Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano ( 3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820 ) , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano , was an Argentine economist , lawyer , politician , and military leader . He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina . He is regarded as one of the main " Libertadores " of the country . Belgrano was born in Buenos Aires , the fourth child of Italian businessman Domingo Belgrano y Peri and Josefa Casero . He came into contact with the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment while at university in Spain around the time of the French Revolution . Upon his return to the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata , where he became a notable member of the criollo population of Buenos Aires , he tried to promote some of the new political and economic ideals , but found severe resistance from local peninsulars . This rejection led him to work towards a greater autonomy for his country from the Spanish colonial regime . At first , he unsuccessfully promoted the aspirations of Carlota Joaquina to become a regent ruler for the Viceroyalty during the period the Spanish King Ferdinand VII was imprisoned during the Peninsular War ( 1807 – 1814 ) . He favoured the May Revolution , which removed the viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros from power on 25 May 1810 . He was elected as a voting member of the Primera Junta that took power after the ouster . As a delegate for the Junta , he led the ill - fated Paraguay campaign . His troops were defeated by Bernardo de Velasco at the battles of Campichuelo and Paraguarí . Though he was defeated , the campaign initiated the chain of events that led to the Independence of Paraguay in May 1811 . He retreated to the vicinity of Rosario , to fortify it against a possible royalist attack from the Eastern Band of the Uruguay River . While there , he created the flag of Argentina . The First Triumvirate did not approve the flag , but because of slow communications , Belgrano would only learn of that many weeks later , while reinforcing the Army of the North at Jujuy . There , knowing he was at a strategic disadvantage against the royalist armies coming from Upper Peru , Belgrano ordered the Jujuy Exodus , which evacuated the entire population of Jujuy Province to San Miguel de Tucumán . His counter - offensive at the Battle of Tucumán resulted in a key strategic victory , and it was soon followed by a complete victory over the royalist army of Pío Tristán at the Battle of Salta . However , his deeper incursions into Upper Perú led to defeats at Vilcapugio and Ayohuma , leading the Second Triumvirate to order his replacement as Commander of the Army of the North by the newly arrived José de San Martín . By then , the Asamblea del Año XIII had approved the use of Belgrano ' s flag as the national war flag . Belgrano then went on a diplomatic mission to Europe along with Bernardino Rivadavia to seek support for the revolutionary government . He returned in time to take part in the Congress of Tucumán , which declared Argentine Independence ( 1816 ) . He promoted the Inca plan to create a constitutional monarchy with an Inca descendant as Head of State . This proposal had the support of San Martín , Martín Miguel de Güemes , and many provincial delegates , but was strongly rejected by the delegates from Buenos Aires . The Congress of Tucumán approved the use of his flag as the national flag . After this , Belgrano again took command of the Army of the North , but his mission was limited to protecting San Miguel de Tucumán from royalist advances while San Martín prepared the Army of the Andes for an alternate offensive across the Andes . When Buenos Aires was about to be invaded by José Gervasio Artigas and Estanislao López , he moved the Army southwards , but his troops mutinied in January 1820 . Belgrano died of dropsy on 20 June 1820 . His last words reportedly were : " " ¡ Ay , Patria mía ! " " ( " " Oh , my country ! " ) . Biography . Ancestry . Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano was born in Buenos Aires on 3 June 1770 , at his father ' s house . It was located near the Santo Domingo convent , at Santo Domingo street , between the streets Martín de Tours and Santísima Trinidad ( the modern names of those streets are " Belgrano " , " Defensa " , and " Bolívar " respectively ) . Though the city was still rather small , the Belgranos lived at one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods . Manuel Belgrano was baptised at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral the following day . As he was born in America he was considered a criollo , a social class below the Peninsulars . His father Domenico was Ligurian , from the town of Imperia , Italy . His last name was Peri , which he translated to the Spanish form Pérez , but later changed it to Belgrano – literally " Fairwheat " , a name that denoted good cereal production . He changed his name " Domenico " to the Spanish " Domingo " as well . He was a European merchant authorised by the King of Spain to move to America , and had contacts in Spain , Río de Janeiro , and Britain . He promoted the establishment of the Commerce Consulate of Buenos Aires , which his son Manuel would lead years later . Belgrano ' s mother was María Josefa González Islas y Casero , born in the city of Santiago del Estero , Argentina . The family was the second richest in Buenos Aires , after the Escaladas . They had 16 sons , four of whom died . Domingo Belgrano Pérez managed a family business , and arranged his four daughters to be married to merchants who would become his trusted agents in the Banda Oriental , Misiones Province , and Spain . The eight living male sons followed different paths : Domingo José Estanislao became canon at the local cathedral , while Carlos José and José Gregorio joined the military . Manuel Belgrano was meant to follow his father ' s work , but when he developed other interests , it was his brother Francisco José María de Indias who continued the family business . European studies . Belgrano completed his first studies at the San Carlos school , where he learned Latin , philosophy , logic , physics , metaphysics , and literature ; he graduated in 1786 . Domingo had sufficient success as merchant to send his two sons Francisco and Manuel to study in Europe . He expected them to study commerce , but Manuel decided to study law . Belgrano was so successful and attained such prestige that Pope Pius VI allowed him to study forbidden literature , even books deemed as heretical , excepting only the astrological and obscene books . In this way he came into contact with authors like Montesquieu , Rousseau , and Filangieri , who were forbidden in Spain . Belgrano studied near the intellectual elite of Spain , and by that time there were heated discussions about the ongoing French Revolution . The principles of equality and freedom , the universal scope of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen , and criticism of the divine right of kings were constant topics of debate . Among the