Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana was President of Peru and Bolivia...
asked Braun to join his new administration. Braun accepted and moved to 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...
.
From 1830 until 1839 Braun became one of the most successful generals in Bolivian history. Furthermore Braun became a very valuable adviser of President Santa Cruz. Latter made him Prefect, entrusted whole armies, let him command battles and gave him the responsibility of the ministry of defense. During the Peru-Bolivian Confederation
Peru-Bolivian Confederation
The Peru–Bolivian Confederation was a short-lived confederate state that existed in South America between 1836 and 1839. Its first and only head of state, titled Supreme Protector, was the Bolivian president, Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz....
(1836–1839) Braun served Santa Cruz loyal. After Braun triumphed in the battle of Montenegro against a Argentinean invasion in June 1838 Santa Cruz awarded Braun with the Title: Great Marshal of Montenegro. Until today Braun is the only foreigner ever to have gained this title in South America and the only marshal of Bolivia at all.
After Santa Cruz lost the Battle of Yungay
Battle of Yungay
The Battle of Yungay effectively destroyed the Peru-Bolivian Confederation created by Bolivian Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz in 1836...
in January 1839 against a Peruvian-Chilean Invasion his confederation collapsed due to a revolution led by José Ballivián
José Ballivián
José Ballivián was a Bolivian general during the Peruvian-Bolivian War and the 11th president of Bolivia from September 27, 1841 to December 23, 1847.-Biography:...
and José Miguel de Velasco, Braun fell too. He had to leave Bolivia and headed back to Europe. Until today the knowledge about his life after his fall remains uncertain.
Later years
In 1861 after numerous transatlantic travels between Europe and South America Braun left the continent forever. Eight years later Braun died in Bad WildungenBad Wildungen
Bad Wildungen is a state-run spa and a small town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:-Location:...
. He was put to rest in his near hometown Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
. Dozens of newspapers in Europe and South America remembered the contribution Otto Philipp Braun made to the independence of South America as well as to the construction of the Republic 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...
.