Pablo Morillo
Encyclopedia
Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, aka El Pacificador (The Pacifier) (Fuentesecas
, Zamora
, Spain, May 5, 1775 – Barèges
, France, July 27, 1837) was a Spanish general.
In 1791 Morillo enlisted in the Real Cuerpo de Marina (Spanish Royal Marine Corps) and participated in the Battle of Trafalgar
in which he was wounded and made prisoner by the English
in 1805. He also fought against Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808 during the Peninsular War
(part of Napoleonic Wars
) to defend his mother country Spain against the French invasion. Once the war ended and the Spanish monarchy
was restored, King Ferdinand VII of Spain appointed him Expedition Commander and General Captain of the Provinces of Venezuela on August 14, 1814. He set sail with a fleet of 18 warships and 42 cargo ships and disembarked in the Isla Margarita
with the mission to pacify the revolts against the Spanish monarchy in the American colonies. He travelled to Caracas
, Puerto Cabello
and Cartagena de Indias (United Provinces of New Granada
) in a military campaign to fight Simon Bolívar's revolutionary armies.
On August 22, 1815, Morillo surrounded the walled city of Cartagena and put it under siege, preventing any supplies from going in until December 6 of this same year when the Spanish Royal Army entered the city. With control over Cartagena, Morillo returned to Venezuela to continue the fight against revolutionaries. In June 1820 Morillo ordered under Royal mandate that everyone in the colonies obeyed the Cadiz Constitution
and sent delegates to negotiate with Bolivar
and his followers. Bolivar and Morillo later met in the Venezuelan town of Santa Ana and signed a truce first for six months and later a second one named "War Regularization".
Morillo returned to Spain, was named General Captain of New Castile, and supported the Liberal Constitution during the Liberal Triennium. He prevented a coup against the Constitution in 1822, and fought in 1823 the French invasion under Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême
in the north of Spain, where he was defeated.
When King Ferdinand the VII restored the absolute regime in 1823 he went to France. A few years later, he returned to Spain and participated in some military operations during the Carlist Wars
. He felt ill and went back to France where he died on July 27, 1837.
(known as El Sabio Caldas, "Wise Caldas") and the people present at the place appealed for the life of the scientist, Morillo responded: "Spain does not need wise people." (Spanish:"España no necesita sabios"). This sentence became the slogan of Spain's wars for the re-conquest of the rebel colonies.
Fuentesecas
Fuentesecas is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 86 inhabitants....
, Zamora
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
, Spain, May 5, 1775 – Barèges
Barèges
Barèges is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. It is situated in the valley of the stream Bastan on the former Route nationale 618, the "Route of the Pyrénées."-Economy:...
, France, July 27, 1837) was a Spanish general.
In 1791 Morillo enlisted in the Real Cuerpo de Marina (Spanish Royal Marine Corps) and participated in the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in which he was wounded and made prisoner by the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
in 1805. He also fought against Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808 during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
(part of Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
) to defend his mother country Spain against the French invasion. Once the war ended and the Spanish monarchy
Spanish monarchy
The Monarchy of Spain, constitutionally referred to as The Crown and commonly referred to as the Spanish monarchy or Hispanic Monarchy, is a constitutional institution and an historic office of Spain...
was restored, King Ferdinand VII of Spain appointed him Expedition Commander and General Captain of the Provinces of Venezuela on August 14, 1814. He set sail with a fleet of 18 warships and 42 cargo ships and disembarked in the Isla Margarita
Isla Margarita
Margarita Island is the largest island of the state of Nueva Esparta in Venezuela, situated in the Caribbean Sea, off the northeastern coast of the country. The state also contains two other smaller islands: Coche and Cubagua. The capital city of Nueva Esparta is La Asunción, located in a river...
with the mission to pacify the revolts against the Spanish monarchy in the American colonies. He travelled to Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast oil...
and Cartagena de Indias (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...
) in a military campaign to fight Simon Bolívar's revolutionary armies.
On August 22, 1815, Morillo surrounded the walled city of Cartagena and put it under siege, preventing any supplies from going in until December 6 of this same year when the Spanish Royal Army entered the city. With control over Cartagena, Morillo returned to Venezuela to continue the fight against revolutionaries. In June 1820 Morillo ordered under Royal mandate that everyone in the colonies obeyed the Cadiz Constitution
Spanish Constitution of 1812
The Spanish Constitution of 1812 was promulgated 19 March 1812 by the Cádiz Cortes, the national legislative assembly of Spain, while in refuge from the Peninsular War...
and sent delegates to negotiate with Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
and his followers. Bolivar and Morillo later met in the Venezuelan town of Santa Ana and signed a truce first for six months and later a second one named "War Regularization".
Morillo returned to Spain, was named General Captain of New Castile, and supported the Liberal Constitution during the Liberal Triennium. He prevented a coup against the Constitution in 1822, and fought in 1823 the French invasion under Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême
Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angouleme
Louis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême was the eldest son of Charles X of France and, from 1824 to 1836, the last Dauphin of France...
in the north of Spain, where he was defeated.
When King Ferdinand the VII restored the absolute regime in 1823 he went to France. A few years later, he returned to Spain and participated in some military operations during the Carlist Wars
Carlist Wars
The Carlist Wars in Spain were the last major European civil wars in which contenders fought to establish their claim to a throne. Several times during the period from 1833 to 1876 the Carlists — followers of Infante Carlos and his descendants — rallied to the cry of "God, Country, and King" and...
. He felt ill and went back to France where he died on July 27, 1837.
Quotes
When Morillo ordered the execution of the Colombian scientist Francisco José de CaldasFrancisco José de Caldas
Francisco José de Caldas was a Colombian lawyer, naturalist, and geographer who died a martyr by orders of Pablo Morillo during the Reconquista for being a precursor of the Independence of New Granada ....
(known as El Sabio Caldas, "Wise Caldas") and the people present at the place appealed for the life of the scientist, Morillo responded: "Spain does not need wise people." (Spanish:"España no necesita sabios"). This sentence became the slogan of Spain's wars for the re-conquest of the rebel colonies.
See also
- Spanish reconquest of New Granada
- Reconquista (Spanish America)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...
- Royalist (Spanish American Revolution)