supporters of these ideas it was thought that Spain should be remade under similar principles , and critics of such thought were rejected as tyrants or proponents of outdated ideas . However , the Spanish Enlightenment was slightly different from the French one as it still respected religion and the monarchy . Thus , despite the new influences , Belgrano remained a strong Catholic and monarchist . Belgrano also studied living language s , political economy , and public rights . The authors that most influenced him were Pedro Rodríguez de Campomanes , Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos , Adam Smith , and François Quesnay . Belgrano translated Quesnay ' s book " Maximes générales de gouvernement economique d ' un royaume agricole " ( " General Maxims of the Economical Government in an Agricultural Kingdom " ) to Spanish . His main interest in the works of such authors were ideas that referred to the public good and popular prosperity . Like many South American students , he became interested in physiocracy , which stated that new wealth came from nature , that agriculture was an economic activity that generated more income than one needed , and that the state should not interfere at all with it . By that time , South America had plenty of natural resources and a very strict state interventionism in the economy . Belgrano developed the idea that the principles of physiocracy and those stated by Adam Smith could be applied together in the viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata . In the development of this approach he was influenced by Fernando Galliani , who promoted the study of particular cases over theoric generalisations , and Antonio Genovesi , who thought that the absolute freedom promoted by physiocrats should be tempered by a moderate intervention by the state , such as the provision of free education for some . During his time in Europe , Belgrano became president of an Academy within the University of Salamanca devoted to Roman legislation , forensic practice and political economy . Work in the consulate . A short time before his return to Buenos Aires on 3 June 1794 , Belgrano was elected by Don Diego de Gardoqui as " perpetual secretary " of the Commerce Consulate of Buenos Aires , a new local institution which dealt with commercial and industrial issues in the name of the crown . This date would be later known in Argentina as Economist Day . He would remain in this office until 1810 , and would deal with commercial disputes and promote agriculture , industry , and commerce . Not having enough freedom to make big changes in the economic system , he made big efforts to improve education . Influenced by Campomanes , he believed that the true wealth of countries was human ingenuity , and that the best way to promote industrialisation was through education . Belgrano maintained frequent discussions with the committee members of the Consulate , who were all merchants with strong interests involved in the monopolic commerce with Cadiz . He made many proposals , influenced by free trade ideas . By this time , Belgrano thought that " The merchant must have freedom to buy where he can be best accommodated , and it ' s natural that he does where he is supplied with the best price to be able to earn the best profit " . Those proposals were rejected by the committee members ; his only supporters were Juan José Castelli , Juan Larrea , and Domingo Matheu . However , Belgrano had some successes , such as creating the Nautical School , the Commerce School , and the Geometry and Drawing Academy . He created the Commerce School to influence future merchants to work towards the best interests of the nation , and the nautical and drawing ones to provide the youth with prestigious and lucrative careers . The schools were situated next to the Consulate so that Belgrano could easily supervise their development . The schools were in place for three years before they were closed by a ruling of Manuel Godoy , from the Spanish monarchy , who considered them an unnecessary luxury for a colony . It was felt that Buenos Aires might not be able to maintain them . Belgrano tried to promote the diversification of agriculture via the production of linen and hemp , following experiences with his friend Martín de Altolaguirre . He proposed to keep reserves of wheat to help have control over its price . He also tried to make leather recognised as a product of the country , in order to promote its commercial potential . None of these proposals were accepted . He designed a system to give prizes to achievements that would boost the local economy , diversify the agriculture , or deforest the pampas . The system did not work as expected , and as nobody met the requirements no such prize was ever given . He helped to create the first newspaper of the city , the " Telégrafo Mercantil " , directed by Francisco Cabello y Mesa . He worked with Manuel José de Lavardén , and edited nearly two hundred issues . The newspaper was closed in 1802 because of conflicts with the authorities of the viceroyalty , who did not like the criticisms made in it or the jokes and parodies . He also worked at the " Semanario de Agricultura , Comercio e Industria " , directed by Hipólito Vieytes . He used this newspaper to explain his economic ideas : manufacturing and exporting finished goods , importing raw materials to manufacture , avoiding importing luxury goods or raw materials that could be produced or extracted locally , importing only vital products , and owning a merchant navy . The newspaper specialised in the " Philosophy of History , Geography and Statistics " . Many revolutionary principles were presented as essays . Belgrano had symptoms of syphilis , which he had caught during his time in Europe . This sickness forced him to take long leaves from his work in the Consulate , and to suggest his cousin Juan José Castelli , who had similar ideas , as a possible replacement during his leaves . Rejection by the committee members delayed the approval of Castelli until 1796 . British invasions . Belgrano was appointed as captain of the urban militias in 1797 by viceroy Pedro de Melo , who was instructed by Spain to prepare defences against a possible British or Portuguese attack . Belgrano by then worked in the Consulate , and was no longer interested in pursuing a military career . Viceroy Rafael de Sobremonte requested that he create a militia to counter a possible British attack , but he did not take interest in it . His first intervention in a military conflict took place when the British , under William Carr Beresford , arrived with 1 , 600 men and took Buenos Aires , starting the British invasions of the Río de la Plata . Belgrano moved to the fortress as soon as he heard the warning , and gathered many men to launch resistance . But without the required knowledge , his men marched in disorder and Belgrano was ordered to disband after a single British cannon shot . Belgrano would write later in his autobiography that he regretted not having by then even the most basic knowledge of militia work . After the taking of the city , all Spanish authorities were