Jose Ramon Rodil (5 February 1789 – 20 February 1853) was a general and politician of Spain during the South American Wars of Liberation and the First Carlist War. Rodil was known for his cruelty while commanding royalist forces in Peru during the 1820s, and he was also known for his skills as a general while putting down Carlist uprisings in the 1830s. Rodil was affiliated with the liberal Progressive Party of Spain while he was a politician.
Biography[]
Rodil surrendering to Simon Bolivar
Rodil was born in Santa Maria de Trovo, Lugo Province, Spain on 5 February 1789. In 1824, he assumed command of the Spanish city of Callao in Peru, and was known for cruelty during his military governorship. During the Siege of Callao he executed his treasonous top lieutenants, and Simon Bolivar said of him, "how we would applaud Rodil if he was a patriot!" On 22 January 1826 Rodil surrendered to the Patriots and the last Royalist stronghold in Peru fell.
In the aftermath of the South American Wars of Liberation, Rodil fought for the pro-Isabella II of Spain Liberals in the First Carlist War against the Carlists as leader of the 15,000-strong Ejercito del Norte, and he later served as Viceroy of Navarre. In 1842, he became President of the Government of Spain (Prime Minister) as a member of the liberal Progressive Party of Spain. He died at the age of 64 in the capital city of Madrid.