Maximiliér Sauléu e Dóna
Caudillo, Field Marshal, His Excellency Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos | |
|---|---|
.png) Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos in 1840. | |
| 25th Prime Minister of Castilliano | |
| In office March 24, 1824 – June 19, 1845 | |
| Monarch | Adolfo I |
| Preceded by | Ignacio Menéndez Morillo as Provisional Prime Minister |
| Succeeded by | Ángel Carvallo Piñón as Provisional Prime Minister |
| In office March 18, 1823 – December 12, 1823 Provisional Prime Minister | |
| Monarch | Adolfo I |
| Preceded by | Luciano Carita Cavallería |
| Succeeded by | Ignacio Menéndez Morillo as Provisional Prime Minister |
| Caudillo of the National Pro-Fatherland Front | |
| In office March 18, 1823 – June 19, 1845 | |
| Deputy | Ignacio Menéndez Morillo |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Position Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maximiliano Alexander Saelices Dávalos November 10, 1767 Sonsonate, Castilliano |
| Died | June 19, 1846 (aged 78) Chalatenango, Castilliano |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Political party | National Pro-Fatherland Front |
| Spouse(s) | Marta Lainfiesta Castañeda (m. 1784; his death 1846) |
| Children | 5 |
| Mother | María Dávalos Morteno |
| Father | Maximiliano Saelices Hernández |
| Alma mater | Chalatenango Military School |
| Occupation | Military officer, politician |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | "El Caudillo", General Max, Jefe Saelices |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Castilliano |
| Branch/service | Castillianan Army |
| Years of service | 1785-1845 |
| Rank |  Caudillo |
| Commands | Castillianan Army |
| Battles/wars | San Pabloan Revolution 1823 Castillianan coup d'état 1845 Castillianan coup d'état  |
| Awards | Order of Santiago Matadeltinianos |
Maximiliano Alexander Saelices Dávalos (November 10, 1767-June 19, 1846) was a Castilliano military general and politician who served as Prime Minister of Castilliano through a coup d'état on March 18, 1823, to December 12, 1823, and again from March 24, 1824, until he himself was overthrown on June 19, 1845.
Saelices Dávalos was an officer in the Castillianan Army beginning in 1785. He was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal by King José VII in 1820 for his leadership against the San Pabloan Revolution, making him one of the most powerful military figures in the country. He had begun to grow ambitious for power and began planning to run in the upcomming 1825 general election until the King suddenly died and was succeeded by his young son, Emmanuel III. He convinced the Army that the King's brother, Adolfo, deserved the throne insetad. Emmanuel III was captured on March 18, 1823, and when the Parliament immediately condemned the action, Saelices Dávalos had everyone in Parliament arrested and he declared himself Provisional Prime Minister.
He had everyone in Parliament who was a member of the National Liberal Party, including Prime Minister Luciano Carita Cavallería, executed by firing squads, while sparing politicians from the Party for National Resurrection who joined his newly formed National Pro-Fatherland Front. He briefly resigned on December 12, 1823, but won the heavily rigged 1824 general election and resumed the Prime Ministership on March 24, 1824.
Saelices Dávalos ruled Castilliano as a dictator, styling himself as Caudillo, for nearly 23 years from 1823 to 1845. King Adolfo I reigned as a figurehead as the King had since the establishment of the Parliament of 1565. In 1845, the military turned on Saelices Dávalos and arrested him on June 19, 1845, in a coup lead by exiled politicians Bernabé Sarmiento Cambeiro and Ángel Carvallo Piñón. Carvallo Piñón became Provisional Prime Minister and Sarmiento Cambeiro became Prime Minister after winning the 1846 general election. Saelices Dávalos was put on trial for treason was was found guilty on May 11, 1846, and was sentenced to death by hanging. Saelices Dávalos was executed on June 19, 1846, the anniversary of his removal from office.
Contents
Early Life
Maximiliano Alexander Saelices Dávalos was born on November 10, 1767, in Sonsonate, Castilliano. His father was Maximiliano Saelices Hernández, a Colonel in the Castillianan Army, and his mother was María Dávalos Morteno who ran a successful restaurant in Sonsonate. At age ten, he worked as a child laborer for a local fisher. When he was 16, he left his job to help his mother in the restaurant and when he was 18, he enrolled in the Chalatenango Military School at his father's insistance.
Military Career
Saelices Dávalos entered the Chalatenango Military School in 1785 with the intention of becoming a military officer like his father. In 1789, he graduated as a Lieutenant and was a part of the 12th Army. In 1814, he was promoted to General and was in command of the 8th Infantry Division which was stationed in San Pablo.
San Pabloan Revolution
On August 3, 1820, peasants in the countryside of San Pablo revolted against the rule of the government and demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Primitivo Pozo Cicerón, despite the fact his term expired in 20 days, and demanded better wages and greater freedoms. After burning down two private estates, killing all 15 of their inhabitants, and besieging several city halls, Saelices Dávalos mobilized his forces to put down the rebellion. After 6 days, the rebellion was put down by Saelices Dávalos' forces.