requested to pledge allegiance to the British crown . Belgrano thought that the members of the Consulate should leave the city and join the viceroy , but the others did not agree . They obeyed the British request ; Belgrano refused to do so . He said that he wanted " either our old master , or no master at all " . To avoid being forced to pledge allegiance , he escaped from Buenos Aires and sought asylum at the chapel of Mercedes , in the Banda Oriental . The British army was defeated by an army under the direction of Santiago de Liniers , and Spanish authority was restored . It was expected that the British would return , and the whole city started to prepare for that possibility . Belgrano returned to Buenos Aires after the reconquest , and put himself under the command of Liniers . He was appointed sergeant of the Patricians Regiment , under the command of Cornelio Saavedra , and started to study military strategy . After some conflicts with other officials , he resigned as sergeant and served again under the command of Liniers . A new British attack took place in July 1807 . During the battle he served as field assistant to a division commanded by Balbiani . After a successful resistance against the British , Belgrano resumed his work in the Consulate and discontinued his military studies . Because of his knowledge of French he had a brief interview with the defeated Robert Craufurd , who proposed British support for an independentist movement . Belgrano rejected the offer , considering that Britain would readily remove their support if they had a more lucrative option in Europe , and in such case the revolutionaries would be helpless against a Spanish counterattack . Carlotism . Manuel Belgrano was the main proponent of the Carlotist political movement in the Rio de la Plata , a response to recent developments in Europe , where Spain was at war with France . Through the abdications of Bayonne , the Spanish king Ferdinand VII was deposed and imprisoned and the Frenchman Joseph Bonaparte was appointed King of Spain by the French victors . This led to a partial power vacuum in the viceroyalty , as the legitimacy of the new king was rejected by all parties . The purpose of the Carlotist movement was to replace the authority of the deposed king with that of Carlota Joaquina , sister of Ferdinand , who was then living in Rio de Janeiro . The project was supported as a means to achieve more autonomy , and perhaps independence , for Spanish colonies in the New World . Belgrano kept a fluent mail communication with Carlota , and convinced many independentists to join him in the project , such as Castelli , Vieytes , Nicolás Rodríguez Peña , and Juan José Paso . The project , however , found strong resistance . As Carlota was married to John VI , a prince of Portugal , many people though that Carlotism was a trick to conceal Portuguese expansionism . Carlota herself had different political ideas than those of her supporters : Belgrano and the others shared the ideas of enlightenment , but Carlota aspired to keep the full power of an absolutist monarchy . By 1810 the project was forgotten . A new viceroy , Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros , arrived from Europe to replace Liniers . Belgrano had failed to convince Liniers of the benefits of the Carlotist plan , so he aimed instead to convince him of refusing to give up the viceroyalty , as Liniers had been confirmed as viceroy by a Spanish king . Cisneros , appointed by the Junta of Seville , lacked such legitimacy . Liniers refused this proposal as well , and handed command to Cisneros without resistance . Belgrano later convinced the new viceroy to allow him to edit a new newspaper , the " Correo de Comercio " . This allowed him to gather with other revolutionary leaders with the excuse of discussing the development of the newspaper . He also supported Cisneros when he allowed foreign trade at the port ( previously only Spanish ships were allowed ) , but this ruling was strongly rejected by Spanish merchants . The lawyer Mariano Moreno wrote " The Representation of the Hacendados " , an economic essay that convinced Cisneros to maintain the free foreign trade . Some historians , such as Miguel Ángel Scenna , suggest that the essay was actually Belgrano ' s work , or a work by Moreno from a draft written by Belgrano . Belgrano may not have been able to present such a work himself , because he held a political office and because his past opposition to Cisneros may have risked its rejection . Belgrano resigned from his work in the Consulate in April 1810 and moved to the countryside . A short time later he received a letter from his friends requesting him to return to Buenos Aires and join the revolutionary movements . May Revolution . The Peninsular War was not developing favourably for Spain , and by May 1810 a ship arrived with the news of the defeat of Seville and the disbanding of the Junta of Seville . Without either a recognised Spanish king or the Junta that had appointed Cisneros , many people thought that the viceroy no longer had any authority . Cisneros tried to conceal the news by gathering all the newspapers brought by the ship , but Belgrano and Castelli managed to get one . Cisneros then explained the European developments to the public . Belgrano and the members of the Carlotist party , despite having given up their original idea , plotted to remove the viceroy and replace him with a junta . Under the advice of Cornelio Saavedra , they waited for the news of the defeat in Spain to take action . Belgrano and Saavedra , representing the military and the intellectuals , got an interview with Cisneros to request an open cabildo , but without getting an answer . Cisneros called the military leaders and requested their support , but they refused , under the grounds that his viceroyalty lacked legitimacy . Castelli and other patriots insisted in their request , and Cisneros finally accepted . A massive demonstration the following day ensured that Cisneros would keep his word . The open cabildo was held on 22 May , with all political leaders present , and armed men filling the Plaza and ready to invade the cabildo in case the peninsulars attempted a disruption , which would be indicated by a signal from Belgrano . He supported the stance of his cousin Castelli , who made a speech explaining the concept of the retroversion of the sovereignty of the people , and that Spanish America was subject to the King of Spain but not to Spain itself . At the time of voting , Castelli ' s proposal was coupled with the one of Cornelio Saavedra , with Belgrano among its supporters . This joint proposal for the removal of Cisneros and the creation of a government junta prevailed over the others . However , the cabildo attempted to keep Cisneros in power in spite of this result , by creating a junta with Cisneros as its president . This was rejected by the revolutionary leaders and the population . A great state of turmoil ended when the Junta was disbanded on 25 May and replaced by the Primera Junta . Belgrano was included in this junta , among many other local politicians . In his autobiography Belgrano declared that he did not have any previous knowledge of being included in the junta , and that his appointment took him by surprise . Nevertheless , he accepted the role . He was part of the political line of Mariano Moreno ; they were expecting to use the government to make big changes in the social order . One of his first rulings was the making of a Maths Academy , located in the building of the Consulate and with the purpose of instructing the military . Belgrano was appointed its protector . He supported the banishment of Cisneros and the members of the Real Audience , and the execution of Liniers and other counter - revolutionaries defeated in Córdoba . Some historians suggest that he would have promoted the creation of the Operations plan , a secret document written by Moreno that set harsh ways for the junta to achieve its goals , while others consider the whole document a literary forgery done by royalists to discredit the junta . A few others suspect that some paragraphs or the whole document may have been the result of collaborative writing between Moreno , Belgrano , and Hipólito Vieytes . Expedition to Paraguay . Three months after the creation of the Primera Junta , Manuel Belgrano was appointed Chief Commander of an army sent to gather support at Corrientes , Santa Fe , Paraguay , and the Banda Oriental . A few days later his goal was made more specific : he must aim for Paraguay . The Junta had been informed that the patriotic party was strong , and a small army would suffice to take control . Trusting this information , Belgrano went to Paraguay with two possible goals : get acknowledgment for the Junta in Paraguay or promote a new government that would stay on friendly terms with Buenos Aires . Belgrano was unaware that on 24 July a general assembly in Paraguay discussed the Junta of Buenos Aires , and decided to reject it and pledge allegiance to the Regency Council of Spain . Belgrano headed north with nearly two hundred men , expecting to gather more people by the end of the Paraná River . Soldiers from the Blandengues regiments of San Nicolás and Santa Fe joined them en route , and later the Junta sent reinforcements of another two hundred soldiers . The army was welcomed by most of the population along the way , receiving donations and new recruits . Ultimately the army was composed of nearly 950 men , consisting of infantry and cavalry divided in four divisions with one piece of artillery each . By the end of October the army stopped at Curuzú Cuatiá , where Belgrano solved an old border conflict between Corrientes and Yapeyu . He set which territories would belong to Curuzu Cuatiá and Mandisoví , and organised their urban layout around the chapel and school . By November the army arrived at the coast of Paraná near Apipé island , and there Belgrano took measures to benefit the natives that were living in missions . With his authority as speaker of the Junta he gave them full civil and political rights , granted lands , authorised commerce with the United Provinces , and lifted their restriction on taking public or religious office . However , the Junta requested later that he should seek authorization for such changes in the future . From that point the army moved to Candelaria , which was used as a stronghold for the attack into Paraguay . The terrain gave a clear advantage to the Paraguayan governor Velazco against Belgrano : the Paraná River , nearly wide , was an effective natural barrier , and once it was crossed the patriotic army would have to move a long distance across a land without supplies . Swamps , hills , rivers , and lakes would force the army to march slowly , making a possible retreat very difficult . The Parana was crossed with several boats on 19 December , and a task force of 54 Paraguayan soldiers was forced to flee during the Battle of Campichuelo . Belgrano saw Velazco ' s army from the Mbaé hill , and despite being greatly outnumbered , he ordered an attack , trusting in the moral strength of his soldiers . When the Battle of Paraguarí started , the patriots briefly held the upper hand , but eventually Velazco , with superior numbers , prevailed . Even with 10 deaths and 120 soldiers taken prisoner , Belgrano wanted to continue the fight , but his officials convinced him to retreat . The army left for Tacuarí , being closely watched by the combined armies of Yegros and Cabañas . Those two armies had nearly three thousand soldiers , while Belgrano had barely four hundred . They were attacked from many sides during the Battle of Tacuarí , on 9 March . Greatly outnumbered and losing an unequal fight , Belgrano refused to surrender . He reorganised the remaining 235 men and ordered his secretary to burn all his documents and personal papers to prevent them from falling into enemy hands . Belgrano arranged for the troops and artillery to fire for many minutes , which made the Paraguayan soldiers disperse . When the barrage stopped , Belgrano requested an armistice , telling Cabañas that he had arrived to Paraguay to aid and not to conquer ; considering the open hostility with which he was met , he would leave the province . Cabañas accepted , on the grounds that the remaining group must leave the province within a day . The campaign to Paraguay was a complete military defeat for Belgrano . However , the aftermath of the conflict led the Paraguayans to replace Belazco with a local junta , and declare independence from Spain . Under the rule of José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia , Paraguay broke ties with Buenos Aires as well , and stayed isolated for several years afterwards . Creation of the flag of Argentina . After the defeat in Tacuarí , the government of Buenos Aires ( which by then was the First Triumvirate ) issued a series of conflicting orders . First they requested he should fight the royalists in the Banda Oriental , then to return to the city and be judged for the defeats . However , no charges were formulated against him . He was appointed as the head of the Regiment of Patricians , replacing the banished Cornelio Saavedra , but the troops did not accept him and started the Braids Mutiny . After that , the Triumvirate requested that he fortify Rosario against possible royalist attacks from the Banda Oriental . Belgrano created two batteries , " Independencia " ( " Independence " ) and " Libertad " ( " Freedom " ) . After realising that both patriots and royalists were fighting under the same colours , he created the cockade of Argentina , of light blue and white , the use of which was approved by the Triumvirate . The reasons for the colours are usually considered to be either loyalty to the House of Bourbon or his esteem of the Virgin Mary . Belgrano created a flag with the same colours , which was hoisted at Rosario near the Paraná River on 27 February 1812 . On that same day he was appointed to replace Pueyrredon in the Army of the North , so he travelled to Yatasto . He found demoralised officials , nearly 1 , 500 soldiers ( a quarter of them hospitalised ) , minimal artillery , and no money . Some of the officials were Manuel Dorrego , Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid , Cornelio Zelaya , José María Paz , Diego Balcarce , and Eustaquio Díaz Vélez . The cities were much more hostile to the Army than those that Belgrano encountered on his way into Paraguay . Salta was menaced by the royalist general José Manuel de Goyeneche ; Belgrano had orders to take command and retreat without fighting , but he disobeyed . He prepared a base at Campo Santo , in Salta , where he improved the hospital and created a military tribunal . He later moved to Jujuy , knowing that he did not have the resources to launch an attack on Upper Perú . The First Triumvirate did not approve the use of the flag created in Rosario , but Belgrano was initially unaware of that . He had the flag blessed by the priest Juan Ignacio de Gorriti at Salta , on the second anniversary of the May Revolution . When he found out the flag was not approved , he put it away . When asked , he would say that he was keeping it for a great victory . Three months later royalist general Pío Tristán advanced in the north with more than three thousand men , prepared to invade the United Provinces . Once again outnumbered by larger armies , Belgrano organised a great exodus of the city of Jujuy : the entire population of the city would have to retreat with the army and not leave behind anything that might be of value to the royalists ( such as animals , crops , or housing ) . By September a proper formation of columns provided them with a victory against a royalist task force of 500 men during the Battle of Las Piedras . The First Triumvirate commanded Belgrano to retreat to Cordoba without fighting , but he thought that doing so would mean the loss of the northern provinces . Thus , instead of continuing to Cordoba , he was convinced by the people of San Miguel de Tucumán to make a stand there . His forces had increased by then to nearly 1 , 800 soldiers , still much less than the 3 , 000 at Tristan ' s command . Even so , he obtained a victory in the Battle of Tucumán . By that time , the First Triumvirate was replaced by the Second Triumvirate , which provided greater support for Belgrano . The Second Triumvirate called the Assembly of Year XIII soon after taking power , which was intended to declare independence and enact a national constitution , but failed to do so because of political disputes between the members . It did not take measures regarding the national flag , but allowed Belgrano to use the blue and white flag as the flag of the Army of the North . After the defeat in Tucumán , Tristán garrisoned at the city of Salta with 2 , 500 men . Belgrano , with reinforcements from the government , intended to gather 4 , 000 men and march to Upper Peru , up to the border of the Viceroyalty of Lima . The Battle of Salta , the first battle with the new approved banner , was a decisive victory , ending with the capitulation of Pío Tristán and all of his army . These victories ensured Argentine authority in the northwest and stopped the royalist advance into the central territory . Although there were a number of colonialist ' invasions ' from Upper Peru until 1821 , Belgrano ' s campaign is widely considered the decisive one . Campaign to Upper Peru . By June 1813 Belgrano set up a base in Potosí with an army of 2 , 500 men , to prepare an attack on Upper Peru . Goyeneche moved to Oruro and resigned , being replaced by Joaquín de la Pezuela . Belgrano administrated the zone and tried to revert the bad impression left by the previous campaign of Juan José Castelli . Belgrano initiated good relations with the natives as well . Belgrano ' s plan was to attack the royalists from the front and the sides , with the aid of the armies of Cárdenas and Zelaya . Both armies were near 3 , 500 men . However , the royalists obtained an important advantage by defeating Cárdenas and getting possession of his papers , which gave them insight into the patriotic plans . Belgrano was taken by surprise at Vilcapugio on 1 October , and initially gained the upper hand against the royalist troops , who started to flee . However , when Pezuela saw that the patriotic armies were not following , he reorganised his forces , returned to the battle , and won . There were barely 400 survivors . Belgrano said : " Soldiers : we have lost the battle after so much fighting . Victory has betrayed us by going to the enemy ranks during our triumph . It does not matter ! The flag of the nation still swings in our hands ! " . After gathering his army at Macha , where he received reinforcements from Cochabamba , Belgrano was ready for another engagement with Pezuela , whose troops were not in a better situation . On 14 November , Belgrano was again vanquished by the royalists at Ayohuma , and was forced to withdraw the remains of his army towards Potosí and from there to Jujuy . The Second Triumvirate reacted by sending José de San Martín to take the command of the Army of the North , with Belgrano as his second in command . San Martín would reinforce the battle - weary Army of the North with his own soldiers . Hastened by Belgrano ' s illness , San Martín travelled to the rendezvous as quickly as possible ; they met at the Yatasto relay , in Salta . Belgrano gave San Martin full freedom to implement changes , and took command of the First Regiment . The Second Triumvirate , and later the Supreme Director Gervasio Posadas , requested Belgrano to return to Buenos Aires and be judged for the defeats at Vilcapugio and Ayohuma , but San Martín refused to send him because of his poor health . San Martín finally agreed to send Belgrano to Córdoba by March 1814 . He temporarily settled in Luján to await outcome of the trial , and during this time he wrote his autobiography . Soon afterwards , all charges against Belgrano were dismissed , as no definite accusation was formulated against him . The new government , trusting in Belgrano ' s diplomatic abilities , sent him on a mission to Europe to negotiate support for the independence of the United Provinces . Declaration of Independence . By 1814 the Spanish King Ferdinand VII had returned to the throne and started the Absolutist Restauration , which had grave consequences for the governments in the Americas . Belgrano and Bernardino Rivadavia were sent to Europe to seek support for the United Provinces from both Spain and Britain . They sought to promote the crowning of Francisco de Paula , son of Charles IV of Spain , as regent of the United Provinces , but in the end he refused to act against the interests of the King of Spain . The diplomatic mission failed , but Belgrano learned of changes in ideology that had taken place in Europe since his previous visit . With the influence of the French Revolution , there had been a great consensus for making republican governments . After the government of Napoleon I , monarchies were preferred again , but in the form of , such as in Britain . He also noticed that the European powers approved of the South American revolutions , but the approval was compromised when the countries started to fall into anarchy . When the emissaries returned to Buenos Aires , the government was worried by the defeats