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Real Felipe Fortress National Monument | |
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Location | Central part of the bay of Callao, Peru |
Coordinates | 12°3′46″S77°8′57″W / 12.06278°S 77.14917°W |
Area | 70,000 m² |
Built | 1747–1774 and 1776–1811 |
Governing body | Peru's Army |
The Real Felipe Fortress is a fortress located within the Monumental Zone of Callao, Peru. It was built to defend the main port of the country, as well as the city of Lima from pirates and corsairs during colonial times. The fortress was subject to a two-year siege that ended Spain's presence in both Peru and South America. It is currently the Peruvian Army Museum, displaying historical uniforms, weapons and other military paraphernalia.
During the Viceroyalty of Peru, Callao was the main port of the Americas, it connected the colonies with Spain. Due to the lack of adequate defenses, several pirate incursions took place. [1] In an attempt to protect the port, the viceroy Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Leiva decreed the construction of the Walls of Lima between the years 1640 and 1647 to protect the city. [2] However, the 1746 Lima–Callao earthquake, destroyed most of the fortifications. Viceroy José Antonio Manso de Velasco, ordered the construction of the fortress to bolster the defense of the port. [3]
In 1746, the design proposal of French architect Louis Godin was selected as the design of the fortress. [4] Construction of the fortress began on 21 January 1747 and the first stone was erected 1 August of the same year. This was considered one of the most important constructions made by Spain in the New World, costing about three million pesetas. Most of the stone came from San Lorenzo Island and from the ruins caused by the earthquake. The name of the fortress was chosen to honor the Spanish king Felipe V from the House of Bourbon, who had recently died. Construction ended during the reign of viceroy Manuel de Amat y Junient in 1774.
In 1782, viceroy Manuel Guirior decided to bolster the defences of the fortress with the construction of two smaller complementary fortresses; the «San Miguel» and the «San Rafael». This system came to be known as «Los Castillos del Callao» (The castles of Callao).
In 1806, viceroy José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa ordered the construction of a storage depot for arms, artillery and water to supply up to 2,000 soldiers for up to four months. On 21 January 1816, Admiral Guillermo Brown blockaded the port of Callao, captured several royalist boats and proceeded to bombard the port. However, they were soon repulsed by the coastal batteries of the fortress. [5]
During 16 January 1819, the fortress repulsed an attack from Admiral Lord Thomas Cochrane during the government of viceroy Joaquín de la Pezuela. This incident forced General José de San Martín to invade Lima from Pisco. Once the declaration of independence was decreed, General San Martín ordered to siege the fortress. The siege ended in 1821, when royalist General José de La Mar surrendered to Republican forces. However, the fortress was captured again by the Spaniards under Brigadier José Ramón Rodil y Campillo. Only in 1826, would the fortress return to the republicans after Brigadier Rodil y Campillo surrendered and ended the Second siege of Callao.
The Viceroyalty of Peru, officially known as the Kingdom of Peru, was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed from the capital of Lima. Along with the Viceroyalty of New Spain, Peru was one of two Spanish viceroyalties in the Americas from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
Callao is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Callao Region, which is also coterminous with the Province of Callao. Founded in 1537 by the Spaniards, the city has a long naval history as one of the main ports in Latin America and the Pacific, as it was one of vital Spanish towns during the colonial era. Central Callao is about 15 km (9.3 mi) west of the Historic Centre of Lima.
José Domingo de la Merced de La Mar y Cortázar was a Peruvian military leader and politician who served as the third President of Peru.
The Casa de Osambela, also known as the Casa de Oquendo, is a building built during the colonial era of Peru. It stands on the old Novitiate of the Dominican fathers, destroyed by the earthquake of 1746, and part of the garden, facing the Calle de la Veracruz in the historic center of the city of Lima. It is one of the largest mansions in the center of Lima and is notable for its wide façade and excellent quality balconies.
José Bernardo de Tagle y Portocarrero, 4th Marquess of Torre Tagle, was a Peruvian soldier and politician who served as the Interim President of Peru in 1823 as well as the second President of Peru from 1823 to 1824.
