Royal Governor of Chile

The royal governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the royal governor also held the title of a captain general. There were 66 such governors or captains during the Spanish conquest and the later periods of Spanish-centered colonialism. Since the first Spanish–Mapuche parliaments in the 17th century it became an almost mandatory tradition for each governor to arrange a parliament with the Mapuches.[1]

List of governors

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Picture Name Entered office Exited office Notes Appointed by
Pedro de Valdivia August 1540 December 1547 Charles V
Francisco de Villagra December 1547 20 July 1549
Pedro de Valdivia 20 July 1549 25 December 1553 Killed at the Battle of Tucapel.
Rodrigo de Quiroga December 1553 February 1555
Francisco de Villagra Triumvirate
Francisco de Aguirre
Cabildos of Chile February 1555 May 1556 The cities of Chile governed themselves while the dispute over the governorship was settled by the Real Audiencia in Lima.
Francisco de Villagra May 1556 April 1557 Philip II
García Hurtado de Mendoza April 1557 February 1561
Francisco de Villagra February 1561 June 1563
Pedro de Villagra June 1563 June 1565
Rodrigo de Quiroga June 1565 August 1567
Real Audiencia of Chile August 1567 August 1568
Melchor Bravo de Saravia August 1568 January 1575
Rodrigo de Quiroga January 1575 February 1580
Martín Ruiz de Gamboa February 1580 July 1583
Alonso de Sotomayor September 1583 July 1592
Pedro de Viscarra July 1592 October 1592
Martín García Óñez de Loyola October 1592 December 1598 Killed at the Disaster of Curalaba
Pedro de Viscarra de la Barrera December 1598 May 1599 Philip III
Francisco de Quiñónez May 1599 July 1600
Alonso García de Ramón July 1600 February 1601
Alonso de Ribera de Pareja February 1601 March 1605
Alonso García de Ramón March 1605 September 1607
Luis Merlo de la Fuente Ruiz de Beteta September 1607 January 1611
Juan Jaraquemada January 1611 March 1612
Alonso de Ribera de Pareja March 1612 March 1617
Fernando Talaverano Gallegos March 1617 January 1618
Lope de Ulloa y Lemos January 1618 December 1620
Cristóbal de la Cerda y Sotomayor December 1620 November 1621
Pedro Osores de Ulloa November 1621 September 1624 Philip IV
Francisco de Álava y Nureña September 1624 May 1625
Luis Fernández de Córdoba y Arce May 1625 December 1629
Francisco Laso de la Vega December 1629 May 1639
Francisco López de Zúñiga
2nd Marquis of Baides
May 1639 May 1646
Martín de Mujica y Buitrón May 1646 April 1649
Alonso de Figueroa y Córdoba April 1649 May 1650
Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona May 1650 January 1656
Pedro Porter Casanate January 1656 February 1662
Diego González Montero Justiniano February 1662 May 1662
Ángel de Peredo May 1662 January 1664
Francisco de Meneses Brito January 1664 1667
Diego Dávila Coello y Pacheco
1st Marquis of Navamorcuende
1667 February 1670 Charles II
Diego González Montero Justiniano February 1670 October 1670
Juan Henríquez de Villalobos October 1670 April 1682
Marcos José de Garro Senei de Artola April 1682 January 1692
Tomás Marín de Poveda
1st Marquis of Cañada Hermosa
January 1692 December 1700
Francisco Ibáñez de Segovia y Peralta December 1700 February 1709 Philip V
Juan Andrés de Ustariz February 1709 December 1716
José de Santiago Concha y Salvatierra December 1716 17 December 1717
Gabriel Cano y Aponte 17 December 1717 11 November 1733
Francisco de Sánchez de la Barreda 11 November 1733 May 1734
Manuel Silvestre de Salamanca Cano May 1734 November 1737
José Antonio Manso de Velasco
Count of Superunda
November 1737 June 1744
Francisco José de Ovando
1st Marquis of Brindisi
June 1745 March 1746
Domingo Ortíz de Rosas
1st Marquis of Poblaciones
25 March 1746 28 December 1755 Ferdinand VI
Manuel de Amat y Junyent 28 December 1755 9 September 1761
Félix de Berroeta September 1761 October 1762 Charles III
Antonio de Guill y Gonzaga October 1762 August 1768
Juan de Balmaseda August 1768 March 1770
Francisco Javier de Morales March 1770 March 1772

Governors and captains general of Chile

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Picture Name Entered office Exited office Notes Appointed by
Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa March 1772 July 1780 Charles III
Tomás Álvarez de Acevedo Ordaz July 1780 December 1780 Interim
Ambrosio de Benavides December 1780 April 1787
Tomás Álvarez de Acevedo Ordaz April 1787 May 1788 Interim

Appointed by Charles IV

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Appointed by Ferdinand VII

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(Dissolved 1810-1814 Patria Vieja)

Period of the Reconquista Española: Governors and Captains General:

References

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  1. ^ Pinochet Ugarte, Augusto; Villaroel Carmona, Rafael; Lepe Orellana, Jaime; Fuente-Alba Poblete, J. Miguel; Fuenzalida Helms, Eduardo (1997). Historia militar de Chile (in Spanish) (3rd ed.). Biblioteca Militar. p. 86.

Sources

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