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Bernardo O’Higgins summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Bernardo O’Higgins.

Bernardo O’Higgins, (born probably Aug. 20, 1776/78, ChillĂĄn, Chile, Viceroyalty of La Plata—died October 1842, Peru), South American revolutionary leader and first Chilean head of state (1817–23). The illegitimate son of a Spanish officer of Irish origin, he was educated in Peru, Spain, and England, where his Chilean nationalism was awakened. When Napoleon invaded Spain (1808) and Spanish control of Chile relaxed, he became a member of Chile’s new congress. He led the defensive forces when Chile was invaded by royalists from Peru in 1814; defeated, he fled to Argentina. He returned in 1817 with JosĂ© de San MartĂ­n and defeated the Spanish. Elected supreme director of Chile, he established a working governmental organization, but his reforms antagonized conservatives and he resigned.