Francisco Solano López
Francisco Solano López | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2nd President of Paraguay | |
| In office 1862 – May 1 1870 | |
| Vice President | Domingo Francisco Sánchez |
| Preceded by | Carlos Antonio López |
| Succeeded by | Cirilo Antonio Rivarola |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 24, 1826 Asunción, Paraguay |
| Died | 1 March 1870 (aged 43) Cerro Corá, Paraguay |
| Political party | None |
| Spouse | Eliza Lynch |
| Children | Juan Francisco Corina Adelaida Enrique Venancio Federico Morgan Lloyd Carlos Honorio Leopoldo. |
Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1826 – 1 March 1870) was president of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of president Carlos Antonio López, whom he succeeded. Considered ambitious, perhaps arrogant, and possibly insane, Solano López is widely regarded as being responsible for the War of the Triple Alliance, which led to his death.
Life Before the War
Solano López was born near Asunción. He was made Brigadier General of the Paraguayan army by his father at the age of 18, in 1844, during the spasmodic hostilities then prevailing with Argentina[1]. He was sent in 1853 as minister plenipotentiary to Britain, France and Italy, and spent a year and a half in Europe. He purchased large quantities of arms and military supplies, together with several steamers, and organized a project for building a railroad and establishing a French colony in Paraguay. He also became infatuated with the empire of Napoleon III and Napoleon himself[2]. While there, he met Parisian courtesan Eliza Lynch and fell in love with her. López brought her with him back to Paraguay. There she was his mistress and de-facto first lady till his death, strongly influencing his later ambitious schemes.
Returning to Paraguay, he became Minister of War in 1855. When his father died in 1862, his will stipulated that López assume the reins of government as vice-president. López then called a congress that unanimously chose him as president for ten years[2].
Role in Beginning the War
In 1864, after Brazil began supporting a rising revolution in Uruguay by Venancio Flores against the White party government of Atanasio Aguirre, who was an ally of Paraguay and did not have friendly relations with Brazil[3], Uruguay requested Paraguay to intervene in the subject. López manifested this support via a letter to Brazil were it said that any occupation of Uruguayan lands by Brazil would be considered as an attack to Paraguay[4]. When Brazil did not heed the letter and invaded Uruguay on October 12, 1864, López seized the Brazilian merchant steamer "Marqués de Olinda" in the harbour of Asunción[5] and imprisoned the Brazilian governor of the province of Mato Grosso, who was on board. In the following month (December 1864) he dispatched a force to invade Mato Grosso, which seized and sacked the town of Corumbá and took possession of the province and its diamond mines. However, Paraguayan forces could not or would not seize the capital city of Cuiabá, in Northern Mato Grosso.
López next intended to send troops to Uruguay to support the government of his ally, yet when he requested from Argentina permission to cross Argentine soil, Argentine President Bartolomé Mitre refused to allow this force to cross the intervening province of Corrientes[5]. López then decalred war on Argentina. By then Brazil had already overthrown the Uruguayan government of Aguirre and installed Flores in his stead, rendering Uruguay little more than a Brazilian puppet[1]. A hastily summoned congress composed of López's own nominees bestowed the title of Marshal upon him and gave him extraordinary war powers. On 13 April, 1865, he declared war, seizing two Argentine war vessels in the Bay of Corrientes. The next day, he occupied the town of Corrientes, instituted a provisional government of his Argentine partisans, and announced that Paraguay had annexed Corrientes Province and Entre Ríos Province. On 1 May, Brazil joined Argentina and Uruguay and signed the Treaty of the Triple Alliance, which stipulated that they should unitedly pursue the war until the existing government of Paraguay was overthrown, "until no arms or elements of war should be left to it." This agreement was literally carried out.
War of the Triple Alliance
The war which ensued, lasting until 1 March 1870, was carried on with great stubbornness and with alternating fortunes, though López's disasters steadily increased. In September 12, 1866, López invited Mitre to a conference in Yatayty Cora. López had realized that the war was lost and was ready to sign a peace treaty with the Allies[6]. No agreement was reached though since Mitre's conditions for rendition were that every article of the Secret Treaty of the Triple Alliance was still to be carried out, a condition to which López refused[5]. Regardless of López refusal, a peace treaty was not something Mitre could guarantee since article 6 in the secret treaty stated that "The allies solemnly commit themselves no to abandon arms unless commonly agreed, and as long as they haven’t overthrown the current government of Paraguay, as well as not to try separately, nor sign any peace treaty, truce, armistice which would put an end to or suspend the war, unless agreed by all parties"[7]. This not only rendered any possibility of truce or peace nearly impossible but also stipulated that the war was to continue until the current government ceased to be, which meant the death of López.
In 1868, when the allies were pressing him hard, he convinced himself that his Paraguayan supporters had actually formed a conspiracy against his life. Thereupon several hundred prominent Paraguayan citizens were seized and executed by his order, including his brothers and brothers-in-law, cabinet ministers, judges, prefects, military officers, bishops and priests, and nine-tenths of the civil officers, together with more than two hundred foreigners, among them several members of the diplomatic legations (the San Fernando massacres). During this time he also had his mother flogged and ordered her execution, and also attempted to have himself canonized by the local bishops.