of Rondeau at Sipe Sipe and the political stir generated by José Gervasio Artigas and Estanislao López . Alvarez Thomas appointed Belgrano to head the army at Rosario , but shortly afterwards Thomas resigned . Pueyrredón became the new Supreme Director . With the signing of the Santo Tomé pact , the aforementioned army was retired from Rosario . Belgrano was then sent back to take command of the Army of the North , with the strong support of San Martín . " In the case of designating who must replace Rondeau , I am decided for Belgrano ; he is the most methodical man of all whom I know in America ; he is full of integrity and natural talent . He may not have the military knowledge of a Moreau or a Bonaparte as far as the army is concerned , but I think he is the best we have in South America " . Belgrano met with the Congress of Tucuman on 6 July 1816 to explain the results of his diplomatic mission in Europe . He thought that enacting a local monarchy would help to prevent anarchy , which would not end simply with independence from Spain . He felt a declaration of independence would be more easily accepted by the European powers if it created a monarchic system . To this end he formulated the Inca Plan : a monarchy ruled by a noble of the Inca civilisation . He thought that this would generate support from the indigenous populations as well , and repair the actions taken against the Inca by the Spanish colonisation . This proposal was supported by San Martín , Güemes , the deputies from the Upper Peru , and other provinces , but it found a strong rejection from Buenos Aires ; they would not accept Cuzco as the capital city . On 9 July the Congress finally signed the Declaration of Independence from Spain . The flag created by Belgrano , which was being used without a law regulating it , was accepted as the national flag . The Inca Plan was still under discussion , but the Congress delayed it due to several states of emergency in the provinces caused by the war . In August Belgrano again took command of the Army of the North , but with very limited people and resources . He was ordered to avoid trying to advance against the royalists in the north , and was to stay in a defensive state at Tucumán . With Güemes in Salta , his task was to prevent the Royalists from moving to the south . The Supreme Director Pueyrredón was supporting an alternative plan designed by José de San Martín : create the Army of the Andes at Cuyo and , after making the Crossing of the Andes , defeat the royalists in Chile , get control of the Chilean navy , and attack the royalist stronghold of Lima with it . Last years . In 1819 Buenos Aires was at war with José Gervasio Artigas and Estanislao López , and requested San Martín and Belgrano to return with their armies to take part in the conflict . San Martín refused to do so , but Belgrano accepted . However , before his arrival the governors Estanislao López and Juan José Viamonte signed an eight - day truce to start peace negotiations . Belgrano ' s health was in a very bad state by this point , but he refused to resign , thinking that the morale of the Army would suffer without his presence . He moved to the frontier between Santa Fe and Córdoba , from where he would be able to move to either the litoral or the north if needed . His health continued to worsen , and he was given an unlimited leave from work by the Supreme Director . He handed command to Fernández de la Cruz and moved to Tucumán , where he met his daughter Manuela Mónica , just one year old . The governor of Tucuman , Feliciano de la Motta , was deposed during his stay , and Belgrano was taken prisoner . Abraham González led the uprising and attempted to put Belgrano into a shrew ' s fiddle , but Belgrano ' s doctor Josef Redhead objected , because of his delicate health , and his sentence was changed to simple imprisonment . When Bernabé Araoz took control of the government of Tucumán , Belgrano was immediately released . He returned to Buenos Aires , to his parent ' s house . By that time the Battle of Cepeda had ended the authority of the Supreme Directors , starting the period known as Anarchy of the year 20 . On 20 June 1820 , at the age of 50 , Belgrano died of dropsy . Due to his poverty , as the war consumed all his old wealth , he paid his doctor with his clock and his carriage , some of the few possessions he still had . As requested , he was shrouded into the robes of the Dominican Order , and buried in the Santo Domingo convent . Before dying , Belgrano said " " Ay , Patria mía " " ( in Spanish , " Oh , my Fatherland " ) . Due to the state of anarchy being experienced by the city , Belgrano ' s death was largely unnoticed . The only newspaper of the time to note his death was " El Despertador Teofilantrópico " , written by Francisco de Paula Castañeda , and there was no government representation at his funeral . Former students of his educative institutions would arrive in the following days with obsequies , when the news started to be known . The following year the political context was less chaotic and Bernardino Rivadavia , who was minister by then , organised a massive state funeral . In 1902 , during the presidency of Julio Argentino Roca , Belgrano ' s body was exhumed from the atrium of Santo Domingo , to be moved into a mausoleum . This was done on 4 September , by a government commission which included Dr . Joaquín V . González ( ministry of interior ) , Pablo Riccheri ( ministry of war ) , Gabriel L . Souto ( president of the commission ) , Fray Modesto Becco ( from the convent ) , Carlos Vega Belgrano and coronel Manuel Belgrano ( descendants of Belgrano ) , Dr . Armando Claros ( subsecretary of the Interior ) , Dr . Marcial Quiroga ( Health Inspector of the Army ) , Dr . Carlos Malbrán ( president of the National Department of Health ) , Coronel Justo Domínguez , and doctors Luis Peluffo and C . Massot ( Arsenal of War ) . The exhumation revealed a number of preserved bones , pieces of wood , and nails . The bones were placed on a silver plate , and the following day there was a great controversy in the press : the newspaper " La Prensa " announced that Joaquín V . González and Riccheri had stolen a pair of teeth . Both were returned the following day . Gonzalez declared that he intended to show the tooth to his friends , and Riccheri that he took one to Belgrano ' s biographer , Bartolomé Mitre . Personal life . Manuel Belgrano met María Josefa Ezcurra , sister of Encarnación Ezcurra , at the age of 22 . Her father , Juan Ignacio Ezcurra , did not approve of their relationship because of the bankruptcy of Domingo Belgrano , Manuel ' s father . Juan Ignacio arranged the wedding of his daughter with Juan Esteban Ezcurra , a distant relative from Pamplona that worked selling clothes . Juan Ignacio opposed the May Revolution and returned to Spain , leaving his wife in Buenos Aires , which allowed her to return to her former relationship with Belgrano . When Belgrano was dispatched to Upper Peru , María Josefa followed him to Jujuy . She took part in the Jujuy Exodus and saw the battle of Tucumán . It is thought that she was pregnant by this