An tUasal Bernardo Ó hUigín
Don Bernardo O'Higgins
The Chilean soldier and statesman Bernardo O'Higgins became a leading figure in the movement for emancipation from Spain and the first head of an independent Chilean Republic. He was a member of the O'Higgins family of Ballynary (later of Summerhill, Co.Meath).
Don Bernardo O'Higgins was born around 1776/78 in the small town of Chillán, Chile. He was the son of Ambrosio O'Higgins, a Spanish officer, from Ireland, who would later hold the position of Vice-Roy of Peru and Governor of Chile, and the daughter of a local noble to whom Ambrose never married. While Ambrose never met his son he did provide for his upkeep and education. At the age of 12 Bernardo was sent by his father to Peru for his secondary education, only later to leave for Europe at the age of 16.
At age 17, Don O'Higgins left to continue his studies in Richmond in England, where he would meet several leading Latino political activist. Of these activist was Fransisco Miranda, who had established a secret Masonic lodge, an organization whose members had sworn to fight for the independence of Latin America. Under the tutelage of Miranda, and as a member of the Masonic lodge, Don O'Higgins gained a deep sense of nationalist pride. Despite his father's position, who had now become Viceroy of Peru, Don Bernardo O'Higgins's travels only reinforced his revolutionist ideas. During a final trip to Spain in 1799, Don O'Higgins met Latino clerics who also favored independence, an encounter that acted to solidify his position.
In 1801, Don O'Higgins's father died, leaving him his estate near Chillán. Don O'Higgins returned home to tend to the estate, which through his management prospered almost immediately. Several years later, the opportunity to claim Chile's independence arose. In 1808, Napoleon I invaded Spain and left Spain and its colonies in a vulnerable state. Throughout Latin America there was a wave of revolutionary movements, and in Chile a national "junta" was established in Santiago. This "junta" soon replaced the governor of Chile, and by 1811 Chile had its own congress. Don O'Higgins was a member of this congress until an invasion by the Viceroy of Peru defeated the newly established government. Those in power, including Don O'Higgins, fled into Argentina to regroup and spent three years in preparation for another battle.It seems that during this time he also sent some money to his relatives in Summerhill, Co. Meath in Ireland.
During this time, Don O'Higgins had moved up in the military rankings to General-in-Chief of the defensive forces and prior to the battle with Peru, he also received the title of governor of the province of Concepción. As General-in-Chief, Don O'Higgins returned to Chile in 1817 alongside Don José de San Martin and an Argentine army and engaged in a month of fighting before overpowering the Spanish. In acknowledgment of his accomplishments, Don O'Higgins was elected interim Supreme Director, first Head of State of Chile.
The Flag of Chile,
introduced by President Bernardo O'Higgins in 1817/18
During his time as Director, Don O'Higgins succeeded in establishing the first Chilean constitution, a national navy, and continued his goal to free Latin America by invading Peru. Don O'Higgins helped to lead a government that was republican in nature, which was recognized by other emerging governments of the time. He abolished the nobility and legislated for equal treatment of Catholics and Protestants alike. He believed that through friendly relations with other republics, namely the United States, Chile would prosper as a nation and Latin America would have the independence they sought and so he set about developing diplomatic relations with the USA and other countries.
Bernardo O'Higgins Monument, Archbishop Ryan Park, Merrion Square, Dublin.
However, Don O'Higgins soon lost favor particularly with the local Spanish aristocracy and the Catholic Church in Chile and was forced to resign from the position of Supreme Director of Chile in 1823. As Don O'Higgins stated, "the talents which constitute the great generals, like the great poets, must be born with us, and I am discerning enough to know that I lack these ..." Whether or not he was a great general, or simply one of mediocre ability, Don O'Higgins dream of an independent Chile was realized through his actions. From 1823 until his death, Don O'Higgins lived with his family in exile in Peru. However, after his death his body was returned to Chile in 1866 where he was hailed as the "Liberator of Chile" and a national hero. There is a monument to Don Bernardo O'Higgins in Archbishop Ryan Park, in Merrion Square Dublin.
References
- Sepulveda, Alfredo, 'Bernardo O'Higgins, The Rebel Son of A Viceroy' in Irish Migration Studies in Latin America 4:4 (Oct. 2006).
Amunátegui, Miguel Luis, La dictadura de O'Higgins (Madrid: América, 18?).
- Barros Arana, Diego, Historia General de Chile (Santiago de Chile: Rafael Jover, Vols. 8-12, 1884-1902).
- Carrera, José Miguel, Diario Militar (Santiago de Chile: Imprenta Cervantes, 1900).
- De Breffny, Brian, 'Ambrose O'Higgins: An enquiry into his origins and ancestry' in The Irish Ancestor 2:2 (1970), pp. 81-89.
- De la Cruz, José María et al., Recuerdos de don Bernardo O'Higgins (Santiago de Chile: Andrés Bello, 1960).
- Donoso, Ricardo, El marqués de Osorno don Ambrosio Higgins (Santiago de Chile: Publicaciones de la Universidad de Chile, 1945).
- Eyzaguirre, Jaime, O'Higgins (Santiago de Chile: Zig-Zag, 1965).
- Hughes, Noel, Bernardo O'Higgins - In Richmond? (London: Richmond History, no. 18, 1997).
- León, Leonardo, Reclutas forzados y desertores de la patria: El bajo pueblo chileno en la guerra de la independencia in 'Historia' (Santiago de Chile), 35 (2002), pp. 251-297.
- Ruiz Moreno, Isidoro J., Campañas militares argentinas. La política y la guerra (Buenos Aires: Emecé, 2005).
- Twinam, Ann, Public lives, Private secrets. Gender, Honor, Sexuality, and Illegitimacy in Colonial Spanish America (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1999).
- Valencia Avaria, Luis, O'Higgins, el buen genio de América (Santiago de Chile: Universitaria, 1980).
- Vicuña Mackenna, Benjamín, El Ostracismo del jeneral don Bernardo O'Higgins (Valparaíso: Imprenta y Librería de El Mercurio, 1860).
