ITURBIDE, 0177ir-ne'ott, AGUSTIN DE (1783 1824). Emperor of He was the son of a nobleman of Navarre, who emigrated to New Spain shortly before the birth of his son, who was horn at Valladolid (now ,Morelia), Septem ber 27, 1783. Don Agustin entered the army in 1798, and during the insurrection of 1810 fought for the Spanish cause. Ile was advanced to the position of commander-in-chief of the provinces of Guanajuato and Michoacan in ISM but this post was soon taken away from him.
From 1816 to 1819 Iturbide was out of the military service. When the Constitution of 1820 was proclaimed, he obtained command of the Spanish Army of the South and began a series of intrigues with the revolutionary leaders, which culminated in his proclamation of February 24, 1821, the so-called 'Plan of Iguala,' wherein com plete independence of Spain under a prince of the royal family was offered to the people. This plan rapidly gained adherents. From a small force of some 2500 men, with which he had left :Mexico in November. 1820, his army had in creased, by the spring of 1821, to 6000. Ile gained possession of Vera Cruz and Puebla, and on September 21st entered the City of Mexico at. the head of 16,000 men. The Viceroy signed a treaty with the insurgents, providing for the adoption of the Plan of 'Amnia, and stipulating, in addition, that in ease of the refusal of the princes of the royal family to occupy such a position, the Mexicans should choose an emperor for themselves. A reg,eney was formed, with It urbide at its head. and he was at, the same time appointed emumandor-in-chief of the army. A national congress was convened at Mexico. The new Government. avoided harsh measures, and succeeded in establishing peace, but dissen sions broke out in the regency, the troops became clamorous for pay, and the congress refused to meet their wishes. Iturbide turned to the
monarchical party. and was by them proclaimed Emperor on May IS, 1822. He was crowned, with the title of Agnstin I., July 21, 1822. Harsh measures of repression led to open rebel lion. On December 2, 1822, Santa Anna, colonel of a regiment stationed at Vera Cruz. declared for a republie,and his example was followed by Guer rero and Bravo in the south. Iturbide saw him self deserted by those in whom he had placed most confidence, and sought to make his peace with the country by summoning the congress which be had shortly before dissolved. his influence, however, bad disappeared, and in March. 1823, Tturbide offered his abdication to the congress. He re ceived a pension of $25,000 and was ordered to reside in Italy. He accordingly left Mexico, spent the next year in Italy and England, and in May, 1824, sailed for Mexico from London, unaware that the Republican Government had outlawed him, and led by the representations of his par tisans to believe that Mexico would rise in arms to welcome him. He landed at Soto In Marina, July 14th, but was immediately arrested, taken before the provincial congress of Tamaulipas, condemned as a traitor by that body, and shot in the public square of the town of Padilla, July 19th. The Mexican Government provided a pension for his wife, who resided for a number of years in Philadelphia. His grandson, Agustin, was adopted by the Emperor Maximilian as his heir, in 1864. A full account of Iturbide, With descriptive lists of authorities cited, may be found in Bancroft, History of Mexico, vol. iv. (San Francisco, 1890). Iturbide's own State ment of Some of the Principal Events in the Public Life of Agustin de Iturbide, translated by M. J. Quin, was published in London, 1824. See MExIco.