Belgrano, << bel GRAH noh, >> Manuel (1770-1820), was an Argentine general and revolutionary hero. He helped Argentina gain independence from Spain.
Belgrano was born on June 3, 1770, into an elite merchant family in Buenos Aires. He studied at the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Salamanca, in Spain. At that time, Argentina was part of a Spanish colony called the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. Belgrano became a lawyer. He also became secretary of the Consulado, an organization that controlled legal trade in the region. As Consulado secretary, Belgrano promoted the development and diversification of the colony’s trade economy.
In 1806, the British invaded the Viceroyalty. Belgrano fought against the British in the colonial militia. He emerged as a supporter of constitutional monarchy for his colony. In 1810, the people of Buenos Aires set up their own government to administer the colony. Belgrano joined the new government and became a leading supporter of independence from Spain. He commanded revolutionary armies that tried unsuccessfully to liberate Paraguay and Upper Peru (now Bolivia) from Spain in 1811 and 1814, respectively. The banner he designed for his revolutionary forces served as a model for Argentina’s national flag.
In 1815, Belgrano traveled to Spain as part of a diplomatic effort to secure independence for a new Argentine nation called the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. He returned to Buenos Aires in 1816 and participated in the Congress of Tucumán. At the conference, representatives from areas that would become Argentine provinces formally declared independence from Spain. Belgrano then served as an officer in the revolutionary army under Argentine General José de San Martín. San Martín wanted to expel the Spanish from South America. Belgrano died on June 20, 1820.
See also Argentina (Road to becoming a nation) ; San Martín, José de .
