Antonio Rivero
Encyclopedia
Antonio “El Gaucho" Rivero was a Gaucho
who murdered the five leading members of the settlement of Port Louis
on the Falkland Islands on 26 August 1833.
, a city in Entre Ríos Province
, Argentina
on November 27, 1808, and was taken to the Falkland Islands
by Luis Vernet
, to work as a Gaucho. He was then about twenty years old. On August 26, 1833, eight months after the British returned to the Falkland Islands, Rivero led a group of Creoles and Indians in an attack against the senior members of Vernet's settlement. There was discontent among Vernet's workers because of the conditions of employment. They were paid with promissory notes, and Matthew Brisbane, Vernet's deputy, devalued them following the reduction in Vernet's fortunes.
His co-conspirators were two gauchos, John Brasso and Jose Maria Luna, and five Charrúa
Indians, Manuel Gonzalez, Luciano Flores, Felipe Salazar, Marcos Latorre and Manuel Godoy. They killed five men, Captain Brisbane, Juan Simón (foreman of the gauchos), Dickson, Antonio Wagner and Ventura Pasos. The population of that time, mainly women and children, fled to the nearby Peat island, until rescued by the sealer Hopeful in October 1833, who then passed information on the murders to the British squadron at Rio de Janeiro.
By January 1834 the British ship HMS Challenger arrived in the islands, bringing Lt Henry Smith, who set out to capture the murderers, who fled into the interior. Rivero then betrayed his companions in the hope of a reduced sentence. The gang was sent for trial in London but due to a quirk of the British Legal system could not be tried as the Crown Court did not have jurisdiction over the Falkland Islands. In the British colonial system, colonies had their own, distinct governments, finances, and judicial systems. Rivero was not tried and sentenced because the British local government and local judiciary had not yet been installed in 1834; these were created later, by the 1841 British Letters Patent
. Subsequently, Rivero has acquired the status of a folk hero in Argentina, where he is portrayed as leading a rebellion against British rule. Ironically it was the actions of Rivero that were responsible for the ultimate demise of Vernet's enterprise on the Falklands.
They were deported to Río de Janeiro
, and returned later to the zone of the Río de la Plata
.
The circumstances of Rivero's death are unknown.
On the other hand, historian Juan Lucio de Almeida maintained in Félix Luna
's magazine, Todo es Historia(ES), that even if it can't be demonstrated that Rivero was driven by a desire to recover the islands for the Confederation, he nevertheless wasn't a common criminal. Traditional historical revisionism of Argentina would use the opposite angle, considering him a patriot. Finally, authors like Pablo Hernández, Horacio Chitarroni, José María “Pepe” Rosa or Fermín Chávez made positive comments on him, not because of patriotic motivations but rather in the context of class struggle
.
In putting these differing perspectives into context. The initial British plans for the Falklands were based upon the perpetuation of Vernet's settlement, backed by an annual visit by a warship. This being the standard practise of maintaining a settlement with the minimum of expense. There was no British presence in the islands at the time of the Port Louis murders. A direct result of the Port Louis murders was the installation of a permanent British Government presence, Lt Henry Smith became the first British resident in January 1834. Subsequently, the permanent presence led to the decision in 1841 to form a permanent colony rather than a minor naval outpost.
about the uprising of Rivero, called "El Gaucho Rivero y la conspiración para apoderarse de Malvinas". It was presented at the 2009 Buenos Aires International Book Fair
, and has a prologue by the journalist Chacho Rodríguez Muñoz.
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
who murdered the five leading members of the settlement of Port Louis
Port Louis, Falkland Islands
Port Louis is a settlement on northeastern East Falkland. It was established by Louis de Bougainville in 1764 as the first French settlement on the islands, but was then transferred to Spain in 1767 and renamed Puerto Soledad .-History:The settlement has seen several name changes...
on the Falkland Islands on 26 August 1833.
Biography
Rivero was born in Concepción del UruguayConcepción del Uruguay
Concepción del Uruguay is a city in Argentina.It is located in the Entre Ríos province, on the western shore of the Uruguay River, some 320 kilometers north from Buenos Aires. Its population is about 65,000 inhabitants .-History:...
, a city in Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
on November 27, 1808, and was taken to the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
by Luis Vernet
Luis Vernet
Luis Vernet was a merchant from Hamburg of Huguenot descent. Vernet established a settlement on East Falkland in 1828, after first seeking approval from both the British and Argentine authorities. As such, Vernet is a controversial figure in the history of the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute...
, to work as a Gaucho. He was then about twenty years old. On August 26, 1833, eight months after the British returned to the Falkland Islands, Rivero led a group of Creoles and Indians in an attack against the senior members of Vernet's settlement. There was discontent among Vernet's workers because of the conditions of employment. They were paid with promissory notes, and Matthew Brisbane, Vernet's deputy, devalued them following the reduction in Vernet's fortunes.
