Antonio Berney
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Antonio Berney, (also known by his birth name Antoine Berney or sometimes Antoine-Alexandre Berney[a]), was a French educator and intellectual who became a central figure in the Conspiracy of the Three Antonios (Conspiración de los Tres Antonios), one of the earliest republican plots against Spanish colonial rule in Chile.[1]
Berney was born in France and moved to the Captaincy General of Chile around 1776. Settling in Santiago, he found employment as a professor of Latin and Mathematics at the Convictorio Carolino, a prestigious educational institution.[2] Berney was deeply influenced by Enlightenment philosophy and the "biblical republicanism" that viewed the establishment of a republic as both a political and theological necessity.[3]
The Conspiracy of the Three Antonios
In 1780, Berney formulated a radical plan to liberate Chile from the Spanish monarchy and establish an independent republic. He recruited two primary co-conspirators who shared his first name:
- Antonio Gramusset: A French adventurer and failed inventor living in Chile.
- José Antonio de Rojas: A prominent Chilean criollo and captain in the cavalry who provided the group with social standing and connections.[4]
The trio's vision was remarkably progressive for the era, preceding the French Revolution by nearly a decade. Their proposed constitution included the abolition of slavery and social hierarchies, the elimination of the death penalty, and agrarian reform. They also proposed the establishment of a government let by an elected senate.[5]
Discovery and death
The conspiracy was compromised in late 1780 when Gramusset lost a valise containing detailed plans of the plot. The documents were found and eventually reached the Spanish authorities. On January 1, 1781, Berney and his associates were secretly arrested in a nighttime raid during New Year's celebrations.[6]
Because Berney and Gramusset were foreigners, they were treated with relative courtesy but were ultimately ordered to be sent to Spain for trial. After being held in Lima for a year, they were boarded onto the ship San Pedro de Alcántara.[7] In 1784, the vessel sank during a storm off the coast of Peniche, Portugal. Berney drowned in the disaster, while Gramusset survived the initial wreck only to die of exposure months later.[8]