Basilio Augustín y Dávila (February 12, 1840 – August 7, 1910) was a Spanish colonial administrator who served as

Governor-General of the Philippines The governor-general of the Philippines (; ; ) was the title of the Executive (government), government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, first by History of the Philippines (1521–1898), the Spanish in Mexico City and l ...

from April 11 to July 24, 1898. He was born in

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

on February 12, 1840. On April 11, 1898, Augustín was appointed as Governor-General of the Philippines. During his tenure, the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

began, which he claimed would be "short" and Spain would gain a "decisive" victory. Spanish forces were decisively defeated by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in the

Battle of Manila Bay The Battle of Manila Bay (; ), also known as the Battle of Cavite, took place on May 1, 1898, during the Spanish–American War. The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey engaged and destroyed the Spanish Pacific Squad ...

, which led to the return of Filipino revolutionary

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

from exile and the beginning of the second phase of the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

, during which, on June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo issued the

Philippine Declaration of Independence The Philippine Declaration of Independence (; ) was proclaimed by Filipino revolutionary forces general Emilio Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898, in Cavite el Viejo (present-day Kawit, Cavite), Philippines. It asserted the sovereignty and indepe ...

. Augustín attempted to establish a consultative assembly of Filipino ''

Ilustrados The Ilustrados (, "erudite", "learned" or "enlightened ones") constituted the Filipino people, Filipino intelligentsia (Education in the Philippines, educated class) during the History of the Philippines (1521–1898), Spanish colonial period i ...

'' loyal to Spain and form a new

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

, promoting

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

to uphold Spanish colonial rule. He offered one million

peso The peso is the monetary unit of several Hispanophone, Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol com ...

s to Aguinaldo in exchange for giving up but the latter refused. However, it did gain support from high-ranking Filipino revolutionaries such as

Artemio Ricarte Artemio Ricarte y García (October 20, 1866 – July 31, 1945) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. He is regarded as the ''Father of the Philippine Army'', and the first Chief of Staff of ...

due to the efforts of

Pedro Paterno Pedro Alejandro Paterno y de Vera Ignacio (February 27, 1857 – April 26, 1911), 993 pages was a Filipino politician. He was also a poet and a novelist. His intervention on behalf of the Spanish led to the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato ...

. He stopped being Governor-General on July 24, 1898. His plans for reform ended in failure as most of the Spanish-trained Filipino militia deserted to the revolutionaries, and his consultative assembly finally dissolved in 1899, with most of its members becoming signers of the

Malolos Constitution The Political Constitution of 1899 (), informally known as the Malolos Constitution, was the constitution of the First Philippine Republic. It was written by Felipe Calderón y Roca and Felipe Buencamino as an alternative to a pair of prop ...

and members of the

Malolos Congress The Malolos Congress (), also known as the Revolutionary Congress () and formally the National Assembly, was the legislative body of the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. From 1898 to 1899, prior to the Philippine Declaration of I ...

. In August 1898, the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

occupied Manila, and in December 1898 Spain signed the Treaty of Paris, transferring the disputed sovereignty over the Philippines to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 1899, the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

began between American and Philippine revolutionary forces. Augustín returned to Spain, where he died at

Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...

Álava Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...

on August 7, 1910.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Augustin y Davila, Basilio 1840 births 1910 deaths Captains general of the Philippines People of the Ten Years' War People of the Cuban War of Independence People of the Philippine Revolution Politicians from Cádiz