JOSE MIGUEL CARRERA

217 Pages·11.965 MB·English

by  STRAUB, JOSEPH FRANCIS

JOSE MIGUEL CARRERA
BY
JOSEPH FRANCIS STRAUB
A.B., University of Illinois, 1949
A.M., University of Illinois, 1950
THESIS
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY
IN THE GRADUATE COLLEGE OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, 1052
URBANA, ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
THE GRADUATE COLLEGE
September 30, 1958
I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY
SUPERVISION Ttv JOSEPH FRANCIS STRAUB
ENTITLED JOSE MIGUEL CARRERA
BE ACCEPTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Int'Chhaarrgg<e of Thesis
Head of Derfbrtment
Recommendation concurred inf
6 It'^e^ & /J&<A^CLA
S
Committee
on
Final Examination!
t Required for doctor's degree but not for master's.
5M—U-51—4S672

iiri'HOTjucriOr1 i-vi
O JAPTEK
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CORRUPT IOI '-7' 5FAlItiI .lO'TJI J.1 'i' 2
ADi>. IKISfRAJlG . Oi-' GARttAtSCO 3
AuLILISTRA-Io Ob GOI'LI. D J LA Cot; ^'"JiTA 9
REVOLUTIO^ Of'' 1810 10
FIRST I;A.L'IOI:AL CO> GRESS IS
II Tif, CARR-AA FAVJLY 21
lyifACio Air Ai-.xioba FATHER 22
JIA" J03E A -^ULLR.i.ADED CA-EILL.-iO 26
L'jxS A ELIT iE SfxRIT 27
JAVI^RA Al. IiXtJPIRli 'i IJ.'OL 28
JOSJS IIIOil^L A RECKLESS RAlui 31
..APTIT" oT-' -in:, I:- ti^Air: 35
A H'JSSAR'S RE_U:r. TO G lILa 41
I II CArtRZJRA'ti "T.itiL i>ICTATC:.S.UP 4 5
R^SURa.'i: G'l 0*' RAi/ICnL 'JO-.UK.iibcSJ.iii; 46
S _ /r>T ^i. a, _,. i RE1' 01U TI •' 1: 51
K0V.Mr.iiR La^T0I.LVi'I i 54
DJOEVLVV:: ilEVOLI'TIO" 56
h± ATTRORA LjE CI HE 58
J.,L>ICA.'.10 /OI LJ-I-IOCHASY 61
ECCI^T.^Jj-C^L Rj.oi{io 63
AliLuCIOUS JCaiL K" ROII'SL.TT 66
LI. ERAL COllSTIlLrU. OF 1812 68
ADFIlriSTRATirE CHARGES 71
,/AR AGAINST Ti-E ROYALISTS 72
IV OA-KEI.A'S o^GOi'j.- DICTATORSHIP 78
OJJIGLI- •;> JOVERIwE;1. bETRAYS CLUE 79
TREATY 0? LIRCAY 82
JULY REVOLTTTIO 86
CIVIL '.7AR 07
EEGliirJliiG 1'JT.. CA'Jt:.RA-\rEIAS>,l'IEZ LIAISOP! 89
TI:E -IERO'S EARUIAG-E 91
DISASTER HI. RAL:GAJ-UA 93
SCORCHED EARTh i-OLICY 96
V VE1!E.ATTA 99
EXILES li1 :3r:JD0ZA 100
PREJUDICE AttAi:'S".' "-Ri, CABRERAS 103
O'HIGGlKS FAVORED EY i'i._, ARGEIiTUES 106
CnKRiiRA-: ACKElnA LUEL 113
CARRHRr. TAKES SHIP 117
VI CARRERA 1" rr! _ URITEE tJTAi':.3 1 19
T'HrE EXILE'S _, JJIPI EET--GOI:.AGE 120
RASCALLE JORI o" SIGUIER'S HID 123
AARO. eURR AED "CII11Z EM" GJ-.I.^T 127
RADICAL EL..E-EAT IE LAPTIS 1EV iliji 128
CA .E^RA'S FLOTILLA 131
1'IIE "LAE'TARO" LEi'TERS 132
: OVsQli _>0CTEl! E 136
VII PERSECUrJO': Q'/ EL, GAERERAS 142
CARRERA'S LI^ERATIi'G SEUADEOJ: 143
J^STJ EIGUiFL A _J ,TUAV. JOSE JAILED 14 6
liE'ERVIE',/ -./i "i1 SA" I ART 111 147
ESCAPE OF JOSE FIGFGL 150
JAVIlilui ASSTJFE3 LEADYRSFIP 151
PLOT A GATE! ST CKIGJli'S F <JLED 152
JUDICIAL bLAYI'G3 II, -EFUOZA 154
O'iilGUTFIST FiEAi'ilY 158
EUEDiEE 0" EAEGEL ROD FtGUEZ 159
VIII CARRERA AttU AEG^TI^, AIIAECRY 162
TFJ. DREAD IEO LEFT ARC LOEGi:, 163
ARCTEETHIE-CHILEA"" PACT 167
COLO ,/AR 170
ALLIAJCE ',ll'x- Ar,GEtTl,^ CAUDIELOS 173
CAaRERA OPPOSES .EEAECHY 175
Aw ARCEIT^GE Oi' AKG^ETIIE FEDERAL 1SF 180
STAR-CROSSED LOWERS 181
ADIEU IF CARRERA-VELASOJEZ liEYLL 183
IX TAPS FOR CA.-iRERA 185
O'RItf'rl.'b DEPOSED 187
CARRERA'S POLITICAL LEGACY 188
T"E CAtG-iERA L-,fiE~JD 189
3IRLI0GRAPRY 192-203
E'APS 204-205
INTRODUCTION
