Francisco Solano Lopez served as president of Paraguay from 1862 until 1870; he is popularly credited with initiating the “War of the Triple Alliance.” Born into a politically prominent family, he enjoyed a privileged upbringing and was promoted to Brigadier General at age 18. Upon the death of his father, the first President of Paraguay, he assumed control of the country and rapidly established his own dominance with the assistance of the army. During his early years as president, he pursued his father’s domestic policy, but he was eventually overtaken by foreign matters. He became enmeshed in a civil conflict occurring in Uruguay, in which Brazil and Argentina were major players. He allowed himself to become entangled in the boundary disputes, and as a result of intricate diplomatic maneuvers, he found himself at war with both nations. In the meantime, the Uruguayan government was overthrown and the new administration switched allegiance to Brazil. This new development in 1865 led to the Triple Alliance War, often known as the Paraguayan War, in which Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay allied against Paraguay. During the several-year conflict, Paraguay suffered tremendous losses and immense destruction, and Lopez was murdered by Brazilian soldiers. Despite his overly ambitious and belligerent character, he is revered as Paraguay’s greatest hero, a real patriot who fought to his last breath to defend his nation.
Youth and Early Life
Francisco Solano López was born in Manorá, a barrio of Asunción, Paraguay, on July 24, 1827. His father, Carlos Antonio Lopez, became the first President of Paraguay in 1841.
At the age of 18, his father commissioned him as a Brigadier General in the Paraguayan Army in 1844.
Francisco Lopez’s Career
In 1853, Francisco Solano Lopez was appointed minister to Great Britain, France, and the Kingdom of Sardinia in Europe. During the Crimean War, he served as a foreign military observer in Europe, purchasing significant quantities of weaponry and military supplies for the Paraguayan military in Paris.
In 1855, upon his return from Europe, he was appointed as his father’s Minister of War. He was promoted to the position of Vice President two years later.
After his father’s death in 1862, he was overwhelmingly elected President of Paraguay for a ten-year tenure. As president, he chose to continue the majority of his father’s economic protectionist and developmental programs.
He intended to position Paraguay as a reliable “third force” in the ongoing political and military competition between Argentina and Brazil. To accomplish this victory, he forged an alliance with Bernardo Berro, the president of Uruguay.
He then initiated a vast expansion and reform of his military. Under his leadership, the Paraguayan military became the best-trained and best-equipped in the region.
In December 1864, he declared war on Brazil and sent an invasion army to Mato Grosso. The force took control of the city of Corumbá, the province, and its diamond mines, as well as a vast number of weaponry and ammunition.
When his forces attempted to cross Argentine territory to reach Uruguay to support Atanasio Aguirre’s administration, they were denied permission to cross the intervening province of Corrientes. He declared war on Argentina in April 1865 and seized two Argentine warships in the Bay of Corrientes.
Meanwhile, the Brazilians had succeeded in removing Atanasio Aguirre as president of Uruguay and replacing him with their ally Venancio Flores. In May 1865, Brazil joined Argentina and Uruguay in signing the ‘Treaty of the Triple Alliance,’ which mandated that they would wage war against Paraguay until its government was toppled.
The Paraguayan soldiers and the troops of the Triple Alliance engaged in a war that lasted until March 1870. The conflict was conducted with extreme ferocity, and Lopez’s position deteriorated with time.
In 1868, when he was under intense pressure from his allies, he became convinced that his Paraguayan followers were plotting his defeat. Subsequently, he ordered the execution of hundreds of prominent Paraguayan citizens, including members of his family, cabinet ministers, military officers, bishops, and priests, among others.
The opposing forces severely wounded him on March 1, 1870, and he died while struggling with soldiers who were attempting to disarm and arrest him. His death signaled the conclusion of the Triple Alliance’s war.
To this day, he is regarded as a major Paraguayan national hero, and his remains are located in Asunción’s Panteon de Los Heroes.
Personal History and Legacy
During his time in Paris, Francisco Solano Lopez fell in love with Elisa Alicia Lynch, an Irish woman who became his mistress. She gave birth to five kids for him, despite the fact that they were never married.
Lynch’s prominent personality aided him in implementing crucial political decisions concerning Paraguay. She personally buried Francisco Solano Lopez after he was slain in battle in 1870 and died penniless in Europe a few years later.
Francisco Solano Lopez is revered as a Paraguayan patriot who fought until his death. He is frequently depicted as a tragic character ensnared in a web of Argentine and Brazilian deceit. He is well regarded for fighting valiantly against his opponents for five grueling years until he was killed and Paraguay was finally destroyed.
Estimated Net Worth
Francisco is rated as one of the wealthiest and most popular world leaders. According to our research, Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Francisco Solano López has an estimated net worth of $1,500,000.