Manuel Alberti
Encyclopedia
Manuel Máximo Alberti was a priest from Buenos Aires
, when the city was part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
. He had a curacy at Maldonado, Uruguay
during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
, and returned to Buenos Aires in time to take part in the May Revolution
of 1810. He was chosen as one of the seven members of the Primera Junta
, which is considered the first national government of Argentina. He supported most of the proposals of Mariano Moreno
and worked at the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
newspaper. The internal disputes of the Junta had a negative effect on his health, and he died of a heart attack in 1811.
He made his first studies at the Real Colegio de San Carlos in February 1777, graduating in philosophy, logic, physics and metaphysics. He studied with Hipólito Vieytes
, and ended his secondary education on 17 February 1779. He moved to Córdoba the following year, to get university studies of theology at the National University of Córdoba
. Despite a brief return to Buenos Aires during his second year because of health problems, he could finish all the syllabus. He got his doctorate in theology and physics on 16 July 1785. He got his degree at the Church of the Company from interim provost Fray Pedro Gaitán.
He received the presbyterate in the first months of 1786, and was appointed for the Concepción parish, the same one where he was baptized. He also worked at the aforementioned House of Spiritual Works of Buenos Aires. He got the curacy of Magdalena
on 12 September 1790, but resigned a year later because of health problems. He returned in 1793, and resigned definitively on 21 February 1794. After this, he moved to Maldonado
. There are few historical records of his activities in those curacies.
The territory fell briefly under British rule during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
. There was looting after the failed resistance, and Alberti hid all the valuable things from the half-built parish. In defiance of the new British rule, Alberti gave medical aid to the Spanish soldiers and Catholic burials to the deceased, and mailed the Spanish forces with details about the British troops located in the city. As a result, he was jailed. He was released by the British Juan Jaime Backhouse in order to restore religious practices (the invaders did not attempt to enforce Protestantism
in the population), but under military escort. The British would be defeated by Santiago de Liniers
, and driven away from the viceroyalty.
and Nicolás Rodríguez Peña
. Those groups sought to generate great political and social changes, and would lead to the May Revolution
. He was selected to take part in the open cabildo
celebrated on 22 May to decide the fate of Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros
, as well as other twenty-seven ecclesiastics. He was among the nineteen that voted for the removal of the viceroy, supporting the proposal of Cornelio Saavedra
. He also supported Juan Nepomuceno Solá and Ramón Vieytes, who proposed the calling of deputies from the other cities of the viceroyalty.
His brother Manuel Silvestre Alberti signed the popular petition formulated on 25 May that aimed to draft the composition of the Primera Junta
that would replace Cisneros in power. On that day Alberti moved to Azcuénaga's house and from it he observed the events in the plaza, along with many other patriots gathered there. He was there when he came to know that he was chosen as a member of the new Junta. The reasons of Alberti's inclusion in the Junta are unclear, as with all its members. A common accepted theory considers it to be a balance between Carlotists
and Alzaguists
, and Alberti in particular may have been elected to serve as chaplain of the government.
In the Junta, Alberti was aligned with most of the reformist proposals of Mariano Moreno
, as well as Juan Larrea and Juan José Castelli
. He signed most of the rulings that shaped the new political system, such as those related to popular sovereignty, representative and republican principles, separation of powers
, publicity of the government actions, freedom of speech
and the bases of political federalism. However, he did not support the actions of the Junta that contradicted his religious formation, regardless of the context. He refused to sign the death penalty for Santiago de Liniers
, captured after the defeat of his counter-revolution
. He signed the harsh commands given to Castelli for the first Upper Peru campaign, but noticing next to his signature that he made an exception with the articles involving capital punishment. He was also concerned by the role of the church
in the new political system and headed a dispute against the Cabildo about it. He considered that the Cabildo should not have any authority over the Junta in ecclesiastic topics, to prevent the former abuses of the absolutist governments.
Manuel Alberti worked in journalism as well, at the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
newspaper created by the Junta. The ruling that created this newspaper gave Alberti the duty of selecting the news reports to publish. This duty was exclusive of Alberti and not shared with the other members of the Junta. Some historians also consider that Alberti may be the real author of the newspaper's editorials, as they were not signed and the style is not similar to other reports by Mariano Moreno
, who is usually considered the author.