Becoming Field Marshal
On April 5, 1820, Field Marshal Anastasio Bustamante Oseguera, the commander of the 12th Army, retired. King José VII promoted Saelices Dávalos to Field Marshal to fill in the gap and as a reward for putting down the rebellion. Saelices Dávalos then requested the promotion of Ignacio Menéndez Morillo to General to fill in his empty spot in the 12th Army to which José VII accepted the request.
1823 Coup and Purges
By 1822, Saelices Dávalos began to have political ambitions and wanted to become Prime Minister. He planned to establish a political party in 1824 and run for the seat in Sonsonate and gain enough influence to become Prime Minister in the 1925 general election.
On March 13, 1823, King José VII suddenly died and was succeeded by his young son, Emmanuel III. Saelices Dávalos saw a chance at a quick power grab and went to the deceased King's brother, Adolfo, and asked if he would support a coup to bring him to the throne. Adolfo accepted and Saelices Dávalos proceeded to convince his army and other armies to join in the plot. By March 17, 12 of the country's 16 armies had joined in on the coup and set the date for March 18.
On March 18, 1823, the military stormed the royal palace and arrested everyone inside, including King Emmanuel III. The invasion occured during a session of Parliament and when the members of Parliament heard what happened, the Parliament unanimously voted to condemn Saelices Dávalos and ordered his immediate arrest. Saelices Dávalos then ordered an army to storm the Parliament and everyone inside was arrested. At 3:00pm, he arrived at the Parliament building and stated that the military had taken control of a nation which was on the break of falling apart and that it was his job to keep Castilliano together. He declared that the Parliament was officially dissolved and that he would schedule new elections in 1824. Members of Parliament protested and stated that the King had not consented and that legally, Parliament was still together. Saelices Dávalos ordered the army to bring Emmanuel III to the Parliament and Saelices Dávalos declared that a military tribunal was established. Emmanuel III was tried to high treason by Saelices Dávalos and he found him guilty after a one minute trial and ordered his immediate execution. Emmanuel III was beheaded in the Parliament. Saelices Dávalos then decreed that his uncle was to succeed him and become King Adolfo I. Adolfo I entered Parliament and officially dissolved the session and scheduled new elections for 1824. All members of Parliament were then officially arrested and imprisoned. Saelices Dávalos declared himself Provisional Prime Minister and declared the establishment of the National Pro-Fatherland Front, a totalitarian, social conservate, proto-fascist, National Catholic political party.
On May 4, 1823, the anniversary of the Battle of Sahagún, Saelices Dávalos had all 172 present members of Parliament put on trial with him as the sole judge. Two members of Parliament evaded arrest as they were not in attendance: Bernabé Sarmiento Cambeiro and Ángel Carvallo Piñón. They later fled the country to Creeperopolis and then later Atlántida for exile. Every defendant was tried privatly by Saelices Dávalos. First, the trials began with Prime Minister Luciano Carita Cavallería. Saelices Dávalos asked Carita Cavallería if he would accept Saelices Dávalos as the legitimate Prime Minister and join his National Pro-Fatherland Front. Carita Cavallería denounced Saelices Dávalos and stated that he would never join a party built on treason. Saelices Dávalos silenced Carita Cavallería and declared that he found him guilty of high treason and sentenced him to death by firing squad. Carita Cavallería was taken by guards and imprisoned to await his execution. Saelices Dávalos then continued to ask the same thing to every member of the Castilliano, all of whome refused, and all of whom were found guilty and sentenced to death. Then, he asked all members of the Party for National Resurrection the same thing. Most agreed to his terms due to their sympathies to his ideologies and were found innocent by Saelices Dávalos. Only 7 members of the Party for National Resurrection refused and were found guilty and sentenced to death.
At 6:00pm, Saelices Dávalos ordered all the executions to take place. In total, 98 people were executed by firing squads, with Luciano Carita Cavallería being the final one. Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos eliminated all his rivals and secured several allies through the trials and executions.
On December 12, 1823, Saelices Dávalos resigned as Provisional Prime Minister and appointed his friend, General Ignacio Menéndez Morillo, as Provisional President to assure voters that the election will not be rigged in any way. Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos won the 1824 general election in a landslide winning 1,432,343 votes in a 100% margin. The National Pro-Fatherland Front won all 174 seats. Adolfo I confirmed that the election was not rigged nor meddled with.[lower-alpha 1]
Prime Ministership
On March 24, 1824, Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos assumed office as the 25th Prime Minister of Castilliano. All 174 seats were held by supporters, many of whom were themselves military officials.
1825 and 1826 Elections
On the first day of his term as Prime Minister, Saelices Dávalos introduced a bill. Entitled An Act to Preserve National Order, the bill authorized Saelices Dávalos to rule Castilliano with unchecked power and didn't need to consult the Parliament to handle internal and external affairs. The bill passed unanimously with 174 votes for and none against. The next day, Ignacio Menéndez Morillo introduced a bill. Entitled The Enabling Act, the bill granted Saelices Dávalos the power to appoint and dissmiss any and all government officials, including members of Parliament. The bill received mixed views and eventually ended up barely failing with 83 votes for, 85 votes against, and 6 abstentions. Saelices Dávalos did not like how the Parliament voted and announced new elections in 1825. He justified the new elections by stating that general elections must continue to be held every five years, and since the last scheduled elections were in 1820, the 1825 elections must occur as well.
