Fulgencio Yegros y Franco de Torres (born 1780 in Quyquyhó, died 1821) was

Paraguayan Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

soldier and first

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

of independent

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

. The town of Yegros is named in his honor.

Life

Yegros was born to a family of military tradition and also pursued a military career. Grandson of governor Fulgencio Yegros y Ledesma, he studied in

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

and joined the Spanish colonial army. He had his first combat experiences in 1802 against the Portuguese and in 1807 when he was part of the Paraguayan forces that defended

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

during

British invasions of the Río de la Plata The British invasions of the River Plate were two unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of areas in the Spanish colony of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata that were located around the Río de la Plata in South America – in p ...

. He reached the rank of captain in 1810 and was given the governorship of

Misiones Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes P ...

. Later he founded the first military academy in independent Paraguay In early 1811 he participated in

Paraguay campaign The Paraguay campaign (1810–11) of the Argentine War of Independence was the attempt by a Buenos Aires-sponsored militia, commanded by Manuel Belgrano, to win the Royalist (Spanish American independence), royalist Viceroyalty of the Río de ...

and defended Paraguay against the invaders led by

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

. Yegros and Pedro Juan Caballero were the main military figures in the Revolution of May 1811, which led to the

Independence of Paraguay The independence of Paraguay ''de facto'' started on 14 May 1811 after the Revolution of May 14 when a local ruling junta was created. In early 1811 Paraguayan forces had repeatedly defeated the Argentine army which considered Paraguay to be a b ...

. Following independence, from June 19, 1811 until October 12, 1813 Yegros was President of the five-man ruling Junta Superior Gubernativa which in 1813 was replaced by a two-man consulate. Yegros and

José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco () (6 January 1766 – 20 September 1840) was a Paraguayan lawyer and politician, and the first dictator (1814–1840) of Paraguay following its 1811 independence from the Spanish Viceroyalty of ...

were chosen by Congress in 1813 as Consuls of the Republic following the model of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. Yegros was more of a military man than politician, and in his role as

Consul of Paraguay The president of Paraguay ( es, Presidente del Paraguay), officially known as the President of the Republic of Paraguay ( es, Presidente de la República del Paraguay), is according to the Constitution of Paraguay the head of the Executive (gov ...

was marginalised by Francia. His term as Consul was from 12 February 1814 to 12 June 1814. After his last consular term in 1814, Francia was elected the dictator of Paraguay and Yegros retired from public life to his estate. In 1820 Yegros was a participant in the unsuccessful plot that tried to oust Francia from power. Following the failure of the plot, Yegros was imprisoned and was executed on 17 July, 1821.

References

1780 births 1821 deaths People from Paraguarí Department Presidents of Paraguay Paraguayan people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Paraguayan detention Paraguayan people of Spanish descent Paraguayan independence activists 19th-century Paraguayan people {{Paraguay-mil-bio-stub