Vicente Bertrán de Lis
Vicente Bertrán de Lis Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1772 |
| Died | 1857 |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, statesman |
| Known for | Finance and political roles during Peninsular War and later Spanish government positions |
Vicente Bertrán de Lis Thomas (1772–1857) was a prominent Spanish financier and statesman.
Peninsular War
By April 1808, in the interval between the Tumult of Aranjuez and the Dos de Mayo Uprising, Vicente Bertrán de Lis, along with his brother Manuel, had enlisted and equipped more than 500 men at a daily rate of eight reales to back the newly instated monarch, Ferdinand VII, whom Vicente personally greeted upon his accession.
Following the uprising in Madrid, the governor of Valencia,[1] was killed by rioters, and on 23 May 1808, Valencia acknowledged Ferdinand as king. Bertrán de Lis and his siblings orchestrated the assault on the citadel, successfully capturing the French troops stationed there. Subsequently, Vicente was chosen as a member of the initial Junta de Valencia.[2]
In early June, when Canon Baltasar Calvo provoked the killing of 300–400 French residents—approximately half sheltered within the city's citadel under local protection—Bertrán de Lis and his brothers funded a militia to reestablish peace.
In 1809, Bertrán de Lis was detained alongside José Canga Argüelles and exiled to Ibiza for a five-month period. Upon Canga Argüelles's appointment as finance minister in 1811, he granted Bertrán de Lis a contract to provision the Spanish military.[2]
After hostilities ceased, Bertrán de Lis faced arrest again due to his liberal leanings but was freed through King Ferdinand VII's intervention.[2]
Later career
By June 1820, Bertrán de Lis had assumed the role of Rothschild representative in Spain. His subordinate, Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, functioned as his deputy while Bertrán de Lis financed and managed Rafael del Riego's 1820 military revolt. Despite General Elío executing Bertrán de Lis's son Félix in 1819 for participating in a Cádiz pronunciamiento, Vicente prevented Elío’s lynching upon capture by demanding a formal court martial that sentenced him to death by garrote.
After absolutist rule was reinstated, Bertrán de Lis took refuge first in Belgium and then Paris, returning to Spain only after King Ferdinand VII passed away. In 1836, he was elected to represent Valencia in the Congreso. The following year, another son, José, died imprisoned by the Carlist forces in Cartagena. Bertrán de Lis rose to become President of the Congress in 1843 and was named a senator for life in 1847.
Between 1850 and 1851, he held office as minister of Foreign Affairs (ministro de Estado) while also acting as minister of the Navy. From 1851 to 1852, he served as minister of the Interior and simultaneously acted as minister of Foreign Affairs.