Luis Alegre (c. 1510 – 1573) was a Flemish
soldier, in the service of the
Spanish Crown
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
, who served as conquistador and expeditionary of the
Río de la Plata and
Paraguay.
Biography
He arrived at the Río de la Plata in the expedition of
Pedro de Mendoza in 1534, and later to Asunción, aboard the
ship "La Marañona" in 1538. He changed his original last name "Plesier" to Alegre, and attended the election of
Domingo Martinez de Irala as Lieutenant Governor of Paraguay in 1539. He had an active participation in the Conquest of Paraguay, receiving parcels of land, in addition to the distributions of various indigenous tribes as
encomiendas
The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...
for their services to the Crown.
He was married to Magdalena Testanova, daughter of
Blas Testanova, the first doctor of the Río de la Plata. He remarriage with Catalina Lys, daughter of flemish conquistador
Dionis de Lys. They had a son named
Esteban Alegre, a neighbor founder of
Corrientes and Buenos Aires.
His last name is very common in Paraguay, and the
Argentine coastal area, but a distinguished line can be drawn through Captain
Casimiro Alegre
Casimiro Alegre (1741–1825) was an Argentine politician and military man, who had an outstanding participation during the Viceroyalty of Peru and Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, serving as alcalde of campaign in the Province of Buenos Aire ...
, a military man with a long career during the colonial and post-colonial period of Buenos Aires.
References
External links
iaa.fadu.uba.ar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alegre, Luis
16th-century explorers
Explorers of Argentina
Flemish diaspora
Flemish soldiers
People from Buenos Aires
Spanish colonial governors and administrators
1510s births
1573 deaths