Nature was Important in preparing Chile for independence, and
colonial society was significant in shaping the course of the new
state. The natural boundaries of the country sharply separated
Chile from the rest of the South American continent, and enabled it
to become a distinct nation. Isolation allowed the people of the
area to work out a way of life which inclined them toward independ
ence and self-reliance. Nevertheless, a tradition of strong leader
ship which Chile acquired in colonial times continued to operate
during the revolution for independence and well into the republican
period which followed. This leadership was first supplied by the
viceroys of Peru, under whose jurisdiction the Kingdom of Chile be
longed during the two and a half centuries of Spanish domination.
When, finally, the grievances accumulated in the course of Spanish
administration led the Chileans to revolt early in the nineteenth
century, their historical experience disposed them to rely on a
leader to direct the new steps in their development as a nation.
The personality and accomplishments of Jose Miguel Carrera are
strikingly expressive of the movement for Chilean independence.
In order to understand the circumstances which influenced the
revolution in Chile and the career of Jose Miguel Carrera, it is
necessary to have a general knowledge of the broad outlines and
features of Chilean geography. Chile is a narrow ribbon-like
country extending from the deserts of Tacna to the wind-swept wastes
of Tierra del Fuego. Prom north to south it has a length of over
two thousand five hundred miles, and it warys in width from forty-
six to two hundred and fifty miles. The country is bounded on the
To-
north by Peru, on the east by Bolivia and Argentina, and on the south
by the Antarctic and on the west by the Pacific. The country is di
vided topographically and climatically into three belts. The deserts
of the north, the fertile valley of the central zone, and the rainy,
cold district of the south dictate that the majority of the popula
tion live in the more congenial middle area. Loose federalism would
be difficult to maintain in a nation whose geography and society has
thus been rendered so compact. Chile became accustomed to direct
control from Santiago during the colonial era. When the country
became a republic it retained this disposition toward centralized
administration.
During the colonial period, which lasted from 1541, when Pedro
de Valdivia began the conquest of Chile, to 1810, when the country
revolted from Spain, geography helped insulate the nation against
the direct influence of the viceroy who resided in Lima. The high
Andes mountains separate Chile from Argentina and hot deserts divide
the country from Peru. The Kingdom of Chile, which was a part of
the greater viceroyalty of Peru, was able to conduct its affairs
with a large degree of independence and develop national character
istics which were peculiar to itself. The province of Cuyo was
theoretically a part of the kingdom but its situation on the eastern
side of the Andes, out of touch with the rest of Chile, meant that
in practice it was almost as independent of control from Santiago as
Chile was independent of Lima. Later Cuyo became a part of
Argentina, to which, on the basis of geography, it rightly belonged.
