Rafael de Sobremonte, 3rd Marquis of Sobremonte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rafael de Sobremonte, 3rd Marquis of Sobremonte
Portrait of Rafael de Sobremonte by Ignacio Cavicchia.
9th Viceroy of the Río de la Plata
In office 24 April 1804 – 10 February 1807
Monarch	Charles IV of Spain – Junta of Seville
Preceded by	Joaquín del Pino y Rozas
Succeeded by	Santiago de Liniers
Personal details
Born	Rafael de Sobremonte y Núñez del Castillo 27 November 1745 Seville, Spain
Died	1827 (aged 82) Cádiz, Spain
Political party	Royalist
Spouses	Doña Juana María de Larrazábal, Doña María Teresa Millán y Marlos (1820 -?)
Occupation	Army officer
Military service
Allegiance	Spain
Battles/wars	British invasions of the Río de la Plata

Don Rafael de Sobremonte y Núñez del Castillo (born in Seville, Spain, 1745 – died in Cádiz, Spain, 1827) was an important Spanish leader. He was a military officer and a colonial administrator. He became the Viceroy of the Río de la Plata, a large Spanish territory in South America.

Sobremonte was born on November 27, 1745, in Seville. His father was a military man and a judge. At just 14 years old, Rafael joined the Spanish Royal Guards as a cadet. He served in different places like Cartagena de Indias and Puerto Rico. In 1779, he became a secretary to the Viceroy of the Río de la Plata, Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo. He continued in this role for the next Viceroy, Nicolás del Campo.

Family Life of Rafael de Sobremonte

Rafael de Sobremonte married an Argentine woman named Doña Juana María de Larrazábal. They had eleven children together. Later in his life, at 75 years old, he married again. His second wife was Doña María Teresa Millán y Marlos.

Important Jobs Held by Sobremonte

Rafael de Sobremonte held several key positions in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata:

• Viceroyalty Secretary: He served as a secretary to the Viceroy from 1779 to 1783.
• Governor of Córdoba: He was the governor of Córdoba del Tucumán from 1783 to 1797.
• Inspector General: From 1797 to 1804, he was a general inspector for the army.
• President of the Audiencia: In 1804, he became the president of the main court in the Río de la Plata.
• Viceroy of the Río de la Plata: He served as Viceroy, Governor, and Captain General from 1804 to 1807.

Sobremonte as Governor of Córdoba

For nearly 15 years, starting in 1784, Sobremonte was the Governor of Córdoba. He was known as a very good administrator. He made many improvements to the city:

• He cleaned and fixed city streets.
• He built the first water system to bring fresh water from the Primero River.
• He built defenses to protect the city from river floods.
• He opened a free public school and started rural schools.
• He created a law program at the University of San Carlos.
• He improved the city's neighborhoods and started the first street lighting system.
• He founded a hospital for women.
• He also made the justice system better, which was important because Buenos Aires was far away.

During his time as governor, he also improved working conditions in mines. He helped the mining industry in other provinces too. To protect against attacks from native groups, he built small forts and towns. Some of these places include Río Cuarto and San Rafael.

In 1797, he was made inspector general of the Viceroyalty's army. He worked hard to make the army stronger. He wanted it to be ready to fight against invasions from Brazil or England. He especially strengthened the defenses of Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento.

Viceroy and the War with Britain

In April 1804, Sobremonte became the new Viceroy of the Río de la Plata. This happened after the previous Viceroy, Joaquín del Pino, passed away.

At this time, Great Britain and Spain were at war. This meant there was a risk of a British attack on Buenos Aires. Sobremonte asked Spain for help, but the Prime Minister, Manuel Godoy, told him to defend the territory as best he could, as no help would be sent.

Sobremonte thought the British would likely attack Montevideo. This was a smart guess because of its location. So, he sent his best troops there and made the city's defenses stronger. He knew it would be very hard to remove the British if they captured that important port.

The Viceroyalty's army was not very strong. Many soldiers had been lost in recent native uprisings. Sobremonte received only a few cannons and a suggestion to arm the local people for defense. However, he worried that giving weapons to the local people, many of whom had new ideas from the American and French revolutions, could be dangerous for Spain. History later showed he was right, as the movement for Argentina's independence began just six years later.

His army had only about 2,500 men. Most were new recruits with little experience. His navy was also very weak. As part of his defense plans, he put Santiago de Liniers, a French officer, in charge of the port of Ensenada de Barragán. This port was about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Buenos Aires. Liniers sent warnings that British ships were exploring the coast of the River Plate.

