# José Miguel Carrera

_Chilean general (1785-1821)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/jose-miguel-carrera
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> José Miguel Carrera Verdugo was a Chilean general, formerly Spanish military, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most important leader of the Chilean War of Independence during the period of the Patria Vieja. After the Spanish "Reconquista de Chile" ("Reconquest"), he continued campaigning from exile after defeat. His opposition to the leaders of independent Argentina and Chile, San Martín and O'Higgins respectively, made him live in exile in Montevideo. From Montevideo Carrera traveled to Argentina where he joined the struggle against the unitarians. Carreras' small army was eventually left isolated in the Province of Buenos Aires from the other federalist forces. In this difficult situation Carrera decided to cross to native-controlled lands all the way to Chile to once and for all overthrow Chilean Supreme Director O'Higgins. His passage to Chile, which was his ultimate goal, was opposed by Argentine politicians and he engaged together with indigenous tribes, among them the Ranquel, in a campaign against the southern provinces of Argentina. After the downfall of Carrera's ally, the Republic of Entre Ríos, and several victories against the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, Carrera's men were finally defeated by numerically superior forces near Mendoza. Carrera was then betrayed by one of his Argentine helpers, leading to his capture and execution in that city.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 15 October 1785 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Santiago ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P19))
- **Died:** 4 September 1821 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P570))
- **Place of death:** Mendoza ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Chile ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; military personnel; freedom fighter; Major ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P106))
- **Political party:** Federalist Party ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P102))
- **Education:** Convictorio Carolino ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P69))
- **Spouse:** María Mercedes Fontecilla Valdivieso ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P26))
- **Positions held:** Supreme Director of Chile (23 July 1814 – 16 February 1817); president (6 December 1812 – 30 March 1813) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977#P39))

## Questions

**When was José Miguel Carrera born?**  
José Miguel Carrera was born on 15 October 1785 in Santiago.

**What positions has José Miguel Carrera held?**  
Positions held by José Miguel Carrera include: Supreme Director of Chile (1814–1817); president (1812–1813).

**Where did José Miguel Carrera study?**  
José Miguel Carrera was educated at Convictorio Carolino.

## Related

- [Bernardo O'Higgins](https://diginpl.com/people/bernardo-o-higgins)
- [Francisco de la Lastra](https://diginpl.com/people/francisco-de-la-lastra)
- [Antonio José de Irisarri](https://diginpl.com/people/antonio-jose-de-irisarri)
- [Fernando Errázuriz Aldunate](https://diginpl.com/people/fernando-errazuriz-aldunate)
- [Luis de la Cruz](https://diginpl.com/people/luis-de-la-cruz)
- [Ramón Freire](https://diginpl.com/people/ramon-freire)
- [Hosni Mubarak](https://diginpl.com/people/hosni-mubarak)
- [Gamal Abdel Nasser](https://diginpl.com/people/gamal-abdel-nasser)
- [Mohamed Morsi](https://diginpl.com/people/mohamed-morsi)
- [Mohamed Naguib](https://diginpl.com/people/mohamed-naguib)
- [Abdul Rahman Arif](https://diginpl.com/people/abdul-rahman-arif)
- [Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i](https://diginpl.com/people/muhammad-najib-ar-ruba-i)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): José Miguel Carrera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Miguel_Carrera) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q734977](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734977) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Pintura José Miguel Carrera.jpg by Miguel Venegas Cifuentes (1907-1979) (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pintura_Jos%C3%A9_Miguel_Carrera.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article José Miguel Carrera, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Pintura José Miguel Carrera.jpg — Miguel Venegas Cifuentes (1907-1979), Public domain.

## Cite this page

"José Miguel Carrera". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/jose-miguel-carrera. Retrieved 6 November 2026.