Rosa Rodríguez y Riquelme
Chilean executor of Bernardo O'Higgins (1781-1850)
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Rosa Rodríguez y Riquelme (30 August 1781 – 17 December 1850), also known as Rosa O'Higgins, was the Chilean half-sister of Bernardo O'Higgins and executor of his estate.[2][4]
Rosa Rodríguez y Riquelme | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Rodríguez, 19th Century [1] | |
| Born | 30 August 1781 Chillán Viejo, Captaincy General of Chile, Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish Empire |
| Died | 17 December 1850 (aged 69) Lima, Peru |
| Other names | Rosa O'Higgins [2] Rosita O'Higgins [3] |
| Occupation | Executor |
| Mother | Isabel Riquelme |
| Relatives | Bernardo O'Higgins (half-brother) Petronila Riquelme (niece) |
| Family | O'Higgins family |
Early life
Rodríguez was born on 30 August 1781 in Chillán Viejo, Captaincy General of Chile (present-day Chile) to Félix Rodríguez Rojas (died 1782) and Isabel Riquelme.[4][1][3] Rodríguez was the younger maternal half-sister of Bernardo O'Higgins, and the older maternal half-sister of Maria de las Nieves Puga y Riquelme (1790-1868).[4][2][1]
Career
Chilean War of Independence
In 1813 Rodríguez, her mother and half-sister were taken as prisoners of war by Royalist troops during the Chilean War of Independence.[4][3][5] Rodríguez and her family were released two months later during a prisoner exchange between Royalist and Patriot forces.[5]
Following the Battle of Rancagua Rodríguez went into exile in Mendoza and later to Buenos Aires alongside her mother.[4][6] In Buenos Aires Rodríguez and her mother sold and made cigars.[4]
Return to Chile
In 1817, after the Battle of Chacabuco and Maipú, Rodríguez returned to Chile and lived with O'Higgins in the governor's palace in Santiago.[4]
During O'Higgins's position as the Supreme Director of Chile Rodríguez became commercially involved with Antonio Arcos amd José Antonio Rodríguez Aldea.[2][4] The legality of Rodríguez's business dealings were called into question.[4]
Exile
In 1823, Rodríguez joined her brother, mother, niece Petronila Riquelme and nephew Pedro Demetrio O'Higgins in exile in Peru.[7][8] Following her mother's death in 1839, Rodríguez took over the control of the running of O'Higgins' estate.[4]
After her brothers death on 24 October 1842, Rodríguez became the executor and administrator of O'Higgins' estate.[2][4]