The First British Invasion of Buenos Aires

On June 24, 1806, Viceroy Sobremonte received news that British ships were seen near the coast. A report from Liniers said they were "despicable corsairs" who would not attack. Sobremonte left a play he was watching and went to the Buenos Aires Fort. There, he quickly wrote orders to organize the city's defense. The next morning, British ships were seen again, and cannons were fired from the fort, but they had no effect.

Sobremonte was not sure if it was a full attack. He sent Brigadier Arce with about 500 troops to stop any landing near Quilmes. However, Arce let the British land without attacking. He believed they could not cross the marshy land between the beaches and the city. But the invaders did cross, and Arce's troops retreated. This allowed the British to march towards Buenos Aires on June 26.

About 1,500 British troops, led by William Carr Beresford, landed. Their plan was created by Home Riggs Popham. Sobremonte gave a speech, asking all able men to join the militias. But the organization was poor, and not everyone received weapons. Many muskets were given out without proper ammunition or flints. Swords were not well cared for. Even his own officers blamed him for the confusion, but they did little to help.

The Viceroy tried to set up a defense at the Riachuelo, the city's southern border. He ordered the Gálvez bridge to be burned. He moved his troops to the west, thinking the British would cross the river there. He planned to attack them then. However, the British captured the river-crossing boats and crossed to the north side. The defense failed, and Sobremonte gave confusing orders, which made the chaos worse.

Viceroy Sobremonte Leaves the City

Sobremonte decided to leave Buenos Aires and move to Córdoba, which was about 700 kilometers (435 miles) away. There was an old rule that said if Buenos Aires was attacked and could not be held, the Viceroy should move to the interior of the country. The goal was to organize a defense in Córdoba to protect the rest of the Viceroyalty. This would also give them a chance to take back the capital later. Most importantly, the Viceroy and his family should not be captured by the invaders. This would prevent them from being forced to sign a surrender.

Sobremonte followed this rule by moving to Córdoba. Many people at the time accused him of being a coward. However, he was following a long-standing directive. He also believed that Buenos Aires was not the most important part of the Viceroyalty's economy. He wanted to build a strong military position in Córdoba. This would allow him to retake the capital with a solid army before more British soldiers could arrive. He also understood that arming the local people for defense meant giving power to the "Creoles" (people of Spanish descent born in the Americas).

With about 2,000 men and the royal treasury, the Viceroy left for Luján. He left the treasure there because the winter roads were too bad to carry it further. Then, he continued on to Córdoba. Most of the local Buenos Aires militias left him because they did not want to leave their homes and families.

After the British captured Buenos Aires, local merchants offered them public money. In return, they wanted the boats and ships Sobremonte had captured, and the private money he had taken. They wrote to the Viceroy, asking him to hand over the treasure. They also guided the British to the cabildo (town hall) in Luján. The invaders captured the treasure and sent it to London. There, it was paraded in triumph, though the British did not know that the people of Buenos Aires had already retaken their city a month earlier.

Retaking the City and Sobremonte's Removal

On July 14, Sobremonte declared Córdoba the temporary capital of the Viceroyalty. He told people to ignore any orders coming from Buenos Aires while it was occupied. He gathered his available troops. A few weeks later, he marched back to Buenos Aires with 3,000 soldiers.

Meanwhile, Liniers had brought troops from Montevideo. These joined the volunteers from Buenos Aires who were being trained by Juan Martín de Pueyrredón and Martín de Álzaga. This army began to retake the city without waiting for the Viceroy. They succeeded by August 12.

Right after the city was retaken, Álzaga called for a special meeting of the people of Buenos Aires. They decided to remove the Viceroy from command of the city. Liniers was named the new army commander, and the main court, the Audiencia Real, was given civilian authority. These actions were very revolutionary, as they removed the King's representative.

Sobremonte went to Montevideo with his remaining troops. He did this before the city was invaded, as the British fleet was still in the River Plate. However, the people of Montevideo, influenced by the feelings in Buenos Aires, refused to fight the invaders under Sobremonte. He left the city to fight the British at their landing place, but his troops deserted him.

When Montevideo fell to the British, the special meeting in Buenos Aires officially removed Sobremonte as Viceroy. They replaced him with Liniers. The citizen army, led by Liniers and Álzaga, fought this second British invasion and forced the British to surrender.

See also

In Spanish: Rafael de Sobremonte para niños