The first conflict between Alberti and Moreno was caused by the arrival of Gregorio Funes
, dean of Córdoba with similar ideas to those of Cornelio Saavedra
, president of the Junta. Moreno was keeping an internal dispute with Saavedra, and expected Alberti to write against Funes. He did not, and Moreno made harsh comments about it. Alberti would be further distanced from Moreno when the Junta voted for the incorporation of the deputies from other cities into the Junta. At first, both of them opposed the proposal, but Alberti ultimately voted accepting it, stating that he did so just out of political convenience. The Primera Junta was thus turned into the Junta Grande
. Mariano Moreno, left in a minority group, resigned.
The inclusion of new deputies increased disputes within the Junta. He opposed both Saavedra and Funes, albeit in a more moderate manner than Moreno. Those fights affected his health, and he had a mild heart attack on 28 January 1811. Fearing for his life, he wrote his will and received the Anointing of the Sick
. Three days later he had another strong disagreement with Funes, and had another heart attack when he was returning to his house. He was buried in the cemetery of San Nicolás de Bari, as requested in his will. The death certificate states that he hadn't been given last rites
because his unanticipated death did not allow for time. Alberti was the first member of the Primera Junta to die.
All members of the Junta Grande assisted to Alberti's funeral, even his political enemy Gregorio Funes. Domingo Matheu
was the most affected one by his death, to the point of crying for it. Alberti was replaced in the Junta by Nicolás Rodríguez Peña
, a decided morenist. Saavedra and Funes did not like him, but with the social commotion generated by Alberti's death, they avoided to offer resistance to his nomination.
Alberti requested in his will to avoid pageantry or complex funerals, and inherited his properties (house, farm, furniture, slaves, clothing, books, etc.) to his siblings Juana María, Matilde, Casimira and Manuel Silvestre. His personal diaries are kept, but with some parts of them being lost due to poor keeping. Still, his personal bibliography is used by historians to reconstruct his influences and ideological background. It included many works of theology, studies of the Bible, scholastic
theologists and juridical studies. Alberti's remains were lost when the chapel was demolished to make way for an expansion of 9 de Julio Avenue
.
The government of Buenos Aires
name a street in his honor in 1822. In 1910, during the Argentina Centennial
, a statue of him was erected in Barrancas de Belgrano
, a neighborhood at the north of Buenos Aires. The district of Manuel Alberti, in Buenos Aires Province
, is also named after him.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, when the city was part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, , was the last and most short-lived Viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire in America.The Viceroyalty was established in 1776 out of several former Viceroyalty of Perú dependencies that mainly extended over the Río de la Plata basin, roughly the present day...
. He had a curacy at Maldonado, Uruguay
Maldonado, Uruguay
Maldonado is the capital of Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is located on Route 39 and shares borders with Punta del Este to the south, Pinares - Las Delicias to the south and to the east and suburb La Sonrisa to the north. Together they all for a unified metropolitan area. East of the city...
during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
The British invasions of the Río de la Plata were a series of unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colonies located around the La Plata Basin in South America . The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, when Spain was an ally of...
, and returned to Buenos Aires in time to take part in the May Revolution
May Revolution
The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
of 1810. He was chosen as one of the seven members of the Primera Junta
Primera Junta
The Primera Junta or First Assembly is the most common name given to the first independent government of Argentina. It was created on 25 May 1810, as a result of the events of the May Revolution. The Junta initially had representatives from only Buenos Aires...
, which is considered the first national government of Argentina. He supported most of the proposals of Mariano Moreno
Mariano Moreno
Mariano Moreno was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, and politician. He played a decisive role in the Primera Junta, the first national government of Argentina, created after the May Revolution....
and worked at the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
The Gazeta de Buenos Ayres was a newspaper created in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1810. It was initially used to give publicity to the government actions of the Primera Junta, the first Argentine government...
newspaper. The internal disputes of the Junta had a negative effect on his health, and he died of a heart attack in 1811.
