María de los Remedios de Escalada
| María de los Remedios de Escalada | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
November 20, 1797 Buenos Aires |
| Died | August 3, 1823 (aged 25) Buenos Aires |
| Nationality |
 Argentina
|
| Spouse(s) | José de San Martín |
María de los Remedios de Escalada y La Quintana (November 20, 1797 – August 3, 1823) was the wife of the leader of the Argentine War of Independence, General José de San Martín.
She was born in Buenos Aires in 1797 to Tomasa de la Quintana y Aoiz and Antonio José de Escalada, members of the local gentry. The Escaladas were prominent in local commerce, and became supporters of the May Revolution of 1810, hosting numerous clandestine meetings before and after the events that led to the dissolution of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (a part of the Spanish Empire).
During this interim, she met José de San Martín, one of several generals from the Peninsular War who had recently moved to Buenos Aires. Most historians consider that they developed a love at first sight; however, the aristocratic stature of the Escalada, the social customs of the time and San Martín's own political agenda would suggest instead that it could be an arranged marriage between San Martín and the Escalada. With this marriage, the Escalada arranged ties with a general of a promising career, and San Martín could leave the social isolation of his recent move, getting ties with the aristocracy of the city. Even so, San Martin had conflicts with his political family, by rejecting their aristocratic ways. A dinner with Bernardino Rivadavia ended in an incident between them.
They married on September 12, 1812, in a private ceremony at the Buenos Aires cathedral. María was aged 14 at that time, while San Martín declared being 31 years old, thus, born in 1781. However, those years are inconsistent with other ages declared by San Martín in his life, in his year of birth controversy, and it is likely that he declared being younger than he was, to reduce the age disparity between them.
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