Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa (17 May 1708/1711 – 29 April 1784) was a Spanish politician and soldier who served as

governor of Chile The royal governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonial administrative district called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the royal governor also held the title of a captain general. There w ...

(1772–80) and viceroy of Peru (1780–84).

Early life

Jáuregui was born in Lecároz, the son of Matías de Jáuregui and of his wife, Juana María de Aldecoa. At the age of 25 he entered the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, serving at

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...

(now in Colombia) during the British siege in 1740. He rose to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

, and became a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the

Order of Santiago The Order of 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 pilgrims on the Way of S ...

. Before his appointment as governor of Chile, he also served in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. In 1772, while resident in Spain, he was named governor by authority of

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

. In October of that year he embarked for Peru with his son Tomás. His wife, a native of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.administrative and

governmental A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

reforms Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

. For example, he set up a postal service on 29 April 1775. He oversaw Chile's first

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, which established the population at 259,646 inhabitants, in 1778. In June 1772 he introduced a severe ordinance intended to preserve public order. Individuals could not bear arms in public;

theft Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shor ...

of animals was to be punished by whipping; shopkeepers who did not close at the proper hour were subject to fines. With the agreement of Bishop Alday, he restricted the

right of asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, such as a second country or another enti ...

in churches to only two, Santa Ana and San Isidro. He introduced reforms of the tax-collection system in 1772. For many taxes he ended the farming system (collection by third parties, for a percentage of the revenue), and required that taxes be paid directly to

the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

. This included the customs. The reforms were opposed by the merchants, but Jáuregui put them into effect anyway. He held a series of formal meeting with indigenous leaders. In April 1774 he met with their

ambassadors An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

and he met with various leaders in the Parliament of Tapihue the following December. One of the things agreed to was the establishment of a school for the Indigenous, to be run by the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

s. This was the ''Colegio de San Pablo'', which opened in April 1775 in Santiago. Jáuregui presided over the beginning of construction of the cathedral of

, under the direction of the Italian architect he recruited, Gioacchino Toesca. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

was

consecrate Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

d on 8 December 1775. Also, the Real Universidad de San Felipe enjoyed growth during his tenure. The Academy of

Forensic Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

Practice was established, and attached to the University. In 1776 the

Captaincy General of Chile The General Captaincy of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ), Governorate of Chile, or Kingdom of Chile, was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818 that was, initially, part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It comprised most of mod ...

suffered the loss of the province of Cuyo, including the cities of Mendoza, San Juan, and San Luis, due to the creation of the

Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata or Viceroyalty of Buenos Aires ( or Virreinato de Buenos Aires or ) meaning "River of the Silver", also called the "Viceroyalty of River Plate" in some scholarly writings, in southern South America, was ...

. In 1777 Jáuregui established a

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

system to defend against rural banditry and prepare for other military action, although each unit was required to finance uniforms and weapons itself. Two cavalry regiments, with 1,400 men, were created, and one new

infantry regiment Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, with 800 men. In the professional army, the forces were redistributed along the frontier in Arauco, and in Santiago. He proposed better pay for the troops, and this was approved by

in January 1778. By royal order, free trade among various ports in Spain and America was adopted in 1778. Included were

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

and Concepción in Chile. The order also authorized the route around

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

. This was an important benefit for the colony. Also in 1778 the ''Colegio de San Carlos'' was founded in Santiago. This replaced the ''Convictorio de San Francisco Javier'', which had been administered by the Jesuits up until their expulsion. In May 1778 the

Mapocho River The River Mapocho () ( Mapudungun: ''Mapu chuco'', "water that penetrates the land") is a river in Chile. It flows from its source in the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago in two. Course The Mapocho begins at the ...

flooded.

As viceroy of Peru

In 1780, Jáuregui was named viceroy of Peru. The reception in honor of his arrival (July 20) included a speech of welcome by the Peruvian intellectual José Baquíjano. Almost before the celebrations in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

in honour of his arrival had ended, he had to confront the insurrection of

Túpac Amaru II Tupac Amaru II (born José Gabriel Condorcanqui Noguera, – 18 May 1781) was an Indigenous ''cacique'' who led a Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II, large Andean rebellion against the Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish in Peru as Self-proclaimed monarc ...

(José Gabriel Condorcanqui). Túpac Amaru was a direct descendant of the earlier Túpac Amaru, the last

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

(Emperor) of Vilcabamba, who had been beheaded on the orders of Viceroy Francisco de Toledo in 1572. Túpac Amaru II was

cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

of Tungasuca, Surimana and Pampamarca, and enjoyed properties, businesses and prestige in the region of

Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...

. He was 40 years old when he led the

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

, tired of the abuses of the '' corregidores'' and merchants and of the reforms of ''Visitador'' José Antonio de Areche (customs, taxes, tributes). Túpac Amaru had been organizing a

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

since 1778. The revolt began on 4 November 1780. On that date, he captured and condemned to the gallows the corregidor of Tinta, Antonio de Arriaga. The same day he spoke to thousands of followers at Tungasuca, announcing the abolition of '' mita'' ( forced labour), '' obraje'' (another form of forced labour), black

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

, the sales tax and the corregidors. Jáuregui succeeded in defeating Túpac Amaru in 1781, and within a month he had been arrested and tried. On 18 May 1781 Túpac Amaru, his wife, and other leaders were

execute Execution, in capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), s ...

d. Túpac Amaru himself was torn into pieces by four horses, and the pieces were publicly displayed in various Indian towns as a warning to future rebels. Other rebels were brutally tortured and killed between 1781 and 1783. It is not known whether any descendants of the Inca emperors survived the repression. However, discontent persisted amongst the native peoples because of abuse of the ''

repartimiento The ''Repartimiento'' () (Spanish, "distribution, partition, or division") was a colonial labor system imposed upon the indigenous population of Spanish America and the Philippines. In concept, it was similar to other tribute-labor systems, such a ...

'' and ''mita'' systems of labor tribute, which Jáuregui notified the court of. Jáuregui also busied himself in improving the defenses, the militia, and the postal service of the viceroyalty. He left his post on 6 April 1784, and a few days later died in an accident in

Additional information

Notes

Sources

* * * * *

External links

A short biography

Some information
about his administration

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jauregui Y Aldecoa, Agustin 18th-century births 1784 deaths 18th-century Spanish military personnel People from Baztán (comarca) Viceroys of Peru Royal governors of Chile Knights of Santiago 18th-century Spanish politicians Spanish army officers People from the Kingdom of Navarre