Colonial times
Manuel Alberti was born in Buenos Aires on 28 May 1763 to Antonio Alberti and Juana Agustina Marín. He was baptized on the following 1 June at the Concepción parish; his godparents were Juan Javier Dogan and Isabel de Soria y Santa Cruz. He had three brothers, Isidoro, Manuel Silvestre and Félix, and three sisters, Casimira, Juana María and María Clotilde. The Alberti family became benefactor of the House of Spiritual Works of Buenos Aires by donating them a land plot so it could move its headquarters.He made his first studies at the Real Colegio de San Carlos in February 1777, graduating in philosophy, logic, physics and metaphysics. He studied with Hipólito Vieytes
Hipólito Vieytes
Juan Hipólito Vieytes, was an Argentine merchant and soldier. He was born in San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires Province on 6 August 1762, son of Juan Vieytes and Petrona Mora Fernández de Agüero...
, and ended his secondary education on 17 February 1779. He moved to Córdoba the following year, to get university studies of theology at the National University of Córdoba
National University of Córdoba
The National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...
. Despite a brief return to Buenos Aires during his second year because of health problems, he could finish all the syllabus. He got his doctorate in theology and physics on 16 July 1785. He got his degree at the Church of the Company from interim provost Fray Pedro Gaitán.
He received the presbyterate in the first months of 1786, and was appointed for the Concepción parish, the same one where he was baptized. He also worked at the aforementioned House of Spiritual Works of Buenos Aires. He got the curacy of Magdalena
Magdalena, Buenos Aires
Magdalena is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Magdalena Partido.Founded in 1611, the hamlet grew slowly until the late nineteenth century. The Parish of Santa María Magdalena , consecrated in 1776, inaugurated its current temple in 1860...
on 12 September 1790, but resigned a year later because of health problems. He returned in 1793, and resigned definitively on 21 February 1794. After this, he moved to Maldonado
Maldonado, Uruguay
Maldonado is the capital of Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is located on Route 39 and shares borders with Punta del Este to the south, Pinares - Las Delicias to the south and to the east and suburb La Sonrisa to the north. Together they all for a unified metropolitan area. East of the city...
. There are few historical records of his activities in those curacies.
The territory fell briefly under British rule during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
The British invasions of the Río de la Plata were a series of unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colonies located around the La Plata Basin in South America . The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, when Spain was an ally of...
. There was looting after the failed resistance, and Alberti hid all the valuable things from the half-built parish. In defiance of the new British rule, Alberti gave medical aid to the Spanish soldiers and Catholic burials to the deceased, and mailed the Spanish forces with details about the British troops located in the city. As a result, he was jailed. He was released by the British Juan Jaime Backhouse in order to restore religious practices (the invaders did not attempt to enforce Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
in the population), but under military escort. The British would be defeated by Santiago de Liniers
Santiago de Liniers
Jacques de Liniers was a French officer in the Spanish military service, and a viceroy of the Spanish colonies of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. He is more widely known by the Spanish form of his name, Santiago de Liniers...
, and driven away from the viceroyalty.
Primera Junta
He returned to Buenos Aires in 1808, and got the curacy of San Benito de Palermo. This was supposed to be a new jurisdiction split from the one of San Nicolás de Bari, but such change was never enforced, so he was actually in charge of both. He became involved with politics as well, joining the groups of Miguel de AzcuénagaMiguel de Azcuénaga
Miguel de Azcuénaga was an Argentine general who fought for the Province of Buenos Aires.Born in Buenos Aires, he was the son of Vicente de Azcuénaga and Rosa de Basavilvaso. He received an Spanish education in Málaga and Seville...
and Nicolás Rodríguez Peña
Nicolás Rodríguez Peña
Nicolás Rodriguez Peña was an Argentine politician. Born in Buenos Aires in April 1775, he worked in commerce which allowed him to amass a considerable fortune. Among his several successful businesses, he had a soap factory partnership with Hipólito Vieytes, which was a center of conspirators...
. Those groups sought to generate great political and social changes, and would lead to the May Revolution
May Revolution
The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
. He was selected to take part in the open cabildo
Open cabildo
The open cabildo was a special mode of assembly of the inhabitants of Latin American cities during the Spanish colonial period, in case of emergencies or disasters. Usually, the colonial cities were governed by a Cabildo, municipal-type institutions composed of officials appointed by the colonial...
celebrated on 22 May to decide the fate of Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros
Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros
Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros de la Torre was a Spanish naval officer born in Cartagena. He took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent and the Battle of Trafalgar, and in the Spanish resistance against Napoleon's invasion in 1808. He was later appointed Viceroy of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la...
