Alonso de Figueroa y Cordova (1589? in Spain – 1652) was a Spanish soldier who, in the days of the reign of
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...
, temporarily carried out the position of
Captain General
Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title.
History
The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...
and
Royal Governor of Chile
The Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the Royal Governor also held the title of a Captain General. There were 66 such governors or captains du ...
, besides president of its
Real Audiencia of Chile. His government lasted for 13 months, between April 1649 and May 1650. He was the grandfather of the Chilean historian Pedro de Cordoba y Figueroa.
Earlier life
Figueroa was born in
Cordoba and became a soldier in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
. He arrived in Chile at the age of 16 years, in 1605, enlisted in the company of captain Bartolome Paez Clavijo, in the thousand-man reinforcement for the
Captaincy General of Chile
The Captaincy General of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ) or Governorate of Chile (known colloquially and unofficially as the Kingdom of Chile), was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1817 that was, for most of its existenc ...
brought from the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
by general Antonio de Mosquera to support the
Arauco War
The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force Mapuche ...
. In the following years he rose through the ranks of the army of the
Mapuche
The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who sha ...
frontier. He was an
alferez and captain of
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
and
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
; becoming general commissioner of cavalry, finally reaching the rank of
Maestro de Campo
Maestro de Campo, also called Sibale and Concepcion is an island in the province of Romblon, Philippines. Concepcion, a Philippine sixth class municipality is located on Maestro de Campo. In 1919, most of Maestro de Campo's residents were located ...
in 1625. He was also
Corregidor
Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
of
Concepcion during the government of
Laso de la Vega.
The governor
Martín de Mujica y Buitrón
Martin de Mujica y Buitrón, (also known as Martin de Mogica or Muxica) was a Spanish Basque military man who was named by king Philip IV of Spain, to be Captain General and Royal Governor of Chile, besides president of its Real Audiencia
A '' ...
showed his confidence in him, naming him shortly before dying of apparent poisoning to the key position of Governor of
Valdivia
Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...
.
Governorship
His appointment as Governor of Chile was one of the last administrative acts of the
viceroy of Peru
The viceroys of Peru ruled the Viceroyalty of Peru from 1544 to 1824 in the name of the monarch of Spain. The territories under ''de jure'' rule by the viceroys included in the 16th and 17th century almost all of South America except eastern Brazi ...
Pedro Alvarez de Toledo y Leiva, Marquess of Mancera, who sent to Chile a list of three possible names. Figueroa was the only one alive among the names, and was formally invested in
Concepcion in May 1649. He apparently arranged to start a new military campaign against the Mapuches and communicated with Peru asking for major resources. In
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
the new viceroy
García Sarmiento de Sotomayor
García or Garcia may refer to:
People
* García (surname)
* Kings of Pamplona/Navarre
** García Íñiguez of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 851/2–882
** García Sánchez I of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 931–970
** García Sánchez II of Pam ...
, Conde de Salvatierra, decided not to confirm Figueroa in his position in July 1649. This rejection discouraged Figueroa from his more ambitious projects. But the continuation of hostilities soon forced to him to put military columns in movement. On December 24, a fort near Valdivia was assaulted by the neighboring natives, guided by a deserter from the Spanish army. The attack was a Mapuche success, because almost all the garrison died and those that lived were taken prisoners and the palisade was set afire. More to the south, the
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
Agustín Villaza was kidnapped.
Figueroa moved troops into the neighborhood of
Valdivia
Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...
and
Boroa Boroa, is a town in Araucanía, Chile on the shores of Cautín River. The region near the town south of the Cautin River between the Boroa and Quepe Rivers was the Moluche aillarehue of Boroa. The site of the town was founded as a Spanish fort '' ...
. In addition he disembarked a respectable force in
Carelmapu
Carelmapu (lit. from Mapudungun "Green Land") is a port and town ( es, pueblo) at the western end of Chacao Channel, southern Chile. Carelmapu was established by the Spanish in 1602 as San Antonio Ribera de Carelmapu following the Destruction of ...
, under the command of just named Governor of
Chiloé, Ignacio de la Carrera Iturgoyen, with instructions to land on the continent and to face the tribes near
Osorno.
This was the situation of the captaincy general on 4 May 1650, when the ship brought the new governor,
Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona
Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona (Spain; 1597 – Lima; 1662) was a Spanish soldier and governor of the Captaincy General of Chile between 1650 and 1656. He was son of Antonio de Cabrera y Acuña y de Agueda de Bayona, who was a knight ...
to Concepcion, ending the government of Figueroa. Figueroa y Córdoba was later named president of the
Audiencia of
Santa Fe de Bogota
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
in 1652, but news of that appointment found him already dead.
References
Sources
*
José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina Zavala (; October 21, 1852 - December 11, 1930) was a Chilean bibliographer, prolific writer, and historian. He is renowned for his study of colonial literature in Chile, printing in Spanish America and large bibliographies su ...
Diccionario biográfico colonial de Chile, Impr. Elziviriana, Santiago, 1906 Pj. 210–211.
*Guillermo Coz y Méndez
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa Y Cordoba, Alonso De
1580s births
1652 deaths
Royal Governors of Chile
Spanish generals
17th-century Spanish people
Year of birth uncertain