World Wednesday: The Knight of the Andes
Today, in South America, is Día del Libertador José de San Martín, or Anniversary of the death of José de San Martín, liberator of Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
Born in 1778 in Yapeyú, Corrientes (current day Argentina), Don José de San Martín was a man who seemed destined to carve a military career for himself. He left his homeland at the age of just seven to study in Málaga, Spain, and fought in the Spanish army until around 1812. It was then that he began working with the United Provinces of South America (what is also present day Argentina).
I’ll save you the rundown of military accomplishments and battles, but along the way, he earned himself more titles than I have pairs of shoes- Protector of Peru, Knight of the Andes, and a number of political and military titles, including Governor and General, were among his accomplishments. He played an instrumental role in the liberation of the three countries from the Spanish, and was even a statesman along the way.
I have four pairs of shoes, by the way.
Today in South America, there are statues, streets, schools and all kinds of other things dedicated to José de San Martín. I think the only thing he’s missing is an action figure.
Being from Michigan, I’ve honestly never really heard of José de San Martín before doing some digging, and there are certainly other figures, events, and whole chunks of history that I would have had no idea about until I would have searched. So enrich me, and everyone reading this blog: comment with a historical figure or event that you think is underrepresented by the history books.