, as well as other twenty-seven ecclesiastics. He was among the nineteen that voted for the removal of the viceroy, supporting the proposal of Cornelio Saavedra
Cornelio Saavedra
Cornelio Judas Tadeo de Saavedra y Rodríguez was a military officer and statesman from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata...
. He also supported Juan Nepomuceno Solá and Ramón Vieytes, who proposed the calling of deputies from the other cities of the viceroyalty.
His brother Manuel Silvestre Alberti signed the popular petition formulated on 25 May that aimed to draft the composition of the Primera Junta
Primera Junta
The Primera Junta or First Assembly is the most common name given to the first independent government of Argentina. It was created on 25 May 1810, as a result of the events of the May Revolution. The Junta initially had representatives from only Buenos Aires...
that would replace Cisneros in power. On that day Alberti moved to Azcuénaga's house and from it he observed the events in the plaza, along with many other patriots gathered there. He was there when he came to know that he was chosen as a member of the new Junta. The reasons of Alberti's inclusion in the Junta are unclear, as with all its members. A common accepted theory considers it to be a balance between Carlotists
Carlotism
Carlotism was a political movement that took place in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata between 1808 and 1812; it intended to make Carlota Joaquina of Spain its queen. After Napoleon's invasion of Spain, Fernando VII was forced to abdicate and give the throne to Joseph Bonaparte...
and Alzaguists
Martín de Álzaga
Martín 'Macoco' de Álzaga was an Argentine racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:-External links:*...
, and Alberti in particular may have been elected to serve as chaplain of the government.
In the Junta, Alberti was aligned with most of the reformist proposals of Mariano Moreno
Mariano Moreno
Mariano Moreno was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, and politician. He played a decisive role in the Primera Junta, the first national government of Argentina, created after the May Revolution....
, as well as Juan Larrea and Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli was an Argentine lawyer. He was one of the leaders of the May Revolution, which started the Argentine War of Independence...
. He signed most of the rulings that shaped the new political system, such as those related to popular sovereignty, representative and republican principles, separation of powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
, publicity of the government actions, freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and the bases of political federalism. However, he did not support the actions of the Junta that contradicted his religious formation, regardless of the context. He refused to sign the death penalty for Santiago de Liniers
Santiago de Liniers
Jacques de Liniers was a French officer in the Spanish military service, and a viceroy of the Spanish colonies of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. He is more widely known by the Spanish form of his name, Santiago de Liniers...
, captured after the defeat of his counter-revolution
Liniers Counter-revolution
When the May Revolution took place in Buenos Aires in 1810, the former viceroy Santiago de Liniers led an ill-fated counter-revolutionary attempt from the city of Córdoba. It was quickly thwarted by the patriotic forces from Buenos Aires led by Ortiz de Ocampo, who captured the leaders and...
. He signed the harsh commands given to Castelli for the first Upper Peru campaign, but noticing next to his signature that he made an exception with the articles involving capital punishment. He was also concerned by the role of the church
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
in the new political system and headed a dispute against the Cabildo about it. He considered that the Cabildo should not have any authority over the Junta in ecclesiastic topics, to prevent the former abuses of the absolutist governments.
Manuel Alberti worked in journalism as well, at the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
The Gazeta de Buenos Ayres was a newspaper created in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1810. It was initially used to give publicity to the government actions of the Primera Junta, the first Argentine government...
newspaper created by the Junta. The ruling that created this newspaper gave Alberti the duty of selecting the news reports to publish. This duty was exclusive of Alberti and not shared with the other members of the Junta. Some historians also consider that Alberti may be the real author of the newspaper's editorials, as they were not signed and the style is not similar to other reports by Mariano Moreno
Mariano Moreno
Mariano Moreno was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, and politician. He played a decisive role in the Primera Junta, the first national government of Argentina, created after the May Revolution....
, who is usually considered the author.
The first conflict between Alberti and Moreno was caused by the arrival of Gregorio Funes
Gregorio Funes
Gregorio Funes , also known as Deán Funes, was an Argentine clergyman, educator, historian, and lawmaker who played a significant role in his nation's early, post-independence history.-Early life and the priesthood:...
, dean of Córdoba with similar ideas to those of Cornelio Saavedra
Cornelio Saavedra
Cornelio Judas Tadeo de Saavedra y Rodríguez was a military officer and statesman from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata...
, president of the Junta. Moreno was keeping an internal dispute with Saavedra, and expected Alberti to write against Funes. He did not, and Moreno made harsh comments about it. Alberti would be further distanced from Moreno when the Junta voted for the incorporation of the deputies from other cities into the Junta. At first, both of them opposed the proposal, but Alberti ultimately voted accepting it, stating that he did so just out of political convenience. The Primera Junta was thus turned into the Junta Grande
Junta Grande
Junta Grande is the most common name for the executive government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata , that followed the incorporation of provincial representatives into the Primera Junta .- Origin :...
. Mariano Moreno, left in a minority group, resigned.
The inclusion of new deputies increased disputes within the Junta. He opposed both Saavedra and Funes, albeit in a more moderate manner than Moreno. Those fights affected his health, and he had a mild heart attack on 28 January 1811. Fearing for his life, he wrote his will and received the Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick, known also by other names, is distinguished from other forms of religious anointing or "unction" in that it is intended, as its name indicates, for the benefit of a sick person...
. Three days later he had another strong disagreement with Funes, and had another heart attack when he was returning to his house. He was buried in the cemetery of San Nicolás de Bari, as requested in his will. The death certificate states that he hadn't been given last rites
Last Rites
The Last Rites are the very last prayers and ministrations given to many Christians before death. The last rites go by various names and include different practices in different Christian traditions...
because his unanticipated death did not allow for time. Alberti was the first member of the Primera Junta to die.
Commemoration
Domingo Matheu
Domingo Matheu was a Spanish businessman and politician. He was a member of the Primera Junta, the first national government of modern Argentina.- Biography :...
was the most affected one by his death, to the point of crying for it. Alberti was replaced in the Junta by Nicolás Rodríguez Peña
Nicolás Rodríguez Peña
Nicolás Rodriguez Peña was an Argentine politician. Born in Buenos Aires in April 1775, he worked in commerce which allowed him to amass a considerable fortune. Among his several successful businesses, he had a soap factory partnership with Hipólito Vieytes, which was a center of conspirators...
, a decided morenist. Saavedra and Funes did not like him, but with the social commotion generated by Alberti's death, they avoided to offer resistance to his nomination.
Alberti requested in his will to avoid pageantry or complex funerals, and inherited his properties (house, farm, furniture, slaves, clothing, books, etc.) to his siblings Juana María, Matilde, Casimira and Manuel Silvestre. His personal diaries are kept, but with some parts of them being lost due to poor keeping. Still, his personal bibliography is used by historians to reconstruct his influences and ideological background. It included many works of theology, studies of the Bible, scholastic
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
theologists and juridical studies. Alberti's remains were lost when the chapel was demolished to make way for an expansion of 9 de Julio Avenue
9 de Julio Avenue
Avenida 9 de Julio is a wide avenue in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its name honors Argentina's Independence Day, July 9, 1816.The avenue runs roughly one kilometer to the west of the Río de la Plata waterfront, from the Retiro district in the north to Constitución station in the south...
.
The government of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
name a street in his honor in 1822. In 1910, during the Argentina Centennial
Argentina Centennial
The Argentina Centennial was celebrated on May 25, 1910. It was the 100th anniversary of the May Revolution, when viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros was ousted from office and replaced with the Primera Junta, the first national government.-Context:...
, a statue of him was erected in Barrancas de Belgrano
Belgrano, Buenos Aires
Belgrano is a leafy, northern barrio or neighborhood of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Location :The barrio of Palermo is to the southeast; Nuñez is to the northwest; Coghlan, Villa Urquiza, Villa Ortúzar and Colegiales are to the southwest....
, a neighborhood at the north of Buenos Aires. The district of Manuel Alberti, in Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, is also named after him.