Francisco Mariño y Soler (9 October 1780; 31 August 1876) was a soldier, politician, and aristocrat. He was a patriot and Knight of the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

Neogranadinan Revolution

As an intellectual and fervent defender of the human rights, he absorbs much of the eighteenth and nineteenth century literature. At the outbreak of revolution in New Granada, he is placed at the service of the Republic and is appointed Colonel of the Liberation Army. He moves on to carry out some undercover reconnaissance using his social position and then proceeds to financially support the independence from Spain, affording

Simon Bolivar Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

's militia with lodging and victuals in addition to providing Bolívar's revolutionary armies with hefty stipends and numerous choice saddled horses on several occasions, until the liberation was completed. When events thrust, the Restoration of the

Spanish Monarchy The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish monarchy is constitu ...

and Pacification by the Spanish crown headed by General

Pablo Morillo Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, a.k.a. ''El Pacificador'' (The Peace Maker) (5 May 1775 – 27 July 1837) was a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and in the Spanish American I ...

, brings about a violent pacification in the lands of the New Granada. From the

Captaincy General of Venezuela The Captaincy General of Venezuela (), was an administrative district of colonial Spain, created on September 8, 1777, through the Royal Decree of Graces of 1777, to provide more autonomy for the provinces of Venezuela, previously under the ju ...

Morillo warns the War Ministry of Spain about the situation and the three Mariño brothers rebellion, in special about Francisco and Ignacio. Morillo receives absolute power to carry out his duties as General and reconquistador. He then imprisons and executes the majority of noblemen. Except for Francisco who is arrested instead, tried and confined to his house in Tibasosa (the same building that serves today as the Biblioteca Pública Francisco Mariño y Soler). While there, he devotes most of the time to reading and maturing his political outlook. The sentence imposed on Francisco was never brought about. The very hand of the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

over his head prevented General Pablo Morillo to vent his rage against him while also preserving his brother, Captain Fray Ignacio Mariño y Torres. However, Francisco's honors were stripped instead. As a military, he fought in the

Battle of Vargas Swamp The Battle of Vargas Swamp () fought on July 25, 1819, was an engagement of Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada. The battle involved a joint Venezuelan and Republic of New Granada, Neogranadine army commanded by General Simón Bolívar ag ...

near Bonza and the

Battle of Boyacá The Battle of Boyacá (1819), also known as the Battle of Boyacá Bridge was a decisive victory by a combined army of Venezuelan and New Granadan troops along with a British Legion led by General Simon Bolivar over the III Division of the Spa ...

Republican life

At the dawn of Colombia's independence, Francisco becomes Mayor of the city of

Sogamoso Sogamoso () is a city in the department of Boyacá of Colombia. It is the capital of the Sugamuxi Province, named after the original Sugamuxi. Sogamoso is nicknamed "City of the Sun", based on the original Muisca tradition of pilgrimage and ado ...

and after that he serves as a Senator of the

Republic of New Granada The Republic of New Granada was a Centralism, centralist unitary republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil that existed from 1831 to 1858. ...

Granadine Confederation The Granadine Confederation () was a short-lived federal republic established in 1858 as a result of a constitutional change replacing the Republic of New Granada. It consisted of the present-day nations of Colombia and Panama and parts of north ...

and

United States of Colombia The United States of Colombia () was the name adopted in 1863 by the for the Granadine Confederation, after years of civil war. Colombia became a federal state itself composed of nine "sovereign states.” It comprised the present-day nat ...

, where he is involved in the creation of laws and furthers the development of the nascent democracy. A fervent Catholic, he serves the state in different ways. One of those ways was to deliver most of its wealth and wealth to the nation that he helped build. As a politician, he was a constituent congressman and senator at different stages of development of Colombia.

Private life

He retired from office when he considered the duties to his nation to be completely fulfilled, and settled in his hacienda "Ayalas", where he dedicated his time to agriculture and the care of his numerous offspring. He was a Knight of the

Order of the Liberator The Order of the Liberator was the highest distinction of Venezuela and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. For Venezuelans the order ranks first in the order of precedence from other o ...

and the only Colombian to-date to have received the honorable title of ''Cincinnatus'', an honor that he shares with

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. :''NOTE:'' :''Cincinnatus: Epigraph used after L. Quinctius Cincinnatus -and generally used to describe a virtuous Roman patrician-, a model of

civic virtue Civic virtue refers to the set of habits, Value (ethics), values, and Attitude (psychology), attitudes that promote the general welfare and the effective functioning of a society. Closely linked to the concept of citizenship, civic virtue () repr ...

