Jose Ballivian

José Ballivián Segurola (La Paz, Spanish Empire, May 5, 1805-Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian Empire, October 6, 1852) was a Bolivian military and politician, president of Bolivia from September 27, 1841 until its fall on December 23, 1847.

Biography

José Ballivián was born in the city of La Paz, capital of the La Paz intendancy, Royal Audience of Charcas of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata of the Spanish Empire on May 5, 1805, into an aristocratic family from La Paz, being his parents Jorge Ballivián and Isidora Segurola Çelayarán, daughter of Brigadier Sebastián de Segurola-Çelayarán y Oliden. He started early in the arms race, something usual at that time. In 1817 he enlisted in the Royal Army of Mariano Ricafort and left La Paz with him. He returned in 1818 as an assistant to Mayor Sánchez Lima, the following year, in coexistence with other young soldiers, he joined the patriot force of Colonel José Miguel Lanza in Ayopaya. After a series of adverse circumstances for the patriotic troops, he returned to La Paz on behalf of General Lanza.

He joined the Bolivian Army and was appointed colonel. He was present in 1828, when the Peruvian general Agustín Gamarra entered Bolivia and the consequent treaty of Piquiza took place. In the presidency of Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz, Ballivián was one of his collaborators. He married Mrs. Mercedes Coll. With the Confederation troops he took part in the battles of Yanacocha, Uchumayo and Socabaya.

After the Confederate victory at Paucarpata, he was taken prisoner at sea and taken to Santiago from where he escaped thanks to a skillful stratagem on the Andromeda ship. At the fall of the Mcal. Santa Cruz and the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, he proclaimed himself president. He failed to establish himself and escaped to Peru. In 1841 he learned of the threat from the President of Peru, General Agustín Gamarra, with a second invasion of Bolivia. He went to face him but he had in command of him a small troop of rebel soldiers who were mostly rookies; While on the Bolivian border, his enemy, Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Isidoro Belzu, appeared and managed to defeat the Ballivián army, but angry at the event, he contacted Gamarra with whom he made a pact, which consisted of Gamarra giving him He would help confront Belzu, while Ballivián would help him with the invasion of Bolivia, with this the invasion of Bolivia began in October. When Ballivián arrived in La Paz, he proclaimed himself president, but so had his enemy, Major General José Miguel de Velasco, in Sucre and he quartered with his army in Cochabamba, while the acting president, the lawyer Mariano Enrique Calvo, was in Sucre. Ballivián, disappointed by the promises broken by Gamarra, decides to confront him, but he sought help from his enemy Velasco, who was recognized for being a republican patriot, he gave him his veteran army that already had division commanders. The army led by Ballivián grew enormously thanks to the contribution of Velasco.

He faced the Peruvian forces in Ingavi or Incahue, and won the battle where General Gamarra was killed, with this battle he consolidated the independence of Bolivia forever.

Presidency

After the battle of Ingavi or Incahue, he overthrew the Bolivian president in office Mariano Enrique Calvo, and ruled from 1841 to 1847. He continued the work organization of Santa Cruz, approved a new Constitution, explored the north of the country, segregated its most Amazonian part from the department of Santa Cruz, thus creating the department of Beni, rationalized the army in an exemplary manner, created the mining rescue bank and the development of this activity was important in his government, he established several fluvial ports. The export economy was marked by guano and husk.

Ballivián's conflicts against Belzu did not stop, and they worsened when Ballivián had an affair with Colonel Belzu's wife; and, to keep Belzu away, he decides to send him to the border, but before this commission, Belzu does not obey Ballivián's orders. Given this, President Ballivián – who had vengeful accounts against Belzu – stripped him of his merits of his rank as Belzu, and discharged him as a private. When the military high command found out, he decides to rise up against Balliviá, due to his actions, but he decides to flee through the roof of the palace. Given this, his brother, Colonel Mariano Ballivián, decides to enter Plaza Murillo with his army, supporting his brother, in such a way that Belzu ended up fleeing in disguise. General Eusebio Guilarte Mole had assumed the presidency, but ten days later he was overthrown by Major General José Miguel de Velasco.

He handed over command to Eusebio Guilarte Vera and went to Chile from where he went to Brazil. He passed away on October 6, 1852 in Rio de Janeiro. The remains of him were repatriated.

In homage to this character, the Bolivian province of General José Ballivián Segurola bears his name in the department of Beni.