Valeriano Weyler | |
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108th Governor-General of the Philippines | |
In office 1888–1891 |
|
Preceded by | Federico Lobaton |
Succeeded by | Eulogio Despujol |
Governor of Cuba | |
In office January 17, 1896 – October 1897 |
|
Preceded by | Sabas Marín |
Succeeded by | Ramón Blanco y Erenas |
Minister of War | |
In office March 6, 1901 – December 6, 1902 |
|
Preceded by | Arsenio Linares y Pombo |
Succeeded by | Arsenio Linares y Pombo |
Minister of War | |
In office June 23, 1905 – December 1, 1905 |
|
Preceded by | Vicente Martitegui |
Succeeded by | Agustín de Luque y Coca |
Minister of War | |
In office December 4, 1906 – January 25, 1907 |
|
Preceded by | Agustín de Luque y Coca |
Succeeded by | Francisco de Paula Loño y Pérez |
Personal details | |
Born | September 17, 1838 Palma, Majorca, Spain |
Died | 20 October 1930 Madrid, Spain |
(aged 92)
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Spain |
Battles/wars | Ten Years' War, Third Carlist War, Cuban War of Independence |
Don Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, Marquis of Tenerife, Duke of Rubí, Grandee of Spain, (September 17, 1838 – October 20, 1930) was a Spanish general and colonial administrator. He served as Governor General of the Philippines and Cuba. He was noted for his Reconcentración policy
Weyler was born in 1838 at Palma, Majorca, Spain. He was educated in his place of birth and in Granada. Weyler decided to enter the Spanish army, being influenced by his father who was a military doctor. He graduated from the Infantry School of Toledo at the age of 16. By age 20, Weyler achieved the rank of lieutenant, and was appointed the rank of captain in 1861. In 1863, he was transferred to Cuba and his participation in the campaign of Santo Domingo earned him the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand. During the Ten Years' War that was fought between 1868-1878, he served as a colonel under General Arsenio Martínez-Campos y Antón, but he returned to Spain before the end of the war to fight against Carlists in the Third Carlist War in 1873. In 1878, he was made general.
From 1878 to 1883, Weyler served as captain-general of Canary Islands. In 1888, Weyler was made Governor General of the Philippines. Weyler granted the petitions of 20 young women of Malolos, Bulacan, to receive education and to have a night school. The women became known as the Women of Malolos. The original petition was denied by the parish priest of Malolos, who argued that women should always stay at home and take care of the family. Weyler happened to visit Malolos after that and he granted the petition on account of the persistence the women displayed for their petition. José Rizal wrote a letter to the women, upon request by Marcelo H. del Pilar, praising their initiative and sensibility on their high hopes for women's education and progress. In 1895, he earned the Grand Cross of Maria Christina for his command of troops in the Philippines, wherein he fought an uprising of the Tagalogs and conduct an offensive against the Moros in Mindanao.