Battle of Cerro Cora
López was at last driven with a mere handful of troops to the northern frontier of Paraguay. He arrived at Cerro Cora on the 14th of February 1870. Two detachments were sent in pursuit of Solano López, who was accompanied by 200 men in the forests in the north where he received news of the considerable Brazilian force which were closing in on him. This caused some of the officials who were still with López to abandon him and approach the allied force, under the command of the Brazilian General José Antônio Correia da Câmara, which they readily joined as scouts in order to lead them to López.[8]
Upon hearing about this, López called a last war council with the remaining officers of his general staff in order to decide the course of action for the upcoming battle, whether they should escape into the hill range or stay and make a stand against the attackers. The counsel decided to stay and end the war once and for all by fighting to death.[9]
The Brazilian force reached the camp on the 1st of March. During the battle that ensued, López was separated from the remainder of his army and was accompaigned only by his aide and a couple of officers. He had been wounded with a spear in the stomach and hit with a sword in the side of his head and so was too weak to walk by himself.[10] They led him to the Aquidabangui stream. There the officers left López with the pretext of getting reinforcements. While alone with his aide, General Câmara arrived along with six soldiers and approached López offering him to surrender and guaranteeing his life. López refused and shouting “Muero con mi patria!” (I die with my nation) [11] tried to attack Câmara with his sword. Câmara ordered López to be disarmed, but López died during the struggle with the soldiers who were trying to disarm him.[12]. This marked the end of the war of the Triple Alliance.
Historical Perception
There is a debate within Paraguay as to whether he was a fearless leader who led his troops to the end, or whether he foolishly led Paraguay into a war which it could never possibly win, and which nearly eliminated the country from the map. This debate was not helped by the revisionist stance taken by the Stroessner regime, regarding national history. Conversely, he is considered by some Latin Americans as a champion for the rights of smaller nations against the aggressions of more powerful neighbours.
There is an ongoing debate in Paraguay among historians regarding López final words. The two versions are "Muero por mi patria" (I die for my nation) or "Muero con mi patria" (I die with my nation)[13]. Regarding the event, Juansilvano Godoi wrote: "Marshal López died profoundly convinced that, along with him, the independence of Paraguay would disappear. He acquired this conviction upon learning that the allies had organized in Asuncion a "temporary government" made up of the Paraguayans who had taken arms against their government and fought for the Triple alliance army"[13].
The 1st of March is a national holiday in Paraguay called "Dia de los Heroes" (Heroes' Day), held in honour of Marshal F.S. López memory. It is the most important holiday in the country next to the independence day. To date, López is considered to be the greatest paraguayan national hero and his remains are located at the "Panteon de los Heroes" (National Pantheon of the Heroes) in Asuncion. It is customary in Asuncion that when something historic worth celebrating happens (such as the victory of the current President Lugo in the 2008 elections) people flock with their flags to the street in front of it and celebrate the event.
Recently, Argentine president Cristina Kirchner named an Argentinian military unit after Marshal Francisco Solano López. It was the 2nd Armored Artillery Group[14]. During the ceremony the national anthem of both nations was sung and high ranking officers of both armies were present. The Chief of the Argentine Army gave a speech at the event saying the "Talking about the Paraguayan Army and the Argentine Army is talking of one and the same thing. Today, in the Argentine army, honored by the visit of Paraguay's Army Commandant, we are working intensely in fulfilling the dream of the fathers of our nation. Of those men who wanted to build a great nation, General San Martin and, precisely, Marshal López."[14]. Afterwards, Lieutenant General Bendini said "Marshal López inspired in his men a spirit and love for their land which made them prefer to die rather than surrendering. He is an example of what a leader is, a driver, a man who knows how to reach to his people. I am sure that the men of this artillery group will take the example of this brave Paraguayan soldier and will be deemed worthy of the name their unit carries[14]. At the end of the ceremony the Paraguayan Army Commandant presented the unit with a portrait of López.
The Paraguayan President's Office is called "Palacio de López" (Lopez's Palace) as it was built by López before the war as his home. However, it was never finished until after the war was over so he never resided in it.
The life of López is the basis for the play "Visions" by Louis Nowra
See also
References
- ^ a b Hanratty, Dannin M. and Meditz, Sandra W., editors. Paraguay: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1988.
- ^ a b Hanratty
- ^ Vasconsellos, Victor N. Resumen de Historia del Paraguay. Delimitaciones Territoriales’’, Industria Grafica Comuneros S.A. Asuncion, Paraguay, 1970. Page 107.
- ^ Vasconsellos. Page 107.
- ^ a b c Vasconsellos. Page 108.
- ^ Vasconsellos. Page 108
- ^ "Tratado Secreto de la Triple Alianza". Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ^ Bareiro Saguier, Ruben; Villagra Marsal, Carlos. Testimonios de la Guerra Grande. Muerte del Mariscal López. Tomo I, Editorial Servilibro. Asuncion, Paraguay, 2007. Page 66.
- ^ Bareiro. Page 66.
- ^ Bareiro. Page 68, 80.
- ^ Bareiro. Page 70, 82, 98.
- ^ Bareiro. Page 90.
- ^ a b Bareiro. Page 85.
- ^ a b c "Bautizan unidad militar argentina en honor al prócer paraguayo Mariscal Francisco Solano López". Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Stupid Wars by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince
