Eraldon Manuel Barañao (August 5, 1791 – ?), was born in

Tigre, Buenos Aires Tigre (, ''Tiger'') is a city in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, situated in the north of Greater Buenos Aires, north of Buenos Aires city. Tigre lies on the Paraná Delta and is a tourist and weekend destination, reachable by bus and ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

but traveled to

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 east a ...

in 1809, becoming a revolutionary supporter of

Juan Martínez de Rozas Juan Martínez de Rozas Correa (December 28, 1758 – May 16, 1813) was a Chilean lawyer and politician, he was also the first leader in the Chilean fight for independence. Biography He was born at Mendoza (then, still a Chilean dependenc ...

and taking up commerce.

Role in the Chilean War of Independence

Barañao began the Chilean War of Independence as a supporter of the patriots; after the royalists conquered the city of

Concepción, Chile Concepción (; originally: ''Concepción de la Madre Santísima de la Luz'', "Conception of the Blessed Mother of Light") is a city and commune in central Chile, and the geographical and demographic core of the Greater Concepción metropolitan a ...

and many patriots fell to infighting, however, his views began to shift and he became a support of the

royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

. Under the governorship of

Mariano Osorio Mariano de Osorio (; 1777–1819) was a Spanish general and Governor of Chile, from 1814 to 1815. Early career Osorio was born in Seville, Spain. He joined the Spanish army and as many of his contemporaries, his military career began during the ...

he took up the position of colonel of the

hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

s under king

Ferdinand VII of Spain , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_plac ...

and became a famous soldier and swordsman within the Spanish army. His particular unit, a 150-strong squadron of hussars, served prominently at the royalist victory of

Battle of Rancagua The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the rebel Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins. ...

in 1814. After the defeat of the

Battle of Chacabuco The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, occurred on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, led by Captain–General José de San Martín, defeated a Spanish fo ...

, however, like many other royalists he was forced to emigrate to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Personal life

In 1814 Barañao married Josefa Valenzuela Santibáñez, daughter of Diego Valenzuela Avalos y Mercedes Santibáñez Careaga, with whom he had four children: Joaquín, Aniceto, José Manuel and Diego. Barañao returned to

with the change of government in the 1830s. 1790 births Chilean Army officers People of the Chilean War of Independence Year of death unknown Date of birth unknown {{Peru-mil-bio-stub