MIGUEL DE SAN ROMÁN: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - HISTORY - 2025

Miguel de San Román was a Peruvian politician and military man born in Puno in 1802. Son of a Spanish military man and with an aristocratic background, he soon decided to join the independence cause following in the footsteps of his father, who had enlisted in the patriotic forces and was shot for it.

As a member of the army he participated in the war for the Independence of Peru against the Spanish, as well as taking part in the internal conflicts that developed in the country in subsequent decades. Likewise, he had a prominent role in the war that confronted his country and Greater Colombia, and in the war against Bolivia.

This led him to be appointed grand marshal and to occupy positions in the government of Ramón Castilla. San Román was elected President of the Republic in 1862, a position he held for only six months. Death, caused by illness, put an end to that brief period of government.

Even so, he had time to enact several laws, focused mainly on trying to alleviate the economic crisis that the nation was suffering.

Biography

Miguel de San Román y Meza was born on May 17, 1802 in the town of Puno. The military vocation ran in the family, since his father was a colonel in the Spanish army.

His first studies were carried out at the College of Sciences and Arts of Puno itself. According to the chronicles, from a young age he was a supporter of the independence cause.

A sad fact strengthened his position even more. His father, despite his position in the royalist troops, joined the defenders of independence, taking part in the uprising that took place in 1814.

Miguel, just 13 years old, followed him to the battle of Umachiri. The defeat of the patriots led to his father in prison and, later, to be shot.

Desertion and union with the independentistas

After the death of his father, Miguel moved to Cuzco to finish his studies. Upon completion, he joined the royalist army that sent him to fight the independentists on the southern coast of the country. San Roman took advantage of this mission to desert and join the rebels.

From that moment on he participated in numerous battles in the war for independence. Among these, he highlighted his role in the occupation of Lima, in 1821, as well as in the defeat suffered in La Macacona, the following year. San Roman was accumulating promotions until reaching lieutenant.

In 1824 he joined the forces led by Simón Bolívar, following him in his military campaign that ended with the victories of Junín and Ayacucho and, finally, with the achievement of independence. Miguel was appointed sergeant major and took care to end the Spanish resistance that was maintained in some areas.

Military life after independence

He participated in the succession of coups that took place in Peru during those decades. In 1834 his participation in one of these rebellions led to his exile in Bolivia.

He returned to join Gamarra in defending the country against the Bolivian invaders. These tried to create a confederation between the two countries, but they were defeated in Yungay.

From that moment on, San Román remained loyal to the constitutional government of Gamarra and accumulated more promotions and positions. Likewise, he fought in the military campaign against Bolivia in 1841, earning him the rank of general of division.

An oversight of his during the battle of Ingavi almost caused the Peruvian defeat against the Bolivians. In addition, President Gamarra died during those combats, causing demoralization to spread. However, San Román managed to rebuild the troops and stop the invaders.

Peace with Bolivia did not mean the stabilization of the country. The death of the president unleashed a time of anarchy, with various sides trying to take power.

San Román recognized General Torrico as an authority and put himself at his service. Being defeated by another faction, he had to leave again for Bolivia in 1842.

Constitutional revolution

San Román reappeared in Puno when the constitutional revolution against the dictator Vivanco began. He immediately became part of the provisional governing board of the revolutionaries.

Taking advantage of his military experience, he was appointed general in chief. His troops won the battle of Carmen Alto in 1844 and he was promoted to grand marshal.

Political life

His first political office came after the victory of the revolution. Manuel Menéndez, provisional president, called him to occupy the Ministry of War, and in 1845 he was elected senator.

Already during the government of Castile he was part of the Council of State, in addition to being, again, Minister of War for a few months in 1848.

In August of that year, he was accused of conspiring against the government and exiled to Chile. The amnesty granted in 1849 allowed him to return to the country.

His first attempt to reach the presidency was in 1851. However, the elections were not favorable to him, obtaining only 6.3% of the votes.

New exile

As an elected deputy, he highlighted his opposition to President Echenique. So hard did it become that he was exiled again to Chile, from where he did not return until 1854.

That year a new liberal revolution had broken out in Arequipa; At the head of it was General Castilla y San Román, after reconciling with him, joined his rebellion.

Finally, the rebels defeated the government forces in early January 1855, and Castile resumed the presidency. Then, San Roman was Minister of War and Navy, and participated in the making of the new Constitution.

The civil war that broke out between liberals and conservatives stopped these works and forced San Roman to return to the battlefield until his victory in 1858. Once the constitutional government of President Castilla was reestablished, the military man returned to occupy the ministry.

Presidency

Miguel de San Román ran for election again in 1862 when the term of Castile was ending. On this occasion, with the support of the outgoing president, he managed to win them. On August 29 of that same year, Congress proclaimed him President of the Republic.

At that time, the presidential terms in Peru were four years, but San Román only held the position for a few months. It was a mandate marked by the continuity of the policies of his predecessor and by the search for reconciliation.

In fact, his first measure was to grant amnesty to those who were in exile for political reasons.

Death

The first symptoms of the disease that ended his life appeared at the beginning of 1863. San Román then moved to his residence, with the intention of continuing to govern from there. However, by March his health worsened considerably.

Doctors diagnosed him with liver and kidney problems, with no hope of recovery. Old political (and warlike) rivals such as Castilla and Echenique came together to visit him. On April 3, 1863, Miguel de San Román died at his home.

Plays

The shortness of his mandate did not allow San Román to develop an intense legislative activity. However, he did have time to carry out some important reforms in the country.

A good part of his measures focused on the economy. The situation in the country was quite precarious and he was forced to apply for a loan abroad, since guano sales had fallen sharply.

Similarly, in February 1863 it issued a law that established an official double currency in the country. From that moment they coexisted in Sol de Plata and Sol de Oro, with different values.

At the same time, he started the founding of some commercial banks, although due to his death, the task did not finish.

Other aspects

Apart from the above, San Román introduced the decimal metric system of weights and measures in Peru. Likewise, it maintained the public works that the government of Castile had begun.

On political issues, he promulgated a law that empowered the president to appoint or dismiss ministers without having to obey Parliament on that issue. The Penal and Civil Code also changed, since the old laws of the Spanish were still in force.

References

1. Biographies and Lives. Miguel de San Roman. Obtained from biografiasyvidas.com
2. Iperu. Miguel de San Roman. Retrieved from iperu.org
3. Pedagogical Folder. Miguel de San Román (1862 - 1863). Obtained from historiadelperu.carpetapedagogica.com
4. PDBA News. Republic of Peru / Republic of Peru. Retrieved from pdba.georgetown.edu
5. Revolvy. Miguel de San Roman. Retrieved from revolvy.com
6. Wikipedia. Peruvian War of Independence. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org
7. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Peruvian – Bolivian Confederation. Retrieved from britannica.com