Melchor Bravo de Saravia

Melchor Bravo de Saravia y Sotomayor (1512 – 1577) was a Spanish conquistador, interim viceroy of Peru, and Royal Governor of Chile.

He was born in Soria, Spain, the son of Juan de Saravia and María Mayor de Vera y Morales. In 1538 he completed his studies at the College of Bologna. He entered the royal service as oidor (judge) in Naples. In 1547 he was named to the Audiencia of Granada. In 1549 he was transferred to America in order to found the Audiencia of New Granada. Later he was transferred to Lima, where Pedro de La Gasca had reinstalled the Audiencia in 1549. As president of the Audiencia in Lima he occupied the position of interim Viceroy of Peru from July 1552 to July 1556.

During this time, the Audiencia had to combat the major rebellion of Francisco Hernández Girón. Bravo de Saravia is seen as being one of the major contributors to the eventual defeat and punishment of the rebels, due to his great activity and service during that time.

The Audiencia turned over its governance to the new viceroy of Peru, Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete, in 1556. By a royal decree in 1565, King Philip II created the Audiencia of Concepción in Chile. This was intended primarily as a means of ending the ongoing Arauco War with the Mapuches. Besides the usual judicial functions of an audiencia, it was also intended to have governmental functions.

The Audiencia was installed in August 1567, and in September the king named Bravo de Saravia to take over the civil and military government of Chile, with the title of governor. He arrived from Lima in 1568, and served in that position until 1575, when he was replaced by Rodrigo de Quiroga.

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