MORAZAN, mu'ra-thlin', FRANCISCO (1792 A soldier and statesman of Honduras. lie was a member of a French West Indian family, and entered politics when his country became independent of Spain, in 1821. He be came Secretary-General, and took part in the organization of the new Government. He also played an important part at the head of the troops in putting down the demonstrations of the various revolutionary factions, and was in 1830 elected President of the Central American Confederation. In this offive lie became the fore most representative of liberal principles, as op posed to the reactionary policy of the old Spanish party. whose stronghold was Guatemala. He expelled the archbishop and the friars who were ineiting the pro-Spanish faction to revolt. and abolished the most important Chureh privileges. In 1832 he suppressed an insurrection against the Federal Government in Salvador. In 1838
a formidable revolution again broke out, headed by Carrera, leader of the conservatives in Guate mala. Morazfin, after defending the Federal Government with courage and ability, felt that the tide was too strong to struggle against; he therefore resigned his office, April 5, 1840. and went to Peru. There he organized a force, and in 1842 invaded Costa Rica, hoping to reo• ganize the Confederation. He overthrew the Government without difficulty, and was en thusiastically elected Governor. His popularity, however, was short-lived. His advocacy of the Central American Confederation led to another insurrection. He was taken prisoner, court martialed, and shot, September 15, 1842. Con sult Bancroft. History of Central America, vol. iii. (San Francisco, 1887).