Juan Antonio Lavalleja (June 24, 1784 – October 22, 1853) was a

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an revolutionary and political figure. He was born in Minas, nowadays being located in the

Lavalleja Department Lavalleja () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres to the east with Rocha, to the south with Canelones and Maldonado, and to ...

, which was named after him.

Pre-Independence role

He led the group called "

Thirty-Three Orientals The ''Treinta y Tres Orientales'' (English: Thirty-Three Orientals or Thirty-Three Easterners) was a militant revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Manuel Oribe against the Empire of Brazil. Their actions culminated in the foun ...

" during Uruguay's Declaration of Independence from

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in 1825. His leadership of this group has taken on somewhat mythic proportions in popular

an historiography.

Post-Independence career

After Uruguay's independence in 1825, Lavalleja sought the presidency as a rival to

Fructuoso Rivera José Fructuoso Rivera y Toscana (17 October 1784 – 13 January 1854) was a Uruguayan general and patriot who fought for the liberation of Banda Oriental from Brazilian rule, twice served as Uruguay's President and was one of the instigators ...

in 1830, who won. In protest to his loss, Lavalleja staged revolts. He was part of a

triumvirate A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

chosen in 1852 to govern Uruguay, but died shortly after his accession to power.

Historical legacy

Lavalleja is remembered as a rebel who led the fight against

. But as one of the major figures in early, post-independence

an history he is identified as a skilled but reactionary warrior who contributed to the culture of intermittent civil war which dogged

for much of the 19th century.

Family

Lavalleja married Ana Monterroso in 1817; she was sister of José Benito Monterroso. * Setembrino Pereda, ''La leyenda del arroyo Monzón, Lavalleja y Rivera''. Montevideo: 1935.

External links

Biografía de Lavalleja - Biography

Amérique Latine, Histoire & Mémoire - 15 , 2008 : Etat et Nation I (19e siècle) - Article about his

Genealogy and Ancestry of Lavalleja

Una flor blanca en el cardal - PerSe - A White Flower in a catholic religious. (The Book do mention to he)

Political Office-Holders in Uruguay: Education and Culture Ministers of Uruguay, Foreign Ministers of Uruguay, Interior Ministers of Uruguay
1784 births 1853 deaths People from Minas, Uruguay People of the Cisplatine War Uruguayan cattlemen Foreign ministers of Uruguay Uruguayan people of Basque descent Thirty-Three Orientals Burials at Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral 19th-century Uruguayan people Uruguayan National Army generals {{Uruguay-politician-stub

Pre-Independence role

Post-Independence career

Historical legacy

Family

See also

External links