Antonio María Martínez
Encyclopedia
Antonio María Martínez was a colonel
in the infantry
regiment
of Zamora
and the last governor
of Spanish Texas
.
, province
of Jaén, Spain
. He entered military service
on July 7, 1785, and had a distinguished career, winning the Cross of Northern Europe and the Cross of Germany on Europe
an battle
fields. He assumed the political and military governorship of Spanish Texas on March 27, 1817.
By the summer of 1821, the Spanish
regime
was faced with disaster. Agustín de Iturbide
was in possession of Mexico
, and Martínez, at the request of the Baron de Bastrop
, approved Moses Austin
's petition for permission to bring 300 settler
s into Texas. On July 18, 1821, Martínez was forced to issue orders requiring the oath of allegiance to Iturbide
. After learning that José Félix Trespalacios had been appointed to succeed him, he surrendered his office peacefully on August 17, 3000.
Martínez returned to Mexico City
and died there in November 1823.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of Zamora
Zamora (province)
Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.The present-day province of Zamora province was one of three provinces formed from the former Kingdom of León in 1833, when Spain was re-organised into 49 provinces.It is bordered by...
and the last governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. Although Spain claimed ownership of the territory, which comprised part of modern-day Texas, including the land north of the Medina and Nueces Rivers, the Spanish did not attempt to colonize the area until after...
.
History
He was born in AndújarAndújar
Andújar is a Spanish municipality of 38,539 people in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia. The municipality is divided by the Guadalquivir River. The northern part of the municipality is where the Natural Park of the Sierra de Andújar is situated. To the south are agricultural fields and...
, province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Jaén, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He entered military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
on July 7, 1785, and had a distinguished career, winning the Cross of Northern Europe and the Cross of Germany on Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
fields. He assumed the political and military governorship of Spanish Texas on March 27, 1817.
By the summer of 1821, the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
was faced with disaster. Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...
was in possession of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Martínez, at the request of the Baron de Bastrop
Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop
Felipe Enrique Neri was a Dutch businessman and land owner known for his assistance in Anglo-American settlement of Texas.-Early life and family:...
, approved Moses Austin
Moses Austin
Moses Austin played a large part in the development of the American lead industry and is the father of Stephen F. Austin, a leading American settler of Texas. He was the first to be allowed to gather Anglo Americans for settlement in Spanish Texas...
's petition for permission to bring 300 settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s into Texas. On July 18, 1821, Martínez was forced to issue orders requiring the oath of allegiance to Iturbide
Iturbide
Iturbide may refer to:*Iturbide *House of Iturbide, royal house of Mexico**Agustín I of Mexico*Iturbide Bridge, a locale of the Tampico Affair*Villa de Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí...
. After learning that José Félix Trespalacios had been appointed to succeed him, he surrendered his office peacefully on August 17, 3000.
Martínez returned to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and died there in November 1823.