Eraldon Manuel Barañao (August 5, 1791 – ?), was born in

Tigre, Buenos Aires Tigre (, ''Tiger'') is a city in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, situated in the north of Greater Buenos Aires, north of Buenos Aires city. Tigre lies on the Paraná Delta and is a tourist and weekend destination, reachable by bus and t ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

but traveled to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

in 1809, becoming a revolutionary supporter of

Juan Martínez de Rozas Juan Martínez de Rozas Correa (December 28, 1759 – May 16, 1813) was a Chilean lawyer and politician, he was also the first leader in the Chilean fight for independence. Biography He was born at Mendoza (then, still a Chilean dependenc ...

and taking up commerce.

Role in the Chilean War of Independence

Barañao began the

Chilean War of Independence The Chilean War of Independence (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Guerra de la Independencia de Chile'', 'War of Independence of Chile') was a military and political event that allowed the emancipation of Chile from the Spanish Empire, Spanish Mona ...

as a supporter of the patriots; after the royalists conquered the city of

Concepción, Chile Concepción (; originally: ''Concepción de la Madre Santísima de la Luz'', "Conception of the Blessed Mother of Light") is a city and Communes of Chile, commune in south-central Chile, and the geographical and demographic core of the Greater Co ...

and many patriots fell to infighting, however, his views began to shift and he became a support of the

royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gover ...

. Under the governorship of

Mariano Osorio Mariano de Osorio (; 1777–1819) was a Spanish general and Governor of Chile, from 1814 to 1815. Early career Osorio was born in Seville, Spain. He joined the Spanish army and as many of his contemporaries, his military career began during the S ...

he took up the position of colonel of the

hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

s under king

Ferdinand VII of Spain Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was Monarchy of Spain, King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (t ...

and became a famous soldier and swordsman within the Spanish army. His particular unit, a 150-strong squadron of hussars, served prominently at the royalist victory of

Battle of Rancagua The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins. This ...

in 1814. After the defeat of the

Battle of Chacabuco The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, took place on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes, from the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and led by Captain (land), Captain–General José de San Martín, ...

, however, like many other royalists he was forced to emigrate to

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Personal life

In 1814 Barañao married Josefa Valenzuela Santibáñez, daughter of Diego Valenzuela Avalos y Mercedes Santibáñez Careaga, with whom he had four children: Joaquín, Aniceto, José Manuel and Diego. Barañao returned to

with the change of government in the 1830s. 1791 births Chilean Army officers People of the Chilean War of Independence Viceroyalty of Peru people Year of death missing {{Peru-mil-bio-stub