Field Marshal Mateo de Toro Zambrano y Ureta, 1st Count of La Conquista (September 20, 1727 - February 26, 1811), frequently misnamed Mateo de Toro y Zambrano in many Chilean history publications, was Viscount of La Descubierta and later Count of La Conquista

Count of la Conquista

Count of la Conquista is an 18th century Spanish hereditary title, famously held by Mateo de Toro Zambrano y Ureta, who was Royal Governor of Chile as well as President of the Government Junta of the Kingdom of Chile, which is generally seen as the first step of Chilean independence.The title was...

 (1771). He was a 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...

an creole and had a career as a soldier under the Spanish Empire

Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

 after he amassed a fortune in commerce.

In 1810, as the most senior military figure in the Captaincy General of Chile, as well as its Royal Governor

Royal Governor of Chile

The Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district known as the Kingdom of Chile. This district was also called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the Royal Governor also held the title of a Captain General...

, he called a meeting of leading citizens on September 18, 1810. This group would subsequently elect the governing junta similar to those appearing throughout the rebelling Spanish colonies, an action which is generally seen as the first step in Chilean independence process

Chilean Independence

Chilean War of Independence was an armed conflict between pro-Independence criollos who sought political and economic independence from Spain and royalist criollos, who supported the continued allegiance to and permanence within the Spanish Empire of the Kingdom of Chile...

. He was voted the President of this First Government Junta

Government Junta of Chile (1810)

Government Junta of the Kingdom of Chile , also known as the First Government Junta, was the organ established to rule Chile following the deposition and imprisonment of King Ferdinand VII by Napoleon Bonaparte...

, but his death a year later (he was already 83 years old) precluded him from taking a larger role in the independence of Chile. He died in Santiago de Chile on February 26, 1811.

Sources