Biography of Narciso López

Name: Narciso López
Birth Date: September 13, 1798
Death Date: September 1, 1851
Place of Birth: Venezuela
Nationality: Venezuelan
Gender: Male
Occupations: military leader

Narciso López

Narciso López (1798-1851) was a Venezuelan military leader in the Spanish colonial service but later led filibustering expeditions against Spanish power in Cuba.Narciso López was born in Venezuela on Sept. 13, 1798. At an early age he joined the Spanish army fighting against Simón Bolivar and rose rapidly in the ranks. When Spanish troops withdrew from Venezuela to Cuba in 1823, López accompanied them and settled on the island. He married a sister of a high Spanish Official, the Conde de Pozos Dulces. The marriage, however, soon broke up, and López moved to Spain, where he served the Crown against the Carlist rebels and rose to the rank of general.In 1841 López returned to Cuba, and during the administration of his personal friend Capt. Gen. Gerónimo Valdés, he occupied important posts, such as governor of the town …showed first 150 words…

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…showed last 150 words…iacute;o in a desolate area. He found little support and was soon defeated and captured by the Spanish army. Before he was publicly garroted in Havana on Sept. 1, 1851, he insisted, "My death will not change the destiny of Cuba."Historians are still in disagreement as to López's real objectives. While some point out that he wanted the island's independence, others insist that he desired Cuba's annexation to the United States. Perhaps he wanted a free Cuba but one where slavery could be preserved. Whatever his motivations, López's actions helped arouse anti-Spanish sentiment in the island and paved the way for later uprisings. Further Reading Philip S. Foner, A History of Cuba in Its Relations with the United States (2 vols., 1962-1963), portrays López as an advocate of Cuba's annexation to the United States. Still valuable is Robert Granville, The López Expeditions to Cuba, 1848-1851 (1915).

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