Ohiggins biography

He remained in office until , when conservatives resisting his policies of democratization ousted him from power. Despite his wide-ranging powers, he was a convinced democrat. He abolished noble ranks and he sent forces to assist Peru's freedom struggle. Influenced by the ideals of the United States Declaration of Independence , despite his acceptance of dictatorial authority, he wanted to establish a democracy.

This, however, challenged the elite, who regarded themselves as natural rulers. Conservative elements favored an authoritarian presidency and removed him from office; the Liberals wanted participatory government. O'Higgins identified with the latter. Despite achieving independence, little changed for the vast majority of the population. The lesson is that without a shared vision of how a just and fair government should be structured, a revolution can sacrifice lives without achieving its goals of freedom , justice and equality.

O'Higgins had high hopes, declaring that Chile was to be a refuge for all "people of the globe" who shared the ideal of freedom. O'Higgins was born in Chile. As noted in his certificate of baptism , he was the illegitimate son of Ambrosio O'Higgins, Marquis of Osorno, a Spanish officer born in County Sligo in Ireland , who became governor of Chile and later viceroy of Peru.

O'Higgins spent his early years with his mother's family in central-south Chile. He had a distant relationship with his father, who supported him financially and was concerned with his education, but the two never met in person. Spanish government officials in the Americas were forbidden to marry locals. He then lived in Spain for some time. He inherited his father's estates in and became a gentleman farmer.

In , he joined the nationalist rebels fighting for independence from Spain. The leaders declared independence on September 10, , establishing a National Council although real power resided in a series of juntas, with three to seven members. Napoleon Bonaparte had placed his brother on the Spanish throne and the colonialists did not recognize this regime.

Toggle navigation. Sign Up. Sign In. Bernardo O'Higgins Biography. Carrera was imprisoned to prevent his involvement in Chilean affairs; after his escape, he ended up taking the winning side in the Argentine Federalist war, helping to defeat the directorate in Marching south to attack O'Higgins, now ruler of Chile, Carrera was arrested by supporters of O'Higgins and executed under questionable circumstances in ; his two brothers had already been killed by royalist forces in the preceding years, bringing the long-running feud to an end.

The argument as to the relative contribution of these two great Chilean independence leaders, however, has continued up to the modern day, and O'Higgins' decision not to intervene to prevent the execution coloured many Chileans' views of his reign. For six years, O'Higgins was a largely successful leader, and his government initially functioned well.

Within Chile, O'Higgins established markets, courts, colleges, libraries, hospitals, and cemeteries, [ 7 ] and began important improvements in agriculture. He founded the Chilean Military Academy in , aiming to professionalise the officer corps. O'Higgins remained concerned about the threat of invasion, and had declared after the battle of Chacabuco that "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".

In this regard he tasked the Scottish naval officer, Lord Thomas Cochrane, in a letter dated 12 November , expressing his plan to conquer Guayaquil, the Galapagos Islands, and the Philippines. There were preparations, but the plan didn't push through because O'Higgins was exiled. Nevertheless, in the middle of the 19th century, there was another plan by Chilean officials to also assist in the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War by sending an armada across the Pacific.

However, the plan also did not come to fruition. In time, however, O'Higgins began to alienate important political groupings within the still-fragile Chilean nation. O'Higgins' proposed radical and liberal reforms, such as the establishment of democracy [ clarification needed ] and the abolition of titles of nobility , were resisted by the powerful large landowners.

Having offended the aristocracy and the church, he also lost the support of the businesspeople, his last semi-powerful ally within the country. In , O'Higgins established a new "controversial" [ 16 ] constitution, which many regarded as a desperate attempt to hang on to power. The provinces increasingly viewed him as centralising power to an excessive degree.

O'Higgins was deposed by a conservative coup on 28 January His friendship with O'Higgins started to crack by degrees, however, until in he resigned his position in disagreement. His name became a rallying point for those discontented with O'Higgins, but the two of them never came to an armed conflict. O'Higgins' abdication was typically dramatic: baring his chest, he offered up his life should his accusers demand it of him.

In return, the junta declared they held nothing against O'Higgins, and saluted him. After Ayacucho, my American mission is over. Meanwhile, the Chilean government had begun to rehabilitate O'Higgins, reappointing him to his old rank of captain-general in the Chilean Army. From exile, O'Higgins argued for the establishment of a Chilean settlement in the Strait of Magellan in his correspondence with the Minister of State.

No action was taken on O'Higgins' arguments, but in Chile began to organise an expedition to settle the strait following a request by an American to be allowed to establish a tug boat service in the area.

Ohiggins biography

After travelling to Callao to embark for Chile, however, O'Higgins began to succumb to cardiac problems and was too weak to travel. His doctor ordered him to return to Lima , where on 24 October , aged 64, O'Higgins died. After his death, his remains were first buried in Peru, before being repatriated to Chile in For a long time, they remained in a marble coffin in the Cementerio General de Santiago , and in his remains were transferred by Augusto Pinochet to the Altar de la Patria , in front of the Palacio de La Moneda.

O'Higgins is widely commemorated today, both in Chile and beyond. Each year the borough's mayor is joined by members of the Chilean Embassy for a ceremony, and a wreath is placed there. A blue plaque was erected in his honour at Clarence House in Richmond, where he lived while studying in London. The libretto was written by Elizabeth Harald, but the work was never orchestrated nor staged.

In , the football team O'Higgins F. The Chilean Navy has named several vessels in his honour. They include a frigate , a corvette , an armoured cruiser — , a light cruiser — , and a submarine —present. It was scrapped in It is located on the northernmost part of the continent. Bernardi, Mario Egidio. Bernardi, Mario. Bernardi, Herschel.

Bernardi, Daniel Leonard. Bernardi, Bartolomeo. Bernardi, Barry. Bernardi, Adria Bernardes, Manoel. Bernardes, Diogo. Bernardes, Artur da Silva — Bernard, Tristan. Bernard, Theos Bernard, Sir Francis. Bernari, Carlo — Bernart de Ventadorn. Bernas, Richard.