Everything about Ram N Castilla totally explained
Ramón Castilla y Marquesado (
Tarapacá,
31 August 1797 – Tiviliche,
25 May 1867) was a
Peruvian
caudillo and
President of Peru four times. He led the country when the economy boomed due to the exploitation of
guano deposits. Castilla's government abolished
slavery and modernized the state.
He assumed the presidency for the first time after general
Domingo Nieto's death for a short period in 1844, then in 1845 until 1851, again from 1855 to 1862 and, finally, during a brief period in 1863.
First years
Born in
Tarapacá (then part of the
Viceroyalty of Peru), the second son of Pedro Castilla, of Argentine origin, and Juana Marquezado de Romero. In
1807 he traveled to
Lima at the age of 10 to study with his brother and later continued his education in
Concepción, Chile, also helping his brother with his business. In
1817 he enrolled in the Spanish colonial army during Peru's War of Independence, fighting against the independence forces sent by
Argentine general
José de San Martín.
Castilla became a prisoner of war, but managed to escape and returned to
Peru in
1821, deserting the Spanish Army and offering his services to José de San Martín, who enrolled him in the Patriot Army with the rank of lieutenant (a rank he'd held with the
Spanish Army). When San Martin resigned as "Protector of Peru", Castilla sided with
José de la Riva Agüero, who in turn shortly became president in
1823.
In 1824, when the Peruvian Congress named
Simón Bolívar dictator or "Liberator of Peru", Castilla joined Bolivar's army, fighting in the decisive
Battle of Ayacucho, which helped Peru gain its independence from Spain.
In 1825 he was named governor of his native province of
Tarapacá. In 1833, Castilla married Francisca Diez Canseco.
Anarchy: Castilla and Nieto
In 1839 Castilla was named Minister of War and Minister of Finance under
Agustín Gamarra. Under the latter post, Castilla was responsible for Peru's first lucrative guano exportation. Meanwhile, president Gamarra had been harboring intentions of annexing Bolivia back to Peru and, in 1841, he led an invasion army to Bolivia, only to be defeated and killed by the army of
José Ballivián during the Battle of Ingavi, leaving Peru without a leader. During that year various infights among caudillos occurred who constantly proclaimed themselves Presidents.
Manuel Menéndez, then Vice President, assumed the presidency, but was overthrown by a
coup d'état led by
Juan Crisóstomo Torrico in 1842.
Soon after, Castilla, along with
Domingo Nieto, overthrew
Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco during the
Battle of Carmen Alto. Nieto assumed the presidency but died a few months later. Castilla assumes the position on
February 17,
1844 until
December 11 of that year. After defeating the other caudillos around the country, Castilla reinstated Menéndez as President, in order to achieve a constitutional transition to democracy.
President of the Republic
In 1845, Castilla won the Peruvian presidential elections and was sworn in April of that year. During this time the guano export boom was rapidly expanding, largely due to treaties signed with the
British company Anthony Gibbs, which had commercialized the guano in
Europe. Important urban projects were also begun under this period, such as the first railroad from
Lima to
Callao, which helped in the transportation of the guano from the production centers ready to be shipped abroad.
After six years in power, Castilla was succeeded by
José Rufino Echenique. In 1854, however, another rebellion was led in Peru's second-largest city,
Arequipa, by Castilla himself, who was largely urged by other Peruvian liberals to help in the suppression of slavery in the country.
On December 3, 1854, in the city of
Huancayo, an abolition of slavery law was passed. As this law was being applied, Castilla confronted and defeated Echenique in the Battle of La Palma on January 5, 1855.
In
1859, Peru had a confrontation with neighboring
Ecuador over disputed territory bordering the Amazon. Though Peru was considered successful, Castilla failed to secure a definitive agreement with Ecuador and the issue would haunt both countries until the end of the 20th century when the 1997 Peace and Border Treaty of Itamaraty was signed by Peru and Ecuador in Brazil. In December of 1860 a new constitution was enacted during Castilla's presidency and became Peru's supreme law until 1920. Castilla's second presidency, therefore, was marked by the liberation of
slaves and indigenous Peruvians, as well as a new postal system and a new constitution.
In 1862 he was succeeded by
Miguel de San Román, who died less than a year later, prompting Castilla to claim the presidency and refused to recognise
Pedro Diez Canseco, the Second Vice President of the Republic. Diez Canseco, however, was chosen as interim president from April to August of 1863, and was succeeded by
Juan Antonio Pezet.
In 1864 Castilla condemned the international policies of Pezet, only to be jailed and exiled to
Gibraltar. During his absence the historic
Battle of Callao took place, which became Spain's final and unsuccessful move to reconquer independent Peru.
After he returned to Peru, he was again deported to
Chile on the orders of then president
Mariano Ignacio Prado. In a last effort to regain power for a fifth time, Castilla – now nearly seventy – and a group of followers landed in
Pisagua and proceeded towards the Tiviliche desert. This last try, however, proved fatal and Castilla died in his final attempt to pass through southern Peru on May 30, 1867.
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