Bartolomé Blumenthal
Encyclopedia
Bartolomé Blumenthal alias Bartolomé Flores (1511 in Nuremberg
, Germany
– November 11, 1585 in Talagante
, Chile
) is supposed to be the first German
arrived in Chile. He came with the expedition of Pedro de Valdivia
at the beginning of the Spanish
conquest of Chile.
n town of Nuremberg. His parents were Johann Blumenthal and Ágatha (Agueda) Welzer. His Spanish family name Flores is a direct translation of Blumen.
Blumenthal came about 1528 to America and stayed first in La Española, Santo Domingo and Nicaragua, from where he travelled to Peru, to support Gonzalo Pizarro
. There he got to know Pedro de Valdivia.
Blumenthal travelled together with Valdivia's expedition in the beginning of the conquest of Chile. There he participated in the defense of the settlement of Santiago, when it was attacked by local tribes led by chief Michimalonco
on 11 September 1541.
In Chile he changed his family Name in 1555 to Flores (flowers in Spanish, and is a direct translation from the German word Blumen. Blumenthal, on the other hand, means literally "Valley of the flowers" in German, which has no direct translation as a Spanish surname). He married Elvira, the only daughter of the Cacique
of Talagante. The daughter of Flores and Elvira was baptized with the name of Águeda Flores and is the grandmother of Catalina de los Ríos y Lisperguer, called La Quintrala
.
He died in 1585 in Talagante.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
– November 11, 1585 in Talagante
Talagante
Talagante is a commune and the capital city of the province of the same name in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. The word Talagante in Quechua comes from talacanta, meaning "Lazo de Hechicero", which was the proper name of the curaca, or ruler, who dominated this central valley on...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
) is supposed to be the first German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
arrived in Chile. He came with the expedition of Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
at the beginning of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conquest of Chile.
Biography
Blumenthal, known in Chile as Bartolomé Flores was born 1511 in the BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n town of Nuremberg. His parents were Johann Blumenthal and Ágatha (Agueda) Welzer. His Spanish family name Flores is a direct translation of Blumen.
Blumenthal came about 1528 to America and stayed first in La Española, Santo Domingo and Nicaragua, from where he travelled to Peru, to support Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso was a Spanish conquistador and younger paternal half-brother of Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca Empire...
. There he got to know Pedro de Valdivia.
Blumenthal travelled together with Valdivia's expedition in the beginning of the conquest of Chile. There he participated in the defense of the settlement of Santiago, when it was attacked by local tribes led by chief Michimalonco
Michimalonco
Michima Lonco was an indigenous chief said to be a great warrior, born in the Aconcagua Valley and educated in Cusco by the Inca Empire. He presented himself to the Spaniards, naked and covered by a black pigmentation...
on 11 September 1541.
In Chile he changed his family Name in 1555 to Flores (flowers in Spanish, and is a direct translation from the German word Blumen. Blumenthal, on the other hand, means literally "Valley of the flowers" in German, which has no direct translation as a Spanish surname). He married Elvira, the only daughter of the Cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
of Talagante. The daughter of Flores and Elvira was baptized with the name of Águeda Flores and is the grandmother of Catalina de los Ríos y Lisperguer, called La Quintrala
La Quintrala
Catalina de los Ríos y Lisperguer was an aristocratic 17th century Chilean landowner, nicknamed La Quintrala because of her flaming red hair. During Chile's colonial period, she was noted for her extreme cruelty to her inquils , accused and tried for over 40 murders, becoming an icon of colonial...
.
He died in 1585 in Talagante.
External links
- Bartolomé Flores (Article in La Tercera: ICARITO)