José Rondeau | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byGaetano Gallino,c. 1820 | |
| Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata | |
| In office 20 April 1815 – 21 April 1815 | |
| Preceded by | Carlos María de Alvear |
| Succeeded by | Ignacio Álvarez Thomas (acting) |
| In office 10 June 1819 – 11 February 1820 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Martín de Pueyrredón |
| Succeeded by | Juan Pedro Aguirre (acting) |
| Provisional Governor and Captain General of Uruguay | |
| In office 22 December 1828 – 17 April 1830 | |
| Preceded by | Joaquín Suárez |
| Succeeded by | Juan Antonio Lavalleja |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 March 1773 |
| Died | 18 November 1844 (aged 71) |
| Resting place | Central Cemetery of Montevideo |
| Political party | Unitarian Party |
| Other political affiliations | Colorado Party |
| Profession | Military officer |
José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra (4 March 1773 – 18 November 1844) was an Argentine-born general and politician who served in senior roles in bothArgentina andUruguay. Chosen asSupreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in April 1815, he did not assume office; he later served as Supreme Director from June 1819 to February 1820. He was Provisional Governor and Captain General of Uruguay between December 1828 and April 1830.[1][2]
Rondeau was born inBuenos Aires but soon after his birth, the family moved toMontevideo, where he grew up and went to school.In 1793, he enlisted as a cadet in the Buenos Aires infantry and by 1806 was a captain in the Blandengues of Montevideo.During theBritishinvasion of 1806, he was captured and sent toEngland.After the defeat of the British troops, he was released and went toSpain, where he fought in thePeninsular War.When he returned to Montevideo in August 1810, he joined the independentist forces and was nominated military leader of the independentist armies of theBanda Oriental, later Uruguay.[3]
Assigned to operations in theBanda Oriental, Rondeau took part in the campaigns around Montevideo (1811; 1812–1814). In 1814, afterJosé de San Martín resigned command of theArmy of the North for health reasons, Rondeau was appointed to replace him.[4]
His Third Upper Peru campaign suffered reverses atVenta y Media (October 1815) and atSipe-Sipe/Viluma (29 November 1815), after which he was relieved in 1816.[5]
Following the fall ofCarlos María de Alvear in April 1815, the Constituting General Assembly of the provinces of La Plata elected Rondeau theirSupreme Director on 20 April, but he did not take office because he was away on campaign;Ignacio Álvarez Thomas served as acting director from May 1815 to April 1816.[6]
After two defeats against the Spanish royalist troops in Peru atVenta y Media andSipe-Sipe, he was relieved from his command in 1816. He returned to Buenos Aires, where he became governor for a brief stint from 5 June to 30 July 1818.
On 10 June 1819 he became Supreme Director. After the federalist victory at theBattle of Cepeda on 1 February 1820, which precipitated the fall of the directorial regime, Rondeau resigned;Juan Pedro Aguirre briefly acted as his successor in February 1820.[7]
Subsequently, Rondeau retreated to Montevideo and tried to keep out of the internal wars between competing generals of the independentists. Nevertheless, he led several military campaigns against the Indians and in the independence wars againstBrazil. In 1828, after theTreaty of Montevideo, he was elected as thegovernor of the newly founded Eastern Republic of Uruguay. Rondeau occupied this post from December 22, 1828 until April 17, 1830, when he was forced to abdicate by his opponentJuan Antonio Lavalleja, who held the majority in the still young parliament. Lavalleja was named governorad interim.
Rondeau still served as general in the army, though. In thecivil war of Uruguay from 1836 between theBlancos ("White") and theColorados ("Red"), he fought on the side of the latter and served as their war minister. He was killed in 1844 during theGreat Siege of Montevideo.
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