Ramón Freire Serrano (; November 29, 1787 – December 9, 1851) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was head of state on several occasions, and enjoyed a numerous following until the

War of the Confederation The War of the Confederation ( es, Guerra de la Confederación) was a military confrontation waged by Chile, along with Peruvian dissidents, and the Argentine Confederation against the Peru–Bolivian Confederation between 1836 and 1839. As ...

. Ramón Freire was one of the principal leaders of the liberal '' Pipiolo'' movement. He has been praised by historian

Gabriel Salazar Gabriel Salazar Vergara (born 31 January 1936) is a Chilean historian. He is known in his country for his study of social history and interpretations of social movements, particularly the recent student protests of 2006 and 2011–12. Salazar ...

as the most democratic leader of the

early republican period Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

in Chile.

Early life

He was born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

on November 29, 1787, the son of Francisco Antonio Freire y Paz and Gertrudis Serrano y Arrechea. An orphan from early age, he was raised in a hacienda by his maternal uncles near the town of Colina. He became an orphan again at age 16, and moved to the city of Concepción where he worked as a clerk in a store, and later as an apprentice in a merchant ship.

War of Independence

At the beginning of the independence struggle in 1810, he became actively involved in the public meetings that accompanied the establishment of the first

Junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by a ...

. In 1811, he became a cadet of the Dragones de la Frontera, and participated in the battles of Huilquilemu, Talcahuano, El Roble and El Quilo during the Chilean War of Independence. By the time of the Rancagua disaster and the end of the Patria Vieja, he was already a captain. With many others he crossed the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

and went into exile to

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 ...

. In 1816 he joined the

Army of the Andes The Army of the Andes ( es, Ejército de los Andes) was a military force created by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (Argentina) and mustered by general José de San Martín in his campaign to free Chile from the Spanish Empire. In 181 ...

, and returned to Chile as a battalion commander through the Planchón Pass (in southern Chile), occupying the city of

Talca Talca () is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the city had a population of 201,142. The city is an importan ...

on February 11, 1817. He fought at the

battle of Maipú The Battle of Maipú ( es, Batalla de Maipú) was a battle fought near Santiago, Chile on April 5, 1818, between South American rebels and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence. The Patriot rebels led by Argentine general Jos ...

, was promoted to colonel for his services to the independence, and named Intendant of Concepción under the O'Higgins administration. His friendship with O'Higgins started to crack by degrees, until in 1822 he resigned his position in disagreement. His name became a rallying point for the discontents with O'Higgins, but the two of them never came to an armed conflict.

As Supreme Director

After the resignation of O'Higgins, he became the new Supreme Director, a position he held from April 4, 1823 (when he was named by the Junta de Representantes that replaced O'Higgins) until July 9, 1826. After a brief interlude, he returned to the office on January 25, 1827. His new resignation on February 5, 1827 was not accepted, and he was elected president on February 15 of the same year. He resigned again on the following May 5, 1827. During his administration he promoted some initiatives of enormous impact, such as the

abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

, the reorganization of the defense system of the port of

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

, and opening Chilean markets to world commerce. He also highlighted the freedom of the press and ordered all convents and monasteries to open free schools. On December 29, 1823 he promulgated a new constitution, based on the project presented by

Juan Egaña Juan Egaña Risco (born 31 October 1769–20 April 1836) was a Chilean politician and liberal philosopher who wrote the 1823 Constitution of Chile and served as President of the Senate of Chile The president of the Senate of Chile is the pr ...

. Considered a highly moralistic document, it reflected the idea that the very essence of the people can be changed by its laws. It tried to regulate both the public and private conduct of the citizens. Such approach very soon proved impracticable, and the Constitution was abandoned after only six months. Since the Chilean treasury was exhausted by the independence wars, and heavily mortgaged by the first foreign loan, contracted with British banks, Freire created a government monopoly (estanco) over tobacco, alcohols, cards and tax paper, same that was assigned to Portales, Cea and Co. and turned in a huge fiasco. This affair marked the first involvement in public government of the future universal minister, Diego Portales. He also completed the independence of the whole territory when he captured

Chiloé Island Chiloé Island ( es, Isla de Chiloé, , ) also known as Greater Island of Chiloé (''Isla Grande de Chiloé''), is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the west coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean. The island is located in southern ...

, which was still held by Spain. After failed military campaigns in 1824 that ended in defeat at Mocopulli, and the 1826 battles of Pudeto and Bellavista, he signed the Treaty of Tantauco, in which Spain definitively renounced claims to that area.

Muzi mission

At about the same time, an apostolic mission arrived in Chile, sent by the Pope, and headed by Monsignor Juan Muzi. The object of the mission was to fix the relations between Chile and the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

. A conflict soon developed because Chile felt it had inherited the rights of patronage held by the Spanish crown, and the Holy See felt differently. In the interim, the government had adopted several measures asserting its control over the church, such as the reformation of the monastic orders, the seizure of church property, and the exile of a bishop who had actively opposed independence. Monsignor Muzi was adamant in its refusal, and asked for his passports, severing relations between the two states. In the domestic arena, conflicts, especially with the supporters of O'Higgins, worsened to such a point that Freire was dismissed during a campaign in 1825, being reinstated upon his return. Nonetheless, the multiple conflicts forced Freire to resign on July 9, 1826, handing over the power to Admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada, who assumed with the new title of "President of the Republic".

As President

A new revolution brought him back to power on January 25, 1827 as Provisional President. After order was restored, he resigned again on February 5, but his resignation was rejected by Congress, who proceeded to confirm him as president on February 15. He finally resigned on May 5, 1827. During his period there was the attempt, headed by

José Miguel Infante José Miguel Infante y Rojas (March 1778 - April 9, 1844) was a Chilean statesman and political figure. He served several times as deputy and minister, and was the force behind the Federalist movement in that country. Early life He was born in S ...

, to establish a

federal system Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (provincial, state, cantonal, territorial, or other sub-unit governments) in a single p ...

of government. In fact, the Chilean Congress dictated a number of laws to that effect. The idea was to formulate a federative republic based on the example of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Many conflicts erupted among the new States-Provinces that made the new system collapse very quickly.

Cabinet

Later life

Originally he retired to the Cucha-cucha Hacienda, but shortly afterwards returned to political infighting in the

Chilean Civil War of 1829 Chilean may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Chile, a country in South America * Chilean people * Chilean Spanish * Chilean culture The culture of Chile reflects the population and the geographic isolation of the country in relatio ...

. His final defeat came at the battle of Lircay. He was then imprisoned and later sent into exile in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. In Peru, and with the help of

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Andrés de Santa Cruz Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana (; 30 November 1792 – 25 September 1865) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as interim president of Peru in 1827, the interim president of Peru from 1836 to 1838 and the sixth president of B ...

, he outfitted a small expedition and attempted to capture the island of Chiloé. After failing in his purpose, he was again imprisoned at the port of

, court-martialled, and exiled first to the island of Juan Fernández, and afterwards to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

and in 1837 temporarily resettled in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

.Origins: History of immigration from Chile - Immigration Museum, Melbourne Australia
/ref> He was allowed to return to Chile in 1842, where he lived peacefully until his death on December 9, 1851.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freire, Ramon 1787 births 1851 deaths People from Santiago Chilean people of Galician descent Liberal Party (Chile, 1849) politicians Supreme Directors of Chile Presidents of Chile Heads of state of Chile Chilean Army generals People of the Chilean War of Independence People of the Chilean Civil War of 1829–30 Candidates for President of Chile Chilean people of Spanish descent