Before the 1825 general election, Saelices Dávalos evicted the 85 members of Parliament who voted against the bill out of the National Pro-Fatherland Front, effectively banning them from serving in Parliament again. In the 1825 general election, the National Pro-Fatherland Front won all 174 seats and an addition 6 seats which were added to raise the total to 180. The party won 1,444,444 votes in a 100% margin again and Saelices Dávalos won another term as Prime Minister.[lower-alpha 2]
On March 24, 1825, Saelices Dávalos began his second term and Ignacio Menéndez Morillo again introduced another bill also called The Enabling Act which again granted Saelices Dávalos the power to appoint and dissmiss any and all government officials, including members of Parliament. By an even closer margin, the bill failed again, this time with 89 votes for, 90 votes against, and 1 abstention. Again, Saelices Dávalos was mad about the results and again declared new elections would be held. Before the 1826 general election, Saelices Dávalos evicted the 90 members of Parliament who voted against the bill out of the National Pro-Fatherland Front, effectively banning them from serving in Parliament like he did the year prior. In the 1826 general election, The party won all 200 seats, increased from 180. The party won 10,000,000 votes in a 100% margin and Saelices Dávalos was awarded a third term as Prime Minister.[lower-alpha 3]
On March 24, 1826, Saelices Dávalos began his third term and Ignacio Menéndez Morillo again introduced another bill also called The Enabling Act which again granted Saelices Dávalos the power to appoint and dissmiss any and all government officials, including members of Parliament. This time, the bill passed with 103 votes for, 96 votes against, and 1 abstention. With the passage of the bill, Saelices Dávalos ordered the immediate arrest and removal of the 96 members of Parliament that voted against the bill. He then ordered the arrest of the 85 members from the first Parliament and the 90 members from the second Parliament who voted against their respective bills to be arrested.
In total, 277 politicians were arrested. On May 4, 1826, he put all 277 members of Parliament on trial. In every trial, Saelices Dávalos told the accused, "You have been accused of high treason against the Fatherland. I find you guilty and sentence you to death by firing squad." Each trial took 10 seconds and all the trials were finished in 1 hour. At 6:00pm, all 277 politicians found guilty of treason were executed by firing squads.
On June 3, 1826, Saelices Dávalos announced that all future elections will be cancelled in order to protect Castilliano from collapsing into civil war and to keep the nation strong.
Absolute Rule
Fall from Power
Imprisonment
Personal Life
Death
Legacy
Castillianan Military
Castillianan Politics
Electoral History
Overall
| 1824 Castillianan general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Leader | Parliament | Votes | |||||
| Of total | Of total | |||||||
| National Pro-Fatherland Front | Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos | 100 | 100% | 174 / 174
|
1,432,343 | 100% | ||
| 1825 Castillianan general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Leader | Parliament | Votes | |||||
| Of total | Of total | |||||||
| National Pro-Fatherland Front | Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos | 100 | 100% | 180 / 180
|
1,444,444 | 100% | ||
| 1826 Castillianan general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Leader | Parliament | Votes | |||||
| Of total | Of total | |||||||
| National Pro-Fatherland Front | Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos | 100 | 100% | 200 / 200
|
10,000,000 | 100% | ||
National Pro-Fatherland Front
| Election year | No. of overall votes | % of overall votes | Seats won | Prime Minister After Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1824 | 1,432,343 | 100% (No. 1) | 174 / 174
|
Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos (National Pro-Fatherland Front) |
| 1825 | 1,444,444 | 100% (No. 1) | 180 / 180
|
Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos (National Pro-Fatherland Front) |
| 1826 | 10,000,000 | 100% (No. 1) | 200 / 200
|
Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos (National Pro-Fatherland Front) |
Orders and Decorations
Ancestry
Notes
- ↑ Despite King Adolfo I, Provisional Prime Minister Ignacio Menéndez Morillo, and Prime Minister-elect Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos all stating that the election was not rigged in any way, the Castillianan Parliament conducted an investiagtion into the election's legitimicay and discover that only 2,158 people actually voted for the National Pro-Fatherland Front. The investigation confirmed that 1,432,343 did in fact vote in the election, but that the other 1,430,185 votes were blank and/or invalid as a way to protest Saelices Dávalos's government.
- ↑ Despite King Adolfo I Prime Minister Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos all stating that the election was not rigged in any way, the Castillianan Parliament conducted an investiagtion into the election's legitimicay and discover that only 1,009 people actually voted for the National Pro-Fatherland Front. The investigation also found that only 982,441 people actully voted in the election.
- ↑ Despite King Adolfo I Prime Minister Maximiliano Saelices Dávalos all stating that the election was not rigged in any way, the Castillianan Parliament conducted an investiagtion into the election's legitimicay and discover that only 458 people actually voted for the National Pro-Fatherland Front. The investigation also found that only 11,492 people actully voted in the election.
