Jorge Tadeo Lozano
Encyclopedia
Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Viscount of Pastrana (January 30, 1771 – July 6, 1816) was a Neogranadine (now Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n) scientist, journalist, and politician who presided over the Constituent College of Cundinamarca
Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca
The Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca was a rebel state in modern Colombia between 1810 and 1815 during the Patria Boba period at the beginning of the Latin American wars of independence...

 and was elected President of Cundinamarca in 1811.

Early life

Born Jorge Tadeo Lozano de Peralta y González Manrique, he was the son of the Marqueses of San Jorge, Jorge Miguel Lozano de Peralta Varaés Maldonado de Mendoza y Olaya, and María González Manrique del Frago Bonis. He was born on January 30, 1771 in Santafé de Bogotá, the capital of Viceroyalty of New Granada
Viceroyalty of New Granada
The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the name given on 27 May 1717, to a Spanish colonial jurisdiction in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. The territory corresponding to Panama was incorporated later in 1739...

, present day Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

.

Tadeo was the quintessential Renaissance man
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...

, belonging to one of the most prestigious and affluent families of the viceroyalty, and receiving a very extensive and profound education. He studied literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

, and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 in the Our Lady of the Rosary University
Our Lady of the Rosary University
The Universidad del Rosario is a university originally founded on Roman Catholic principles, in 1653 by Fray Cristobal de Torres. Located in Bogotá, Colombia, due to its important place in Colombian history, it is known as "The Cradle of the Republic". It had also a primary and secundary school...

, then called the Colegio Mayor del Rosario. After finishing his studies he opted for a career in the military, and continued his studies in Spain
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...

 as part of the Walloon Guards
Walloon Guards
The Walloon Guards were an infantry corps originally recruited in the region now known as Belgium, mainly in Catholic Wallonia, for the Spanish Army...

, where he fought for Spain against the French in the War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...

. Tadeo served under the command of the Spanish General Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union
Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union
Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union became a general officer in the army of the Kingdom of Spain. In 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars, he commanded the Spanish Army in a mostly unsuccessful effort to hold back the army of the First French Republic...

, and rose among the ranks to obtain the rank of Captain in the Royal Spanish Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...

. While in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 he also studied Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

 and Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 in the Royal Laboratory of Chemistry of the Court of Madrid (Real Laboratorio de Química de la Corte de Madrid) between 1792 and 1793. After finishing his studies, and retiring from his military service, Tadeo traveled through Europe and lived for a while in Paris.

When Tadeo returned to New Granada in 1797, he became an active member of the tertulia
Tertulia
A tertulia is a social gathering with literary or artistic overtones, especially in Iberia or Latin America. The word is originally Spanish, and has only moderate currency in English, in describing Latin cultural contexts....

s of Bogotá, including the tertulia of the Casino, which was directed by Antonio Nariño
Antonio Nariño
Antonio de la Santísima Concepción Nariño y Álvarez was an ideological Colombian precursor and one of the early political and military leaders of the independence movement in the New Granada - Early political activity :Nariño was born to an aristocratic family...

, and frequented by other prominent criollos
Criollo people
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...

 like Francisco Antonio Zea
Francisco Antonio Zea
Francisco Antonio Zea was a Neogranadine journalist, botanist, diplomat and statesman that served as the 1st Vice President of Colombia under then-President Simón Bolívar...

 and Manuel de Bernardo Alvarez.

Journalism

In 1801, Tadeo and his relative José Luis Azuola y Lozano, founded the newspaper Correo curioso, erudito, económico y mercantil de la ciudad de Santafé de Bogotá, the third newspaper in the viceroyalty and in the history of Colombia. This weekly publication ran between February 17, 1801 and December 29 of the same year, with a total of 46 publications. This publication, along with the subsequent newspapers that were circulated at the time, were crucial in the formation of ideas among the criollos, who began propagating an idea of Neogranadine self-administration, governance, economy and culture separate to that of Europe, thus setting the stage for a future separation. Tadeo had the opportunity to publish some of his own articles in the newspaper, mostly dealing with the idea of forming an economic alliance to foment the economy of the viceroyalty.

Tadeo returned to journalism again in 1814, when he founded and directed along with José Ángel Manrique the newspaper El anteojo de larga vista, a short lived publication of only 15 issues, but which were filled with a patriotic and independentist sentiment.

Political life

Tadeo's first involvement in politics was 1799, when he was appointed Mayor of Bogotá by the Real Audiencia of Bogotá, he however did not last long in this office. On July 31, 1807 he was appointed Lieutenant Protector of Indians, for the regions of Bosa
Bosa (Bogotá)
Bosa is the 7th locality of the Capital District of the Colombian capital city, Bogotá. Bosa is located in the southwestern part of Bogotá and is the 8th largest locality and 9th most populated.- Geography :...

, Fusagasugá
Fusagasugá
Fusagasugá is a town and municipality in the department of Cundinamarca, in central Colombia. It is located some forty miles from the capital, Bogotá. With 122,000 inhabitants, Fusagasugá is one of the largest municipalities in the department. It was founded in 1562 by Spanish priests.It borders...

 and Usaquén
Usaquén
Usaquén is a residential and commercial locality in northern Bogotá, capital of Colombia. Although it is designated on maps as Bogotá's #1 locality, it was a separate municipality of Cundinamarca until 1954, when it was annexed into the city. Today, Usaquén is home of more than 480.000 inhabitants...

