Hidalgo de Cisneros, Balthasar

Born in Cartagena in 1756, his parents were Francisco Hidalgo de Cisneros y Sejas (lieutenant of the Spanish Royal Navy) and Manuel de la Torre y Galindo de Espinosa. In 1770 he went to the fleet, sailed off the coast of Africa and America, took part in hostilities against Algeria. In 1795 he became commander of the ship "San Pablo" and as such took part in the Anglo-Spanish War . In 1803 he was placed at the head of the Cartagena arsenal. In 1805 he participated in the Battle of Trafalgar as the commander of the ship " Santisima-Trinidad ", due to the contusion received in the battle, he was partially deaf until the end of his life. In 1808, he fought against Napoleon 's invasion of Spain .

In 1809 he was appointed Viceroy of Rio de la Plata . In June, he arrived in Montevideo , having instructions to dissolve the Montevideo junta, free the conspirators (who attempted to rebel against Viceroy Liniers on January 1, 1809) and send Liniers to Spain. Cisneros managed to take power in Montevideo and disperse the local junta, but he was in no hurry to enter Buenos Aires. On June 26, in the Colony , a meeting of two vice kings took place. On June 30, Cisneros entered the capital of the Viceroyalty, where Liniers continued to be popular. In this situation, it was neither possible to free the rebels, nor to send Liniers to the metropolis, and Liniers went to Cordoba.

In May 1810, the news of the fall of the Seville junta reached South America. On May 10, 1810, as a result of the May Revolution, Cisneros was removed from his post. Being powerless to undertake anything, he wrote about what was happening in Cordoba to the former Viceroy Liniers, entrusting him with everything. He himself formally became an ordinary resident of Buenos Aires. Some time later, the ruling junta sent him to the Canary Islands under the pretext that his life was in danger.

In Spain, he appeared before the court, but there were no complaints about his activities as vice-king, and he was acquitted by becoming captain-general of Cadiz. After the uprising in Spain, he was imprisoned, after returning to power King Ferdinand was released and in 1823 was appointed captain-general of Cartagena.

• Don Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros