Diego de los Rios

Diego de los Ríos was a Spanish Lieutenant General who was known as the last Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. He also served in the Glorious Revolution, the Third Carlist War and the Ten Years' War. Diego was born on 9 April 1850 as the son of Lieutenant General Diego de los Rios the Elder and was given the title "Underage ensign of the Cavalry" in 1860 due to his father's service in the Hispano-Moroccan War. In the same year, he specialized in infantry combat and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1865. In 1868, he participated in the Glorious Revolution and was promoted to Captain for his service in the revolution. For the next three years, he served in Puerto Rico. When he returned to the Spanish mainland, he participated in the Third Carlist War but was seriously wounded during the Battle of Castellfullit on July 1874 when he was promoted to Commander. After the treatment of his wound, he continued to fight the Carlist forces in the north, taking part in the battles of Sierra de Puyarruego, Ermita de la Trinidad de Lumbier and Sierra de Leire. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 1876 but had to then serve in the ongoing Ten Years' War. Once he arrived in Cuba, he was in charge of several operations as he commanded several battalions until the Pact of Zanjón was signed and he returned to Spain to marry Matilde Sáenz Santa María. There he would serve various posts, including becoming King Alfonso XII's aide-de-camp in 1886, commanding the Ciudad Rodrigo Battalion in Madrid and dealing with the uprising of the Garellano and Albuera regiments on September 19 as he left with his unit under the orders of Captain General Manuel Pavía in pursuit of the rebels along the Paseo de Atocha, Vallecas, Morata de Tajuña and Arganda. For his service, he was proposed to the Ministry of State for the Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic¹. After his promotion to Brigadier General on 1895, he was sent to the Philippines under the command of Ramón Blanco who appointed him the commander of the First Brigade of the Mindanao Division¹. In September 1898, he became the Governor-General of the Philippines during the Spanish–American War after the United States of America took control of Manila after the 1898 Battle of Manila. The capital of the Spanish Philippines was at that time in Iloilo. He negotiated with Emilio Aguinaldo and signed a peace treaty known as Treaty of Biak-na-Bato on December 14, 1897. However, this treaty was not honored by both parties and hostilities resumed. His term as governor-general effectively ended on December 10, 1898 when Spain ceded its sovereignty over Cuba and its colonies including Puerto Rico and Guam to America through Treaty of Paris. He left Iloilo to transfer his capital to Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar de Zaragoza in Zamboanga bringing with him some remnants of his colonial forces on December 24, 1898. He then evacuated his troops to Manila before their departure to Spain. He remained in Manila until June 3, 1899, trying to secure the release of Spanish prisoners from the rebels¹. He returned to Spain and continued his military career until his death on November 4, 1911 in Madrid. He was buried in the San Isidro Cemetery. He is regarded as one of the most honorable and humane Spanish governors of the Philippines, who tried to avoid bloodshed and violence during his tenure.