His co-conspirators were two gauchos, John Brasso and Jose Maria Luna, and five Charrúa
Charrua
The Charrúa were an indigenous people of southern South America in the area today known as Uruguay and southern Brazil. They were a nomadic people that sustained themselves through fishing and foraging...
Indians, Manuel Gonzalez, Luciano Flores, Felipe Salazar, Marcos Latorre and Manuel Godoy. They killed five men, Captain Brisbane, Juan Simón (foreman of the gauchos), Dickson, Antonio Wagner and Ventura Pasos. The population of that time, mainly women and children, fled to the nearby Peat island, until rescued by the sealer Hopeful in October 1833, who then passed information on the murders to the British squadron at Rio de Janeiro.
By January 1834 the British ship HMS Challenger arrived in the islands, bringing Lt Henry Smith, who set out to capture the murderers, who fled into the interior. Rivero then betrayed his companions in the hope of a reduced sentence. The gang was sent for trial in London but due to a quirk of the British Legal system could not be tried as the Crown Court did not have jurisdiction over the Falkland Islands. In the British colonial system, colonies had their own, distinct governments, finances, and judicial systems. Rivero was not tried and sentenced because the British local government and local judiciary had not yet been installed in 1834; these were created later, by the 1841 British Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
. Subsequently, Rivero has acquired the status of a folk hero in Argentina, where he is portrayed as leading a rebellion against British rule. Ironically it was the actions of Rivero that were responsible for the ultimate demise of Vernet's enterprise on the Falklands.
They were deported to Río de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, and returned later to the zone of the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
.
The circumstances of Rivero's death are unknown.
Historical perspectives
The Argentine National Academy of History considered in 1966 that Rivero and his followers were common criminals driven by no patriotic feeling, and Argentine historian Laurio H. Destéfani wrote in his 1982 book on the history of the Falkland Islands dispute:On the other hand, historian Juan Lucio de Almeida maintained in Félix Luna
Félix Luna
Félix Luna was a prominent Argentine writer, lyricist and historian.-Life and times:Luna was born in Buenos Aires to a family originally from La Rioja Province, in 1925...
's magazine, Todo es Historia(ES), that even if it can't be demonstrated that Rivero was driven by a desire to recover the islands for the Confederation, he nevertheless wasn't a common criminal. Traditional historical revisionism of Argentina would use the opposite angle, considering him a patriot. Finally, authors like Pablo Hernández, Horacio Chitarroni, José María “Pepe” Rosa or Fermín Chávez made positive comments on him, not because of patriotic motivations but rather in the context of class struggle
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
.
In putting these differing perspectives into context. The initial British plans for the Falklands were based upon the perpetuation of Vernet's settlement, backed by an annual visit by a warship. This being the standard practise of maintaining a settlement with the minimum of expense. There was no British presence in the islands at the time of the Port Louis murders. A direct result of the Port Louis murders was the installation of a permanent British Government presence, Lt Henry Smith became the first British resident in January 1834. Subsequently, the permanent presence led to the decision in 1841 to form a permanent colony rather than a minor naval outpost.
In popular culture
Armando S. Fernández wrote in 2009 a historical novelHistorical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
about the uprising of Rivero, called "El Gaucho Rivero y la conspiración para apoderarse de Malvinas". It was presented at the 2009 Buenos Aires International Book Fair
Buenos Aires International Book Fair
The Buenos Aires International Book Fair is held every April in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is one of the top five book expos in the world, oriented to the literary community as well as to the general public.-Organization:The expo is organized by the Fundación El Libro, a non-profit established...
, and has a prologue by the journalist Chacho Rodríguez Muñoz.
External links
- "British Foreign Secretary Resigns" - The Miami News
- "The Case of Antonio Rivero and the Sovereignty over the Falkland Islands" - Jstor
- "Massacre at the Falkland Islands" - Nautical magazine and journal of the Royal Naval Reserve, Volume 3
- "Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure" - Google Books
- "Imperial skirmishes: war and gunboat diplomacy in Latin America" - Google Books
- "Recapture hopes receding" - The Age
- "Buenos Aires, otoño 1982: la guerra de Malvinas según las crónicas de un ..." - Google Books
- "The Gaucho Rivero" - El Mercurio Digital
- "HISTORY IN AN IMAGE IN 1831, U.S. aggression OPENED THE DOOR FOR TWO YEARS AFTER THE BRITISH INVADER" - Clarin
- "Spanish navigators discovered the islands in 1521" - El Pais
- "The last trace of the gauchos Falklands" - La Nacion
- "Britain today begins work on oil exploration in the Falklands" - La Jornada