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 (; es, Orden de 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 pilgri ...

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 genu ...

'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 , 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 ...

and Pacification by the Spanish crown headed by General Pablo Morillo, brings about a violent pacification in the lands of the New Granada. From the

Captaincy General of Venezuela The Captaincy General of Venezuela ( es, Capitanía General de Venezuela), also known as the Kingdom of Venezuela (), was an administrative district of colonial Spain, created on September 8, 1777, through the Royal Decree of Graces of 1777, t ...

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 SolerBiblioteca Púbica Municipal Francisco Mariño y Soler
/ref>). 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 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 Battle of Vargas Swamp ( es, Batalla del Pantano de Vargas) was a battle that occurred near Paipa, on July 25, 1819. A joint Venezuelan and Neogranadine army commanded by Simón Bolívar was trying to prevent Spanish forces from arriving at San ...

near Bonza and the Battle of Boyacá.

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 ador ...

and after that he serves as a Senator of the

Republic of New Granada The Republic of New Granada was a 1831–1858 centralist unitary republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil. On 9 May 1834, the national flag wa ...

, Granadine Confederation and

United States of Colombia 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 nations ...

, 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 or ...

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

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

. :''NOTE:'' :''Cincinnatus: Epigraph used after L. Quinctius Cincinnatus -and generally used to describe a virtuous Roman patrician-, a model of civic virtue. Cincinnatus saved Rome from the Celtic invasions of the North. Although the

Roman dictator A Roman dictator was an extraordinary 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 other magistrates, con ...

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, Primus Inter Pares.'' 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 city, Francisco Mariño y Soler was member of one of the most noble colonial families in New Kingdom of Granada, 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, 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, Boyacá, Santa Rosa de Viterbo, who arrived in America from Pontevedra 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, Santiago Mariño Carige Fitzgerald, General in Chief of East Army and President of Republic of Venezuela. 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. * 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

* Freethought, Freethinker * Federalist * Roman Catholic

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

Bibliography and external links

''Portal de Archivos Españoles''

''National Museum of Colombia. Board independence and heroes.''

''National Library of Colombia''

''Luis Angel Arango Library''

Colombian Academy of History

Consello da Cultura Gallega
Os documentos do Tombo de Toxos Outos.
"TIBASOSA EN LA CAMPAÑA LIBERTADORA"
''El Tiempo (Colombia)'' article. * Enciclopedia Salvat. Salvat Editores. Edition of 1959. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marino, Francisco 1780 births 1876 deaths 19th-century Colombian people Counts of Spain Granadine Confederation Knights of Santiago Marquesses of Spain Republic of New Granada