Don Rafael de Sobremonte y Núñez del Castillo, 3rd Marquis of Sobremonte (Seville, 1745 – Cádiz, 1827), third Marquis of Sobremonte, was an aristocrat, military man and Spanish colonial administrator, and Viceroy of the Río de la Plata. He was accused of cowardice by the people of Buenos Aires after escaping the city during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata in 1806.
He was born in Seville, 27 November 1745. His parents were the Marquis Raimundo de Sobremonte, military man and magistrate, Knight of the Order of Charles III and member of the Seville Audience, and María Ángela Núñez Angulo y Ramírez de Arellano.
At fourteen years of age, he became a cadet in the Regimiento de las Reales Guardias Españolas. He served in different locations, such as Cartagena de Indias, Ceuta and Puerto Rico. In 1779, he was named Secretary to the Viceroy of the Río de la Plata, Juan José de Vértiz, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He continued in that post with the successor, Nicolás del Campo.
Family
Sobremonte married an Argentine lady; Doña Juana María de Larrazábal (first wife), having eleven children with her: Rafael de Sobremonte y Larrazábal, baptized in Buenos Aires, 22 October 1783. Marcos José de Sobremonte, baptized in Córdoba, 28 August 1785. Ramón María Agustín de Sobremonte, baptized in Córdoba, 9 October 1786. José María de Sobremonte, baptized in Córdoba, 4 January 1790. Manuel de Sobremonte, baptized in Córdoba, 11 August 1792. María de las Mercedes de Sobre Monte, baptized in Córdoba, 31 December 1793. Josefa Juana Nepomucena María del Carmen de Sobremonte, baptized in Córdoba, 24 April 1795. Juana de Sobremonte, baptized in Córdoba, 19 August 1796. José María Ramón de Sobremonte, baptized in Buenos Aires, 19 January 1798. José María Agustín de Sobremonte, baptized in Buenos Aires, 20 April 1799. Ramón José Agustín de Sobremonte, baptized in Montevideo, 4 August 1801. José Agustín María de Sobremonte, baptized in Buenos Aires, 19 April 1803.
He married again at seventy-five years of age with Doña María Teresa Millán y Marlos, widow of a nephew of Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, the last Viceroy of the Río de la Plata.
Posts held by Sobremonte
Rafael de Sobremonte held various posts in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata:
Viceroyalty Secretary, as a Lieutenant Coronel, during the Viceroyalty of Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo (1779–1783) Governor of Córdoba del Tucumán (1783–1797) Sub-Inspector General of veteran troops and militias (1797–1804) President of the Audiencia de Río de la Plata (1804) Viceroy, Gobernor and Captain General of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (1804–1807)
Governor of Córdoba
From 1784, and for almost fifteen years, he was Governor of Córdoba, distinguishing himself as an excellent administrator. He cleaned and repaired the city streets, ordered the construction of the first water system, carrying running water to Córdoba from the Primero River, and also the construction of defenses against river flooding. He opened a free public school, and ordered the constructions of rural schools. Created the Civil Law career at the University of San Carlos, improved the administration of the neighborhoods, started the first street lighting system and founded a women's hospital. Improved the justice system which was lacking in attention due to the distance to Buenos Aires.
During his administration he improved working conditions in the mines, and gave help to the mining industry in other provinces.
He built small forts and towns to try to defend against Indian raids: Río Cuarto, La Carlota, San Fernando, Santa Catalina, San Bernardo, San Rafael, Villa del Rosario, etc.
In 1797 he was named inspector general of the army of the Viceroyalty. In that capacity he labored to improve it to be able to resist an invasion from Brazil or England, specifically fortifying Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento.
Viceroyalty and the war with Britain
In April 1804, at the death of Viceroy Joaquín del Pino, he was named as his replacement as Viceroy of the Río de la Plata.
At that time, Great Britain and Spain were at war, creating the risk of an attack on Buenos Aires. He requested help from the Spanish Courts, but the Prime Minister Manuel Godoy answered that he should defend as best as he could, with no help forthcoming.
Believing there was a high probability of a British attack in Montevideo, he fortified that city and sent his best troops. It was the logical decision due to geography, and it would have been very difficult to dislodge them, had they captured that fortified port city.
