Camilo de Polavieja
| Camilo García de Polavieja y del Castillo-Negrete | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 113th Governor-General of the Philippines | |
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In office December 13, 1896 – April 15, 1897 |
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| Monarch | Alfonso XIII of Spain |
| Preceded by | Ramón Blanco y Erenas |
| Succeeded by | José de Lachambre |
| Governor of Cuba | |
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In office August 24, 1890 – 1892 |
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| Preceded by | José Chinchilla |
| Succeeded by | Alejandro Rodríguez Arias |
| Governor of Puerto Rico | |
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In office 1888–1889 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 July 1838 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 15 January 1914 (aged 75) Madrid, Spain |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Spain
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| Rank |  |
| Battles/wars | Third Carlist War, Ten Years' War, Philippine Revolution |
Camilo García de Polavieja y del Castillo-Negrete, Marques de Polavieja (1838–1914) was a Spanish general born in Madrid on July 13, 1838, in a family of merchants. He was an able commander, but considered as brutal as Valeriano Weyler of Cuba.
He enlisted voluntarily in the Navarro Regiment in 1855, where he distinguished himself in Africa. He received the Cross of Isabelle Maria Lucia for gallantry. He then took part in the Ten Years' War in Cuba, where Spain sent 70,000 men, and the Third Carlist War. He was Colonel of the Princess Regiment and promoted to brigadier general in 1876 before being sent to Cuba. In Cuba, he was made Field Marshal and received the Cross of Military Merit. In 1882, he returned to Spain and was made a member of the Supreme Council of War and Navy, Captain general of Andalusia, and Supreme Chief of Infantry Inspection.
In 1888, Polavieja became Governor general of Puerto Rico, a post from which he resigned in 1889. A year later, in 1890, he was sent to succeed Jose Chinchilla as Captain general of Cuba. Being one of the more competent administrators of the time, he resigned in 1892 as a protest against corruption of Romero de Robledo, a politician well known for his corrupt practices, and appointed Minister of Colonies by Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas del Castillo. He was later known as the Butcher of Cuba.
The revolution in Cuba led by Antonio Maceo Grajales inspired Philippine insurgents to revolt as well. Being the last important colony under control of Spain, the Spanish government tried to contain the Philippine Revolution under the administration of Ramón Blanco y Erenas. The further spread of the insurgency in the Philippines led to the turnover of the post of Governor general to Blanco's second-in-command, Lieutenant General Polavieja. The Filipino historian Gregorio Zaide notes that Polavieja was installed with the help of powerful Spanish friars including the Archbishop of Manila during that time. Polavieja oversaw the court martial and death of Jose Rizal on December 30, 1896. Twenty four more people were executed with Rizal.
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Wikipedia