O’Higgins, Bernardo (1778-1842), was the chief liberator of Chile and its first leader after independence. He headed the nation from 1817 to 1823.
In 1814, O’Higgins became commander in chief of rebel forces fighting to gain Chilean independence from Spain. In October, the Spaniards defeated the rebels at the Battle of Rancagua, and O’Higgins fled with his army to Argentina. There, he joined forces with the Argentine general Jose de San Martin. In 1817, the combined armies crossed the Andes Mountains and defeated the Spaniards at Chacabuco, near Santiago. O’Higgins was then named supreme director of Chile. O’Higgins and San Martin won a final victory over the Spanish forces in 1818 at the Maipo River.
O’Higgins backed a number of reforms for Chile but met with strong opposition from aristocrats, provincial chiefs, and the Roman Catholic Church. Lack of support for his policies caused him to resign in 1823.
Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme was born on Aug. 20, 1778, in Chillan, Chile. His Irish-born father, Ambrosio O’Higgins, was a colonial official in the service of Spain. Bernardo O’Higgins died in October 1842.