The colonial system governing Chile placed tremendous power
in the hands of a select few. The ruling oligarchy was chosen with
close regard to blood and class. The Peninsulares, or persons
iii
born in Spain, enjoyed the benefit of great political authority and
social prestige in the colony. These Europeans were nicknamed
"Goths" and their number v/as approximately twenty thousand in 1810
at the time of the revolution. Prom this class came most of the
governors, generals, and other high public officials. The royal
audiencia, whose functions were multitudinous and included that of
acting as a sort of supreme court, v/as almost a monopoly of this
caste. The ranks of the "Goths" had to be constantly replenished
from the mother-country by various sorts of adventurers seeking
their fortunes in the far-flung corners of bhe empire. The arro
gance of this group in dictating governmental policy and social po
sition was a constant Irritation to the native Chilean aristocracy.
The descendents of bhe original Spanish conquerors felt a
justified pride in their ancestry and their own accomplishments.
Although born in Chile they usually managed to keep their Spanish
blood pure. The Creoles, as this privileged class of about one
hundred and fifty thousand v/as called, frequently displayed all the
trappings of a genuine aristocracy. They possessed wealth, took
advantage of laws of entail and primogeniture, held titles, had
escutcheons emblazoned on the doors of their houses, and often
occupied influential positions in government and society. Education
made them even more conscious of their ov/n worth and the Inferior
status to which the Spaniards had relegated them. The cabildo, or
tov/n council, was the stronghold of these upper class natives, but
they were ambitious for places of greater power and honor. The
Creoles were jealous of the Spaniards because of the privileges
which the Iberians enjoyed.
Below the Spaniards and Creoles in social status lived the
iv
miserable majority of Chileans known as mestizos. They were the
product of the union of European or Creole blood with the Indians.
This group of about three hundred thousand was poor, ignorant,
superstitious, and had very low moral standards. 3y their labor in
the city or on the hacienda they eked out a wretched living. They
often worked for the same Creole landed clan for generations and
even though extremely poor they usually had the security of this
long established tie to a great family. They had not the opportuni
ty for participation in the larger political community and were de
pendent on the leadership of their Creole masters. The mestizos
could understand personal loyalties.
Of least importance in Chile were the negroes. This class was
small in number and was composed mostly of slaves. Besides the per
sons of pure African blood, among the slaves could be found zambos
and mulattoes. Zarnbos were created by a blend of negro and Indian
blood. The union of white and negro gave rise to the mulatto. The
negroes numbered about twenty thousand and they usually served as
domestic servants in the houses of aristocrats. Their treatment was
such as to secure the long continued use of a valuable piece of
property. Because of the small number of blacks, abolition never
became a vital issue in Chilean society.
The church was an institution brought to Chile with the first
conquerors which exercised a profound influence on colonial society.
Besides setting up the standard by v/hich morality and conduct were
measured, it served in a more temporal way. Some of the Indians
were converted and gathered into communities to be civilized. An
exception was to be found in the hardy Araucanians of the south,
however, who managed to resist both military and spiritual subju-
V
gation by the Christians all through bhe colonial period. Certain
clerics, notably the Jesuits, v/ere industrious cultivators of
material wealth until their expulsion In 1767 by royal edict. The
clergy furnished much of the learning and education to Chilean so
ciety. As part of its effort to maintain dominion over men's minds,
the church enforced a rigorous"censorship and, indeed, not until the
advent of the revolution was the first printing press Introduced in
to Chile. The prestige of the clergy began to decline in the upper
echelons of Chilean society during the eighheenth century, but among
the mass of the population the church continued to wield a heavy in
fluence. A few saw defects in the organization and discipline of
the church; it would be left to republican governments to achieve
any fundamental reform in the ancient institution.
As upper-class laymen gradually gained status in the halls of
learning, they demanded a broader education. Medicine, law, and
mathematics v/ere among the Importanb studies added to the curricula
of the few schools of higher learning. Instruction was given in
Latin and there v/ere no books written In the vernacular except those
smuggled into the country, A few enlightened and daring men managed
to spirit forbidden literature into Chile and began to absorb revo
lutionary doctrines. They became more conscious than in the past of
their rights as human beings and as subjects of tVie king. The
learning gathered clandestinely was used effectively at the dav/n of
the revolutionary era.
The foregoing brief survey of colonial Chile reveals some of
the factors which Induced the people to rebel against Spain and at
the same time manifests some of the characteristics of the society
which allowed it to retain a relative stability and continuity of