Don José Ramón Rodil y Campillo, 1st Marquess of Rodil and 3rd Viscount of Trobo was a Spanish Liberal general and statesman. Originally a law student at the University of Santiago de Compostela, he enlisted in the Spanish army and went to Peru in 1817 as one of the commissioned officers in the fight against the pro-independence nationalist forces. He also served as Prime Minister of Spain from 17 June 1842 to 9 May 1843.
The Naval Academy of Peru is the institution in charge of the undergraduate education of officers of the Peruvian Navy. It is located at La Punta, Callao, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Its current director is Rear Admiral Luis José Polar Figari.
The Peruvian War of Independence was a series of military conflicts in Peru from 1809 to 1826 that resulted in the country's independence from the Spanish Empire. Part of the broader Spanish American wars of independence, it led to the dissolution of the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru.
José Antonio Manso de Velasco y Sánchez de Samaniego, KOS was a Spanish soldier and politician who served as governor of Chile and viceroy of Peru.
Manuel de Amat y Junyent, OSJ, OM was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator. He was the Royal Governor of the Captaincy General of Chile from December 28, 1755, to September 9, 1761, and Viceroy of Peru from October 12, 1761, to July 17, 1776.
The history of Lima, the capital of Peru, began with its foundation by Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535. The city was established on the valley of the Rímac River in an area populated by the Ichma polity. It became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru and site of a Real Audiencia in 1543. In the 17th century, the city prospered as the center of an extensive trade network despite damage from earthquakes and the threat of pirates. However, prosperity came to an end in the 18th century due to an economic downturn and the Bourbon Reforms.
Francisco José de Ovando y Solís Rol de La Cerda, 1st Marquis of Brindisi was a Spanish soldier who served as Governor-General of the Philippines and governor of Chile.
The Protectorate of Peru, also known as the Protectorate of San Martín, was a protectorate created in 1821 in present-day Peru after its declaration of independence from the Spanish Empire. The protectorate existed for one year and 17 days under the rule of José de San Martín and Argentina.
The Coat of arms of Callao was adopted in 1953 and has its origin in the medal awarded to the participants in the Siege of Callao in 1826. On the shield is a tower with the flag of Peru flying over it, the sea in the background and a radiant sun at the top. The official shield in the lower part shows the legend: "La Fiel y Generosa Ciudad del Callao, Asilo de las Leyes y de la Libertad", however in its simplest representation this text is replaced by the word "Callao".
The first siege of Callao was a prolonged military blockade of the Real Felipe Fortress in Callao by the Liberating Expedition of Peru under the command of General José de San Martín in July 1821 which culminated in the capitulation of Marshal José de La Mar in September of the same year, with him switching sides from the Royalist side to the Patriot side.
The second siege of Callao was the longest lasting siege that occurred on the Pacific coast during the Spanish American wars of independence. The siege was carried out by the combined Gran Colombian and Peruvian independence forces against the royalist soldiers defending the Real Felipe Fortress in the port of Callao, who refused to surrender, and refused to accept the capitulation of the Battle of Ayacucho.
The third siege of Callao was a siege that took place in 1838 during the War of the Confederation between the United Restoration Army, supported by the Chilean army and the Peru–Bolivian Confederation. The confederates defeated the restorationist forces, who then retreated to Huacho due to the advance of the confederate army led by Andrés de Santa Cruz.
Jirón Conde de Superunda, formerly Jirón Lima, is a major street in the Damero de Pizarro, located in the historic centre of Lima, Peru. The street starts at its intersection with the Jirón de la Unión, next to the Palacio Municipal de Lima, and continues until it reaches the Jirón Cañete.
The Callao uprising, also known as the Callao mutiny, took place on February 5, 1824, in the Real Felipe Fortress in Callao, during the campaigns of Simón Bolívar in the Peruvian War of Independence, when Chilean, Colombian, Peruvian and Argentine units of the Army of the Andes rose up and crossed to the Spanish side, ending the unit's existence.
The Historic Centre of Callao is the historic city centre of the Peruvian city of Callao, located west of the country's capital, Lima. The site was included within the larger area declared a Monumental Zone by the Peruvian government in 1972, which was expanded in 1990 to include part of Chucuito neighbourhood.