Pedro Melo de Portugal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pedro Melo de Portugal
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| Viceroy of the Río de la Plata | |
| In office 1795–1797 |
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| Monarch | Charles IV of Spain |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pedro José António Melo de Portugal y de la Rocha Calderón
29 April 1733 Extremadura, Spain |
| Died | 15 April 1797 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Resting place | Iglesia de San Juan Bautista |
| Nationality |  Spain |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Military man |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Spain |
| Branch/service | Spanish Army |
| Rank | General |
Pedro de Melo de Portugal y Vilhena (born April 29, 1733, died April 15, 1797) was an important Spanish soldier and politician. He served as a Viceroy in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This large area is now parts of countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
Contents
Who Was Pedro de Melo?
Pedro de Melo de Portugal y Vilhena was born in Badajoz, Spain. He came from an important family called Melo de Portugal. This family was a smaller part of the Portuguese House of Braganza, a famous royal family.
Early Life and Career
Pedro de Melo served in the military in Spain for many years. He held various important roles. In 1770, he moved to South America. This was a big change for him.
When the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata was created, he was chosen to be a governor. He also became a member of the Real Audiencia. This was a high court and a governing body. In 1794, he helped create a Royal Counsel with the previous viceroy, Nicolás Antonio de Arredondo. This counsel helped manage the government.
Becoming Viceroy
Pedro de Melo became the new viceroy on March 16, 1795. This happened after the previous viceroy, Arredondo, resigned. A viceroy was like a king's representative in a colony. They had a lot of power and responsibility.
What He Did as Viceroy
As viceroy, Pedro de Melo continued many of the good plans from earlier leaders. He worked to make the streets of Buenos Aires better. He also made sure the defenses for Montevideo were strong. These defenses were important to protect the city.
He had to deal with attacks from the Portuguese in an area called the Banda Oriental. He also made laws to help with a shortage of bread. He improved the viceroy's official home. He also welcomed ships arriving from the Pacific Ocean.
Pedro de Melo was very interested in exploring and settling new lands. He wanted to expand Spanish settlements along the coast of Patagonia. He asked Félix de Azara, a famous explorer, to create plans for this project.
His Final Days
Sadly, Pedro de Melo died on April 15, 1797. He was still serving as viceroy when he passed away. Because he died suddenly, the Real Audiencia took control for a short time. This was to make sure there was no gap in leadership. They waited until a new viceroy could be chosen and sent from Spain. Soon after, Antonio de Olaguer y Feliú arrived to take over as the new viceroy.
See also
In Spanish: Pedro Melo de Portugal para niños
