Jose Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra (4 March 1773-18 November 1844) was Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata from 20 April to 21 April 1815 (succeeding Jose de San Martin, Matias de Irigoyen, and Manuel de Sarratea and preceding Ignacio Alvarez Thomas) and from 9 June 1819 to 1 February 1820 (succeeding Juan Martin de Pueyrredon and preceding Juan Pedro Aguirre), as well as Governor of Uruguay from 22 December 1828 to 17 April 1830 (succeeding Joaquin Suarez and preceding Juan Antonio Lavalleja).
Biography[]
Jose Rondeau was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1773, and he was raised in Montevideo. He joined the Spanish Army and was captured during the British invasions of the Rio de la Plata, after which he was sent to England. Rondeau was released to Spain after the defeat of the British invasion and served in the Peninsular War before returning to Montevideo in August 1810. There, Rondeau joined the patriot forces and became the leader of the patriotic forces in the Banda Orienta, besieging Montevideo from 1812 to 1814. He replaced the sickly Jose de San Martin as commander in Peru, and he served as Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in 1815 and from 1819 to 1820. He was relieved of his military command in 1816 after his defeat at the Battle of Viluma; he was overthrown as Supreme Director after the Battle of Cepeda. Subsequently, he retreated to Montevideo and tried to keep out of the Uruguayan Civil War, but he led several campaigns against both the natives and Brazil. In 1828, he became Governor of Uruguay, but he was forced to abdicate by his opponent Juan Antonio Lavalleja in 1830. He fought for the Colorados during the civil war, and he was killed in 1844 during the Great Siege of Montevideo.