. Cincinnatus saved Rome from the Celtic invasions of the North. Although the

Roman dictator A Roman dictator was an extraordinary Roman magistrate, magistrate in the Roman Republic endowed with full authority to resolve some specific problem to which he had been assigned. He received the full powers of the state, subordinating the oth ...

ship is attached to his name, it was not really a dictatorship as we know it today. This used to be an office held for a set time retrofitted with all the powers while implying the officer's resignation after completion of their missions.'' :''The meaning of ''Cincinnatus'' when applied to Washington and Mariño is that of worthy, honest, generous, brave, noble, patrician of the nation. Essentially

Primus Inter Pares is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their seniority in office. H ...

.'' This rare gentleman, as active and courageous in war as he was modest and peaceful in the home of his elders, determined his life in such fashion that he subjected himself to an unchanging hygienic system whereby he managed to live for almost a century. He used to: get up at dawn, have a light breakfast at seven in the morning, walk great distances, eat sparingly at two in the afternoon, and go to bed at seven o'clock. He had no vices; he did not even drink spirits. He never uttered a lie, or any word that would hurt. A firm believer in God, he knew how to worship uprightly.

Family

Born in the

Tunja Tunja () is a municipality and city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 the municipality had a population of 172,548. It is the capital of B ...

city, Francisco Mariño y Soler was member of one of the most noble colonial families in Kingdom of New Granada which descends from one of the oldest and most noble lineages of Spain, the Mariño Lineage, undoubtedly related to most ancient, noble and royal lineages as stated in the history of the

Grandees of Spain Grandees of Spain () are the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility. They comprise nobles who hold the most important historical landed titles in Spain or its Spanish Empire, former colonies. Many such hereditary titles are held by extend ...

, The Mariño surname, has been associated through myth with mermaids: "''Vilaxoán tiene a los Mariño, una familia de nobles vinculada a los seres mitológicos del mar, estrechamente relacionados con los mitos y las leyendas gallegas. El apellido de quienes fueron dueños del pazo de Sobrán hunde sus raíces, de hecho, en la nómina de seres fabulosos que se pasean por Galicia''" His parents were Miguel Augustín Mariño de los Reyes and María Josefa Soler y Currea. He was a great-great-grandson of Jerónimo Mariño de Lobeira y Sotomayor, Spanish explorer, settler, captain of the king and high justice in Santa Rosa de Viterbo, who arrived in America from

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...

between 1639 and 1641. His half-brother Ignacio Mariño y Torres, Dominican priest, colonel of liberty Army and Magister Misioniss and his cousin Santiago Mariño Carige Fitzgerald, General in Chief of East Army and President of

Republic of Venezuela The Republic of Venezuela, also sometimes referred to as the Fourth Republic of Venezuela, was a democratic republic first established in 1953, and replaced in 1999 by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Venezuela saw ten years of militar ...

. Remarkably, his ancestors were: ambassadors, priests, ship owners, troubadours,''Cotarello y Valledor, Amador''. Brothers Iohannis Marinus
Los Hermanos Eans Mariño
poetas Gallegos del siglo XIII, Published 1933 by Tip. de Archivos in Madrid. Written in Spanish. Library of Congress PQ9469.E3 C6 businessmen, explorers, colonizers and rulers.

Titles

* Knight of the

. * Knight of the

Order of Alcántara The Order of Alcántara ( Leonese: ''Orde de Alcántara'', ), also called the Knights of St. Julian, was originally a military order of León, founded in 1166 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1177. Alcántara Alcántara is a town on the T ...

. * Knight of the

Military grades and charges

* Lieutenant Colonel of the Liberation Army. * Brigadier General at retirement. * Mayor of the City of Sogamoso. * Senator of the Republic.

Republic Honors

* Cincinato. * Patrician.

Thought

Freethinker Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an unorthodox attitude or belief. A freethinker holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and should instead be reached by other meth ...

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Francisco Mariño y Soler in images

Espada Toledo Salamanca.jpg, Francisco Mariño y Soler's Sabre. Bust of Don Francisco Mariño y Soler.jpg, Francisco Mariño y Soler bust in Tibasosa, Boyacá main square. Tomb of Don Francisco and Dona Camila.jpg, Francisco Mariño y Soler and Camila Franco y Currea (de Mariño) tombs in Tibasosa, Boyacá, Colombia.

References

El Tiempo (Colombia) ''El Tiempo'' () is a nationally distributed broadsheet daily newspaper in Colombia launched on January 30, 1911. , ''El Tiempo'' had the highest circulation in Colombia with an average daily weekday of 1,137,483 readers, rising to 1,921,571 rea ...

'' article. *

Enciclopedia Salvat Editorial Salvat (Salvat Publishing) is a Spain, Spanish–Catalonia, Catalan publishing company created in 1898 in Barcelona. In the 20th century it was widely known for its Encyclopedia, encyclopedias. At present it belongs to the French group ...

. Salvat Editores. Edition of 1959. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marino, Francisco 1780 births 1876 deaths Viceroyalty of New Granada people People from the Republic of New Granada Counts of Spain Granadine Confederation Knights of Santiago Marquesses of Spain