time . Her son , Pedro Pablo , was born on 30 July 1813 . Pedro Pablo was adopted by Encarnación Ezcurra and her husband , Juan Manuel de Rosas , who she had married shortly before . Belgrano also met María Dolores Helguero in Tucumán , and briefly considered getting married , but the war forced a postponement . María Dolores married another man ; the relationship ended , but was briefly restarted in 1818 . While he was near the frontiers of Córdoba , Santa Fe , and Buenos Aires , and in a delicate state of health , he learned that María Dolores had given birth to his daughter , Manuela Mónica del Sagrado Corazón , who was born on 4 May 1819 . Neither of these children were recognised by Belgrano in his will , where he said he had no children . However , it is thought that he did not mention them in order to protect their mothers , as both children were the result of relations that the moral standards of the society of the day would not have accepted . Nevertheless , he requested that his brother , Joaquín Eulogio Estanislao Belgrano , who was appointed as his heir , should look after his newborn daughter . Diseases . There are no records of diseases experienced by Belgrano during his youth or adolescence . His first illness dates from the time of his return to Buenos Aires , when he worked in the Consulate ; he experienced symptoms of syphilis caught during his stay in Spain . He was treated by the most prestigious physicians of the city : Miguel Gorman from the Protomedicato of Buenos Aires , Miguel García de Rojas , and José Ignacio de Arocha . This disease forced him to take long leaves from his work at the Consulate and take repose stays at Maldonado and San Isidro . He was treated with salts and iodines , and his condition eventually improved . It is also suspected that he may have had rheumatism . By the year 1800 he had a growing lacrimal fistula in one of his eyes and was invited by the King to move to Spain for a cure . He was offered a one year leave with paid wages , but he rejected it , giving priority to his work for the nation over his own personal health . The fistula would later stabilise at a safe and unnoticeable size . During his military career he had blood vomits , such as before the Battle of Salta ; he was almost too ill to participate in the battle . It is thought that those vomits originated in the digestive system and were caused by stress , and not in the respiratory system , because the vomits were sporadic , the condition did not become chronic , and it eventually cured itself . Nothing was revealed in the autopsy . Belgrano also experienced paludism ( malaria ) during the second campaign to Upper Peru . On 3 May 1815 he informed the government of his disease , which made it difficult for him to work or even talk . He was treated by doctor Joseph Readhead , who employed a local species of the " Cinchona " medicinal plant . The disease lasted up to his stay in Britain , when his health improved because of the treatment and by having left the endemic zone . He also experienced stomach disease , having a low production of gastric acid s . This was worsened by harsh military conditions , including long periods with little food . The first references to the disease that would lead to his death , a case of edema , are from a year before , in a letter directed to Álvarez Thomas . He declared having problems in the chest , a lung , and his right leg . A later letter to Sarratea confirmed his situation , and specified that it started on 23 April 1819 . The gravity of his condition led the doctor Francisco de Paula Rivero to diagnose an advanced dropsy . Belgrano returned to Buenos Aires , where he died . He was embalmed by Joseph Redhead and Juan Sullivan . Sullivan performed the autopsy ; it revealed high levels of fluid in multiple edemas and a tumor in the right epigastrium . The liver and spleen had grown beyond normal levels , there were hamartoma s in the kidneys , and problems with the lungs and heart . Works . Political thought . Manuel Belgrano had a vast intellectual awareness of most important topics of his age . He studied in Europe during the Atlantic Revolutions , and was a versatile polyglot , capable of understanding Spanish , English , French , Italian , and some indigenous languages . This allowed him to read many influential books of the Age of Enlightenment , and understand the social , economic , technical , educative , political , cultural , and religious changes that were being prompted by the new ideas . He helped to promote those ideas using the press and with his work in the Consulate . He rejected localist perspectives , favouring a Latin Americanist one . He was driven by the concept of the common good , which he regarded as an ethical value . He considered public health , education , and work as part of the common good , as well as religion . He did not share completely the ideas of the French Revolution , but instead the tempered ones of the Spanish Enlightenment : most notably , he remained a monarchist and held strong religious beliefs , being Roman Catholic and a devotee of Marian theology . His monarchism was not a conservative one , as he agreed that the existing state of things should be modified , but not towards a republic as in France or the United States , but towards a constitutional monarchy , like in Britain . In the economic fields , he was influenced by the principles of physiocracy , an economic doctrine that considered that nature was the source of wealth . As a result , much of his works and reform proposals at the Consulate were oriented towards improving agriculture , livestock , manufacturing , and free trade . He maintained a fluent contact with the consulates of other cities , developing a view of the viceroyalty as a whole . This led to an increased work in cartography of the largely unpopulated areas of the territory ; the maps designed during this period would later prove a great help for José de San Martín during the Crossing of the Andes . He introduced new crops , and promoted the use of local fauna for livestock production . He protected the weaving industry by increasing the production of cotton in Cochabamba , as he considered the local crop to be of similar quality to the cotton from Europe . Promotion of education . Manuel Belgrano was one of the first politicians to advocate the development of an important educative system . He did so at the first report he made as head of the Consulate of Commerce , suggesting the creating of schools of agriculture and commerce . A school of agriculture would teach about important topics such as crop rotation , the specific ways to work with each crop , methods of seeding and harvesting , preservation of seeds , and identification of pests . Until that time , the only previous attempts to teach agriculture was done by the Jesuits , who were banished in 1767 . He was not only concerned with higher education , but also with primary education , and promoted the creation of free schools for poor children . In those schools , students would learn to read and learn basic maths and the catechism . He thought that this would help to raise