Antonio González de Balcarce (June 24, 1774 – August 15, 1819) was an Argentine military commander in the early 19th century. González de Balcarce was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. He joined the armed forces as a cadet in 1788. In the battle for

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

in 1807, he was captured by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

forces and taken to England. After his release, he fought in the service of Spain during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

against the Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. Returning to Buenos Aires, he participated in the

May Revolution The May Revolution () was a week-long series of events that took place from 18 to 25 May 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, ...

in 1810. Subsequently, he was named second commander for the military campaign of the independentist forces in the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru (), officially known as the Kingdom of Peru (), was a Monarchy of Spain, Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in ...

, where he won the Battle of Suipacha on November 7, 1810, the first victory over the Spanish royal forces. Eventually, he was called back and became the Governor of Buenos Aires Province in 1813. In 1816, he served as the

Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata The Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata () was a title given to the executive officers of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata according to the form of government established in 1814 by the ' (Assembly of Year XI ...

''ad interim'', and became the Major General of the armed forces the following year under the government of

Juan Martín de Pueyrredón Juan Martín de Pueyrredón y O'Dogan (December 18, 1777 – March 13, 1850) was an Argentine general and politician of the early 19th century. He was appointed Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata after the Argentin ...

. According to historian William Denslow, Antonio Balcarce was a member of the well-known masonic lodge ''Lautaro''.Dunslow, William. ''10000 Famous Freemasons''. Richmond, Virginia: Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., 1957. He took part in the

crossing of the Andes The Crossing of the Andes () was one of the most important feats in the Argentine War of Independence, Argentine and Chilean War of Independence, Chilean wars of independence. A Army of the Andes, combined army of Argentine soldiers and Chilea ...

to Chile and was San Martín's second-in-command during the battles of Cancha Rayada and Maipu. He fell ill in Chile and had to return to Buenos Aires, where he died in 1819.

References

1774 births 1819 deaths Military personnel from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Spanish descent Argentine people of Basque descent Argentine generals People of the Argentine War of Independence People of the Chilean War of Independence Governors of Buenos Aires Province Supreme Directors of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery Patrician families of Buenos Aires People from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata {{Argentina-mil-bio-stub