Jacó Monte
His Viceroyal Highness Jacó Monte | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Viceroy of Ilírica | |
| In office July 19, 1772 – June 25, 1784 | |
| Governor General | Thiago Jorge (1772-1776), Almir Fernandes (1776-1784), Iuri Ventura (1784) |
| Preceded by | Manoel Santiago |
| Succeeded by | Position Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jacó Monte November 11, 1725 Cautica, Viceroyalty of Ilírica |
| Died | June 25, 1784 Illyricus, Viceroyalty of Ilírica |
| Cause of death | Execution |
| Resting place | Porto Enateo, New Illyricum |
| Nationality | Ilírican |
| Spouse(s) | Calixta Araújo (m. 1750 d. 1770), Ângela Calvo (m. 1772) |
| Parents | Adalberto Monte and Sol Antunes |
| Relatives | Cirilo Sousa |
| Occupation | Politician |
Jacó Monte (11 November 1725 - 25 June 1784) was an Ilírican politician who served as Viceroy of Ilírica from 1772 to his death in 1784 during the Illyric Revolution which resulted in the overthrowing of the Viceroyalty. Jacó introduced many measures which heavily increased the Viceroyalty's reliance on the Montcrabin Empire, which alienated him from the population. This alienation, combined with his extravagant use of public money resulted in his eventual execution.
Early Life
Jacó was born in 1725 in Cautica in Perfuliam as the son of General Adalberto Monte and Sol Antunes, the niece of Viceroy Cirilo Sousa. Jacó was brought up to be a member of high society under the tutelage of the finest mentors in Ilírica and the Montcrabin Empire. At age 11, in 1736, Jacó was sent to Montcrabe City to learn Surian cultural customs and to be taught by Montcrabin tutors. Jacó resided in Montcrabe City for eight years before moving out to Novo Marcellus in Calassa where he lived with his cousins and his uncle Pio Monte, a Montcrabin noble. It was at Novo Marcellus where Jacó spent much of his childhood and adolescence until the age of 24, when he returned to Ecros and to Cautica upon his father's abrupt death.
Early Political Career
A year after his father's death in 1749, Jacó married Calixta Araújo, a wealthy heiress of the Duchy of Secundia, and a secret athiest, a belief strictly illegal in Ilírica. Jacó's marriage allowed him access to the political stage, and he became a major politician campaigning for heavier trade with Montcrabe and arguing against the proposed abolition of the Ilírican Slave Trade. Jacó soon became intense political rivals with Carmo Félix, a pro-abolition and pro-Ilírican independence politician, and the two clashed through the 1750s. Jacó decided to take a military command in 1759 as a Naval Admiral and he would serve for six years, traveling to Araucarlia, the San Carlos Islands, and Dontalamh, mostly as a convoy to slave ships transporting slaves out from Ilírica.
Jacó returned in 1765 after hearing that Carmo Félix had been elected Governor General and began viciously campaigning against his policies. Jacó failed to gain the support of the General Assembly, which was heavily in support of Félix, however he became a personal favorite of reigning Viceroy Manoel Santiago and the Patriarch of Illyricum, Marcelinho Magalhães. In 1767 Jacó was named as the new Governor General after Viceroy Manoel Santiago managed to force his resignation through use of military force in the 1767 Ilírican coup d'état when he stormed the General Assembly chamber with soldiers.