people willing to work , and reduce laziness . He also promoted the creation of schools for women , where they would learn about weaving , as well as reading . However , he did not aim to generate intellectual women , but just to prevent ignorance and laziness , and have them learn things valuable for daily living . Being a strong Catholic himself , he was aligned with the Catholic perspective that rejected mixed - sex education , in contrast with Protestantism . His concern with public education was not interrupted by his military campaigns . In 1813 he was rewarded with 40 , 000 pesos for his victories at Salta and Tucumán , an amount that would equal almost 80 gold kilograms . Belgrano rejected taking the prize money for himself , considering that a patriot should not seek money or wealth . He gave it back to the XIII year Assembly , with instructions to build primary schools at Tarija , Jujuy , San Miguel de Tucumán , and Santiago del Estero . He laid out a series of instructions about the methods and requirements for the selection of the teachers . However , the schools were not built , and by 1823 Bernardino Rivadavia declared that the money was lost ; Juan Ramón Balcarce included it in the debt of the Buenos Aires province a decade later . Translations . The historian Bartolomé Mitre stated that Manuel Belgrano held a deep admiration for George Washington , leader of the American Revolution and first President of the United States . Because of this , he worked on a translation of George Washington ' s Farewell Address into the Spanish language . He started working on it during the Paraguay Campaign , but before the battle of Tacuarí he destroyed all his papers , including the unfinished translation , to prevent them from falling into enemy hands . Belgrano resumed work on it afterwards and finished it before the Battle of Salta . He sent it to Buenos Aires for publication . George Washington ' s Farewell Address is considered , along with Gettysburg Address , one of the most important texts in the history of the United States . It talks about the importance of keeping national unity as the key to maintain independence , prosperity , and freedom — ideas that were shared by Belgrano regarding the population of Hispanic America . Legacy . Belgrano is considered one of the greatest heroes in Argentina ' s history . A monument complex ( " Monumento Nacional a la Bandera " , National Flag Memorial ) was built in 1957 in honour of the flag , in Rosario . The Flag Memorial and the park that surround it are the seat of national celebrations every Flag Day , on 20 June , the anniversary of Belgrano ' s death . Jujuy Province is declared the honorary capital of Argentina each 23 August since 2002 , in reference to the Jujuy Exodus . The cruiser " ARA General Belgrano " , which was sunk during the Falklands War , was named after him , as was Puerto Belgrano , which is the largest base of the Argentinian navy . A small town in the province of Córdoba , Argentina , Villa General Belgrano , also bears his name , as well as many other small towns and departments . " Avenida Belgrano " in the City of Buenos Aires and part of the avenue that leads to the Flag Memorial in Rosario ( also " Avenida Belgrano " ) bear his name . Additionally , there is a northern neighbourhood within Buenos Aires city that carries the name Belgrano . In the museum " Casa de la Libertad " at Sucre , Bolivia , there is an Argentine flag , protected by a glass case and in a deteriorated condition , which they claim to be the original one raised by Belgrano for first time in 1812 . The ensign was one of two abandoned and hidden inside a small church near Macha after the battle of Ayohuma , during the retreat from Upper Peru in 1813 . The other flag was given back to Argentina by the Bolivian authorities in 1896 . In Genoa , Italy , there is a commemorative statue of Belgrano , at the end of the " Corso Buenos Aires " . Historiography . The first biography of Manuel Belgrano was his autobiography , which he wrote by the time he was stationed in Lujan . It long remained unpublished . His first biography written by someone else was " " Bosquejo histórico del General Don Manuel Belgrano " " ( " Historical stub on General Don Manuel Belgrano " ) , authored by José Ignacio Álvarez Thomas . Álvarez Thomas wrote it during his exile at Colonia del Sacramento , and his work had a high political bias . The historian Bartolomé Mitre wrote " Historia de Belgrano y de la Independencia Argentina " ( ) , whose scope expanded on the simple biography of Belgrano himself , and detailed instead the Argentine War of Independence as a whole . The work followed the Great Man theory , linking the success in the war of independence to the figure of Belgrano and his natal Buenos Aires . This book included as well the autobiography of Belgrano , which was discovered by Mitre . The book was criticised by contemporary Argentine authors , such as Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield and Juan Bautista Alberdi , born in other provinces , and Vicente Fidel López . Vélez Sarsfield dismissed the Great Man theory and maintained that the work of the other provinces for the Argentine independence was as important as that of Buenos Aires . He criticised the work of Mitre at " " Rectificaciones históricas : General Belgrano , General Güemes " " ( " Historical rectifications : General Belgrano , General Güemes " ) which dealt with Martín Miguel de Güemes as well , and Mitre would answer at " " Estudios históricos sobre la Revolución de Mayo : Belgrano y Güemes " " ( " Historical studies about the May Revolution : Belgrano and Güemes " ) . Both books were written in 1864 . Vicente López provided a biography of Belgrano from a different angle , his book was " " Debate histórico , refutaciones a las comprobaciones históricas sobre la Historia de Belgrano " " ( " Historical debate , rebuttals to the historical checkings about the history of Belgrano " ) , and Mitre replied with " " Nuevas comprobaciones sobre historia argentina " " ( " New checkings about the history of Argentina " ) . López considered history as an art form , and Mitre considered it a science , rejecting historical narrations that could not be backed by primary source s . These disputes about Belgrano are considered the starting point of the Historiography of Argentina . Historiographical studies of Manuel Belgrano are currently held by the Belgranian National Institute . Numismatics . Belgrano appears on a number of currencies in the numismatic history of Argentina . He appeared for the first time on the banknotes of 1 , 5 , and 10 pesos according to the Peso Ley 18 . 188 , in effect from 1970 to 1983 . He was later included on the 10 , 000 pesos banknotes of the pesos argentinos , the highest banknote value in circulation . The Argentine austral had a number of political and military figures that did not include Belgrano , but later the 10 , 000 " pesos argentinos " banknotes were allowed to be used as " australes " . The current Argentine peso displays Belgrano on 10 - peso banknote . The 1997 and 2002 series only modified small details .