Manuel Isidoro Belzu
Manuel Isidoro Belzu Humérez (4 April 1808 – 27 March 1865) was a Bolivian military officer and statesman[2] who served as the 11th president of Bolivia from 1848 to 1855. Under his presidency, the current national anthem and flag of Bolivia were adopted.[3][4]
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Belzu and the second or maternal family name is Humerez.
Manuel Isidoro Belzu
José Miguel de Velasco (provisional)
Felipe Álvarez
23 March 1865 (aged 56)
La Paz, Bolivia
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- Spanish American wars of independence
- War of the Confederation
- Battle of Socabaya
- Battle of Yanacocha
- Peruvian-Bolivian War of 1841-1842
Early life and education[edit]
Belzu was born in La Paz to mestizo parents Gaspar Belzu and Manuela Humérez. He was educated as a youth by Franciscan friars.[5] However, Belzu admired the heroes of the Spanish American wars of independence such as Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín and hoped to emulate them. For this reason, he decided to join Army of Liberation when he was fifteen, in hopes to join the fight against the Spanish in his homeland of Upper Peru.[5][6] He joined the wars of independence, fighting under Andrés de Santa Cruz at Zepita (1823). After serving as an aide-de-camp to Agustín Gamarra, he left the Peruvian army when the latter entered Bolivia in 1828.[7]
Marriage and family[edit]
Assigned as garrison commander to Tarija, where Francisco Burdett O'Connor was military governor at the time, Belzu married "up" by wedding a beautiful and intellectual Argentine lady, Juana Manuela Gorriti, who resided there with her family. General O'Connor would be one of the witnesses to the wedding and would later be a supporter of Belzu.[8] They had two daughters, Edelmira and Mercedes. Edelmira would later marry General Jorge Córdova, who became Belzu's successor.[9]
Exile and assassination[edit]
To Melgarejo's dismay, former President Manuel Isidoro Belzu, who was exiled in Europe, returned to Bolivia to dispute the rise of Melgarejo, sparking a full civil war. On March 22, 1865, Belzu's army defeated the government forces in La Paz with the help of the popular masses. On March 27, Melgarejo and Quintín Quevedo attacked La Paz with his army but was defeated, with several of his men choosing to side with Belzu.[18]
However, as soon as Belzu entered the Palacio Quemado for the meeting, Melgarejo and his men murdered him. New investigations have come up with the theory that since Melgarejo's revolver failed (the seller found out that only 1 bullet came out of 5 shots), then the bullet that killed Belzu came from the revolver of some soldier who was behind him.[3][19]
According to legend, when Melgarejo's presence was known, a crowd gathered in the Plaza Murillo, located in front of the Bolivian Government Palace, cheering Belzu's name. However, Melgarejo appeared on a balcony instead and announced, "Belzu is dead. Who lives now?" and the crowd shouted: "Long live Melgarejo!"[20][21][10]