.

Following the events of the Independence of the New Granada, Tadeo offered his services to the cause and became more involved in politics. When José Miguel Pey de Andrade
José Miguel Pey de Andrade
José Miguel Pey y García de Andrade was a Colombian statesman and soldier and a leader of the independence movement from Spain. He is considered the first vice president and first president of Colombia. He was a centralist.-Background:Pey, a Criollo, was born on March 11, 1763 in Santa Fe de...

 took office of the Open Cabildo
Cabildo (council)
For a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...

 of Bogotá he called for a constituent assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...

 to set the course for the nascent state. Among those chosen as representative for the constituency of Soto
Bosa (Bogotá)
Bosa is the 7th locality of the Capital District of the Colombian capital city, Bogotá. Bosa is located in the southwestern part of Bogotá and is the 8th largest locality and 9th most populated.- Geography :...

, and was elected President of the Constituent Electoral College, having both executive and legislative powers. This legislative body drafted the first constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...

 of Cundinamarca. This constitution, of a liberal representative character, recognized the King of Spain as the monarch, but dismissed the claims of representation by the Viceroy, making the Colony into a commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...

 state. On April 1, 1811, Tadeo took office as the first President
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...

 of the newly created confederation
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...

 called the United Provinces of New Granada
United Provinces of New Granada
The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1811 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as the Patria Boba. It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada. The government was a federation with a parliamentary system, consisting of a weak executive and...

.

Resignation

Although Tadeo was elected President, his term did not last long. He was heavily criticised for being too weak, and for the constant scandals he and his family were involved. His biggest opponent was Antonio Nariño
Antonio Nariño
Antonio de la Santísima Concepción Nariño y Álvarez was an ideological Colombian precursor and one of the early political and military leaders of the independence movement in the New Granada - Early political activity :Nariño was born to an aristocratic family...

, who waved a propaganda campaign to wean him out of office, all orchestrated and divulged by his newspaper La Bagatela, where he openly called for his impeachment or resignation. This campaign was only the product of a popular discontent with Tadeo, who was criticised by many criollos for his connections with Spain and his title of nobility.

Tadeo finally resigned on September 19, 1811, letting Nariño assume office. Afterwards he retired from politics and focused himself to his studies and his personal affairs.

Death and legacy

During the Reconquista
Reconquista (Spanish America)
In colonial Spanish America, the Reconquista refers to the period following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 during which royalist armies were able to gain the upper hand in the Spanish American wars of independence...

 of the New Granada, the Pacificador Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, aka El Pacificador was a Spanish general....

 invaded Bogotá and ushered the Reign of Terror, the purging of the Independentists and their institutions. Morillo sought out Tadeo, for his involvement in Congress, in the revolutionary newspaper El anteojo, and the fact that he was President of Cundinamarca, made him a prime target of the reign of terror. He was persecuted, his possessions taken away, and was finally arrested and held for two months, which culminated in his execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...

 on July 6, 1816, in the Orchard of Jaime, now the Plaza de los Mártires in Bogotá.

Tadeo is considered a martyr and a hero of the Revolution and Independence of Colombia. His contribution to science, in the areas of Zoology, Botany and expeditions helped cement the basis of science in the education of the country. The Jorge Tadeo Lozano University
Jorge Tadeo Lozano University
Jorge Tadeo Lozano University is a university in Colombia, with campuses in Bogotá, Cartagena, Santa Marta and Chía.-External links: Jorge Tadeo Lozano, the person...

 was founded in his honour, an institution dedicated to the sciences that he sought to study in life.

Personal life

Upon his return to the New Granada, Tadeo fell in love with his niece, María Tadea Lozano e Isasi, daughter of his brother José María Lozano de Peralta, 2nd Marquess of San Jorge. He expressed his desired to marry her, but the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 could not marry them because of their level of consanguinity
Consanguinity
Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...

; he requested a dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...

 from the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 of Bogotá, Baltazar Jaime Martínez Compañón, for which he paid on June 7, 1797, 2 thousand pesos to be used as grants for the education of the girls of the Enseñanza school, six hundred pesos for church decorations, including two religious paintings, and the construction of an aqueduct in Funza
Funza
Funza is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....

. The dispensation was granted on June 28, 1797 and the wedding was subsequently held on July 2 of the same year. Out of this union, 8 children were born.

Titles and styles

Jorge Tadeo Lozano was Viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...

 of Pastrana, this courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...

 was reserved to the eldest son of the Marquess
Marquess
A marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is also used to translate equivalent oriental styles, as in imperial China, Japan, and Vietnam...

 of San Jorge of Bogotá; the title was originally held by his older brother Jorge Miguel, but ceded it to Jorge Tadeo when he married his daughter María Tadea Lozano e Isasi.

As President of the State of Cundinamarca and Vice-regent of the King's Person, he acted as the pretender
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....

 Viceroy of the New Granada, however he was not recognized by King Ferdinand VII who had instead appointed Francisco Javier Venegas, Marquess of Reunión and New Spain to the post but was unable to take office. While in office he used the royal styling of Jorge I of Cundinamarca.

His full style was His Excellency Jorge Tadeo Lozano Gonzaléz, Viscount of Pastrana, President of the State of Cundinamarca and Vice-regent of the King’s Person.
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