Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez (1821 – April 7, 1891) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an politician and military figure who played a major role in the Occupation of the Araucanía. His parents were Manuel Saavedra Cabrera, son of the president of the First Government of Buenos Aires in 1810 and

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

general,

Cornelio Saavedra Cornelio Judas Tadeo de Saavedra y Rodríguez (September 15, 1759 – March 29, 1829) was an Argentine military officer and statesman. He was instrumental in the May Revolution, the first step of Argentina's independence from Spain, and became t ...

, and Josefina Rodriguez Salcedo. He married Dorotea Rivera Serrano, daughter of Chilean General Juan de Dios Rivera and Freire de Andrade and Galeazzo Maria del Rosario Alfaro Serrano. At the age of 15 years he entered the military academy, graduating with the rank of second lieutenant of infantry in the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

in the following year. In 1837 he was assigned to Battalion Chillán, where he rose to lieutenant at the age of 17 years. In 1847 he was promoted to the rank of sergeant major and retired from active duty for health reasons in 1849. Two years later he was called to participate in the 1851 Revolution to overthrow the newly elected President

Manuel Montt Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861. He was the first civilian to serve a full term as Presi ...

and to repeal the 1833 Constitution. In 1857 he was appointed mayor and commander of weapons of Arauco, in whose care had to quell the uprising of the southern provinces during the revolution of 1859. That year he was reinstated to the Army with the rank of sergeant major. Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez took office as General Commander of the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Ori ...

in 1860, but left the charge the same year. In 1862 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Saavedra presented a draft plan to President Manuel Montt to advance Chilean territory to the south of La Frontera (consisting of the Bio Bio River), a plan that was rejected. After the incident involving the Frenchman Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, self-proclaimed King of the Araucania and Patagonia declaring the territories of his "kingdom" under the protection of France, President José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano decided to occupy the area immediately approving Saavedra's plan for the occupation of the Araucanía during its first phase.. He led campaigns culminating in the submission of the Mapuche. The first phase consisted of building forts and small villages along the river Malleco, going into Mapuche territory (including the foundation of the city of Angol in 1862). The second phase (1867–1869) was decisive in advance, but the third phase in 1870 was not as successful and led to further negotiations. After the pacification of Araucanía, he participated in the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

. He later retired from military life was made a deputy for San Carlos, Chile (1861–1864),

Linares, Chile Linares is a Chilean city and Communes of Chile, commune located in the Maule Region and lies in the fertility (soil), fertile Chilean Central Valley, south of Santiago, Chile, Santiago and south of Talca, the Maule Region, regional capital. Lin ...

(1864–1867), Carelmapu (1867–1870), Nacimiento, Chile and

Angol Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the ...

(1870–1873) and

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

(1879).Historia del Ejército de Chile
page 46

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saavedra, Cornelio 1821 births 1891 deaths Military personnel from Santiago, Chile Ministers of defense of Chile Chilean Army generals Chilean Navy officers Chilean people of Argentine descent Chilean people of Spanish descent People of the 1851 Chilean Revolution People of the Occupation of Araucanía Chilean military personnel of the War of the Pacific Bernardo O'Higgins Military Academy alumni Intendants of Valparaíso Province Intendants of Arauco Province