Juan Ángel Michelena

Juan Ángel Michelena

coat of arms of Michelena
Birth name Juan Angel de Michelena y Moreno
Born 1774
Maracaibo, Viceroyalty of New Granada
Died 1831
Ferrol, A Coruña, Spain
Allegiance Spain
Years of service 1790-1830
Rank Captain
Battles/wars Batalla del Cabo de San Vicente
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
Argentine War of Independence

Juan Ángel Michelena (1774–1831) was a Spanish military officer and Governor of Montevideo.

Biography

Juan Ángel Michelena was born in Maracaibo, the son of José Ignacio de Michelena Echavarria (born in Cadiz) and Maria Gertrudis Josefa Moreno de Mendoza (born in Ceuta).[1] Michelena was married in Buenos Aires to María del Carmen del Pino, daughter of Joaquín del Pino and Rafaela de Vera Mujica,[2] and sister in law of Bernardino Rivadavia.[3] His son Juan de Michelena del Pino married in Buenos Aires to Juana María Canaveris, daughter of Lieutenant Manuel Canaveris.[4]

Military career

Michelena traveled to Spain early age, and joined the Spanish Navy in the military port of Cadiz at age twelve. He initially served in the Mediterranean. Later served in Havana, Puerto Rico and fought in the Battle of San Vicente (conflict occurred on February 14, 1797 in Cape St. Vincent).[5] He was Captain in 1805, when he came to Montevideo, rising to command of General Pascual Ruiz Huidobro. The following year he joined the campaign of Santiago de Liniers.[6] to fight the British invasions of the Río de la Plata, as head of the sailors who fought on land. Later he was one of the Captains who led and brought troops to and from the Banda Oriental.

In September 1807 the Viceroy Liniers, had appointed Michelena as governor in the Banda Oriental, event that causes great commotion in the Uruguayan community.[7] Michelena finally traveled to Montevideo to take over government, after arrival was insulted and beaten in public by Francisco Javier de Elio. He remained during the following years in Montevideo, but did not support the ruling junta installed by Elio in that city in 1808. A year later, Elio was deposed by the new viceroy, Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros.[8]

Michelena was in Buenos Aires when the May Revolution broke out, and had accompanied to the General Joaquin de Soria to Montevideo. In an act of stupidity that will cost you dearly, the Primera Junta did not try to prevent who Soria, carry the naval fleet with him toward Montevideo, where they formed the most powerful realist centre. Michelena had helped disarm the revolutionary attempt engineered by Colonel Prudencio Murguiondo in the Banda Oriental.

In December of that same year, 1810, he led a campaign against the shores of the Uruguay river, achieving the recruitment of several towns to obedience from Montevideo, among them Concepción del Uruguay, Gualeguaychú, Paysandú, Soriano, Mercedes, and Colla. When the Uruguayans took up arms early in the next year, Michelena could not prevent the sending reinforcements by the patriots porteños, but at least greatly delayed their progress. Along with Captain Jacinto de Romarate, fought against the patriotic troops in several campaigns, and plundered the coast of the Paraná River, causing the weakening of the porteños.

In July 1811, Michelena had approached the coast of Buenos Aires commanding five Spanish ships, he had order to open fire on the city. In total thirty-one bombs, and three cannonballs, were fired at the Rio de la Plata, without reaching the coast of the city (event known as Primer Bombardeo de Buenos Aires) .[9]

In August 1812, he led a second bombing on Buenos Aires, who only provoked some damage in coast of the river, but caused great psychological effect on the inhabitants.[10]

In 1814 Juan Ángel Michelena participates in the battle of Buceo, where Spanish naval forces confront against the patriots, led by William Brown. Michelena was one of the prisoners of the battle, when the city surrendered to General Carlos María de Alvear.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Historia genealógica de los virreyes del Río de la Plata, Junta Sabatina de Especialidades Históricas
  2. ↑ Aportes biogenealógicos para un padrón de habitantes del Río de la Plata, Volume 4, Fernández Burzaco, 1989
  3. ↑ Congreso Internacional de Historia de América: actas / Academia Nacional de la Historia, Part 2, La Academia, 1938
  4. ↑ Nobiliario del antiguo virreynato del Río de la Plata, Librería y editorial "La Facultad", Bernabé y cía., 1936
  5. ↑ Historia marítima argentina, Volume 4, Departamento de Estudios Históricos Navales
  6. ↑ Ruptura del viejo orden hispanoamericano, editorial andres bello
  7. ↑ Ruptura del viejo orden hispanoamericano, By Armando De Ramón
  8. ↑ Obra selecta by José Gervasio Artigas, Lucía Sala de Touron, Biblioteca Ayacucho 2000,
  9. ↑ La Revista de Buenos Aires: historia Americana, literatura y ..., Volume 1, Miguel Navarro Viola, Vicente Gregorio Quesada
  10. ↑ Historia argentina: Libertad e independencia, Clasa
  11. ↑ Uruguay: Cronologia Historica Documentada, Walter Rela

External links

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