sequence of the defeat of the younger Almagro by Vaca de Castro, Monroy could not obtain much aid, and returned in September, 1543, with only seventy horsemen, sending also a vessel with pro- visions and ammunition to the port of Aconcagua. During the following years Valdivia made good progress in the occupation of the country, founded in the valley of Coquimbo a town, which he called Serena, and subdued the country to the south of the river Maule. To obtain further resources, he sent to Peru, and in 1547 received some aid, with the alarming news of Gonzalo Pizarro's rebellion, and the viceroy NuQez de Vela's defeat and death. The envoy also brought a letter from Pizarro, to whose brother Valdivia owed his post, soliciting the latter's assistance ; but, knowing that a royal commissioner, De la Gasca, had arrived in Peru, and judging that Pizarro's cause was lost, Valdivia resolved to offer his services to the royal army, and, leaving Francisco de Villagra in charge of the fovernment, he sailed on 10 Dec, 1547, for Peru, le was well received by President la Gasca, and, given a place in the - royal army, as by his long ex- perience he alone was thought able to oppose the military talent of Carvajal. Owing to him, the battle of Saesahuana was easily won, 9 April, 1548, and, notwithstanding his obligations to the family of Pizarro, he voted in the council of war for Gon- zalo's execution. He was rewarded for his services with the royal confirmation of his title as governor, and, with re-enforcements returned to Chili early in 1549. The colony was in a precarious state, the Araucanians having become very troublesome, and after despatching a force under Francisco de Aguirre across the Andes to make conquests, he marched against the Indians and defeated them, founding, 5 March, 1550, in the Bay of Talcahuano the city of Concepcion, and afterward, south of Biobio river, the towns of Imperial, Valdivia, Vil- larica, Angol, and others. Valdivia despatched in 1552 Capt. Geronimo de Alderete with a narrative of his exploits to the emperor Charles V. By the ad- vice of the cacique Colocolo, the Araucanians united their efforts, and, choosing as general-in-chief the famous warrior Caupolican, they fell on the Span- ish forces in the south, destroying the fortress of Tucapel, 2 Dec, 1553. Valdivia was at Concepcion when he received notice of this success, and, be- lieving that he could easily subdue the rising, he hurried southward with only fifty mounted men. Near the ruins of the fortress he gathered the remnant of the garrison, and was suddenly at- tacked by the Indians, 1 Jan., 1554, and, notwith- standing his valorous defence, was overwhelmed by the successive charges that the natives made, according to the advice of Lautaro. He was cap- tured, and, although Lautaro, who formerly had been his page, tried to defend him, was tortured and finally killed. Valdivia was a man of educa- tion, and wielded the pen as well as the sword. His letters, written to the emperor and preserved in the archives of the Indies, are models of a vigorous and fluent style, and of great historical interest.
VALDIVIESO, Antonio de (val-de-ve-ay'-so),
Central American R. C. bishop, b. in Spain ; d. in
Nicaragua about 1535. He was a Dominican, passed
some years as a missionary in Santo Domingo, and
was then sent to Mexico, being assigned the prov-
ince of Nicaragua as the scene of his missionary
labors. The natives of this country were much less
savage than those in other parts of America, and
after he became acquainted with their language he
was wonderfully successful. His progress, how-
ever, was arrested by an event that spread terror
throughout the country. Two young officers, named
Contreras, had revolted because a royal decree had
forbidden them to hold Indian " encomiendas," and
in a short time made themselves masters of the
colony. They regarded the Indians as slaves, and
treated them with frightful cruelty. Valdivieso,
after remonstrating with them in vain, went to
Spain to lay the matter before Charles V., who
promised to put a stop to the outrage, and selected
him for the bishopric of Nicaragua. He was con-
secrated in 1532, and sailed some days afterward.
The Contreras received him with honor, and con-
ducted him with pomp to the cathedral. For some
time he lived in peace ; but Charles V. was too
busy with his wars in Europe to remember his
promises to the bishop, who found himself alone
in the struggle with the two tyrants. At first he
employed all the means suggested by prudence,
humble prayers, pathetic exljortations, and public
and private remonstrances, and at last he threat-
ened excommunication, and then the Contreras de-
termined to get rid of him. He knew they in-
tended to murder him ; but, seeing that reproofs
and entreaties were useless, he went to the cathe-
dral on Sunday, fulminated- a bull of excommuni-
cation against the tyrants and their adherents, and
declared them separated from the assembly of the
faithful. This energetic measure did not produce
the expected effect. The Contreras, accompanied
by some soldiers, went to the bishop's house. He
was conversing quietly with a few monks of his
order, when one of the brothers rushed on him and
plunged his sword twice into his breast up to the
hilt. His last few moments were passed in pray-
ing for his murderers.
VALDIVIESO Y ZANARTU, Rafael Valentin (val-de-ve-ay'-so), Chilian archbishop, b. in Santiago, 2 Nov., 1804; d. there in 1878. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1825, and appointed attorney of orphans, and in 1829 corporation counsel for Santiago. In 1831 he was elected deputy to congress, and served on a commission to arrange rules of municipal government under the constitution of 1828. He also led the opposition against a project to increase the salary of the president of the republic, and obtained its rejection. He was elected in 1832* a member of the court of appeals before he had attained the required age. In June, 1834, he entered the church, and after ordination was appointed chaplain of the Invalid home. In 1837 he went as a missionary to the natives of the Chiloe archiEelago, and later accompanied Bishop VicuHa on is episcopal visit to the northern provinces as his secretary. He attained note as a pulpit orator, and was one of the founders of the papers " La Revista Catolica " and " El Boletin Eclesiastico." In 1838 he was offered the bishoprics of Ancud and Serena, both of which he declined. When the University of Chili was founded in 1842, Valdivieso was appointed member of the faculty of theology, and afterward he was elected dean. On the resignation of Archbishop Eyzaguirre in 1852, public opinion designated Valdivieso as his successor, and the government presented him to the holy see, where his election was confirmed, and in July, 1848, he was consecrated. During his. administration he introduced many reforms, founded several religious houses for orphans and the care of patients in the hospitals, and societies to protect young women and for the education of young ladies. He greatly favored the conciliary seminary, and founded the Academia de Ciencias Sagradas. In 1870 he went to Rome to assist at the ecumenical council, where, on account of his juridical knowledge, he was elected to all the special committees. He was one
