The royal governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the royal governor also held the title of a captain general. There were 66 such governors or captains during the Spanish conquest and the later periods of Spanish-centered colonialism. Since the first Spanish–Mapuche parliaments in the 17th century it became an almost mandatory tradition for each governor to arrange a parliament with the Mapuches.
List of governors Picture Name Entered office Exited office Notes Appointed by Pedro de Valdivia 11 June 1540 December 1547 Charles V Francisco de Villagra December 1547 20 July 1549 Pedro de Valdivia 20 July 1549 25 December 1553 Killed at the Battle of Tucapel. Rodrigo de Quiroga 25 December 1553 February 1555 Francisco de Villagra Triumvirate Francisco de Aguirre Cabildos of Chile February 1555 23 May 1556 The cities of Chile governed themselves while the dispute over the governorship was settled by the Real Audiencia in Lima.Philip II Francisco de Villagra 23 May 1556 April 1557 García Hurtado de Mendoza April 1557 February 1561 Francisco de Villagra February 1561 June 1563 Pedro de Villagra June 1563 June 1565 Rodrigo de Quiroga June 1565 August 1567 Real Audiencia of Chile August 1567 August 1568 Melchor Bravo de Saravia August 1568 January 1575 Rodrigo de Quiroga January 1575 February 1580 Martín Ruiz de Gamboa February 1580 July 1583 Alonso de Sotomayor September 1583 July 1592 Pedro de Viscarra July 1592 October 1592 Martín García Óñez de Loyola October 1592 December 1598 Killed at the Disaster of CuralabaPhilip III Pedro de Viscarra de la Barrera December 1598 May 1599 Francisco de Quiñónez May 1599 July 1600 Alonso García de Ramón July 1600 February 1601 Alonso de Ribera de Pareja February 1601 March 1605 Alonso García de Ramón March 1605 2 September 1610 Luis Merlo de la Fuente Ruiz de Beteta 2 September 1610 January 1611 Juan Jaraquemada January 1611 27 March 1612 Alonso de Ribera de Pareja 27 March 1612 9 March 1617 Fernando Talaverano Gallegos 9 March 1617 14 January 1618 Lope de Ulloa y Lemos 14 January 1618 8 December 1620 Cristóbal de la Cerda y Sotomayor 8 December 1620 November 1621Philip IV Pedro Osores de Ulloa November 1621 September 1624 Francisco de Álava y Nureña September 1624 May 1625 Luis Fernández de Córdoba y Arce May 1625 December 1629 Francisco Laso de la Vega December 1629 May 1639 Francisco López de Zúñiga2nd Marquis of Baides May 1639 May 1646 Martín de Mujica y Buitrón May 1646 April 1649 Alonso de Figueroa y Córdoba April 1649 May 1650 Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona May 1650 January 1656 Pedro Porter Casanate January 1656 February 1662 Diego González Montero Justiniano February 1662 May 1662 Ángel de Peredo May 1662 January 1664 Francisco de Meneses Brito January 1664 1667Charles II Diego Dávila Coello y Pacheco1st Marquis of Navamorcuende 1667 February 1670 Diego González Montero Justiniano February 1670 October 1670 Juan Henríquez de Villalobos October 1670 April 1682 Marcos José de Garro Senei de Artola April 1682 January 1692 Tomás Marín de Poveda1st Marquis of Cañada Hermosa January 1692 December 1700Philip V Francisco Ibáñez de Segovia y Peralta December 1700 February 1709 Juan Andrés de Ustariz February 1709 December 1716 José de Santiago Concha y Salvatierra December 1716 17 December 1717 17 December 1717 11 November 1733Gabriel Cano y AponteLuis IPhilip V Francisco de Sánchez de la Barreda 11 November 1733 May 1734 Manuel Silvestre de Salamanca Cano May 1734 November 1737 José Antonio Manso de VelascoCount of Superunda November 1737 June 1744 Francisco José de Ovando1st Marquis of Brindisi June 1745 25 March 1746Domingo Ortíz de Rosas1st Marquis of Poblaciones25 March 174628 December 1755 Ferdinand VI Manuel de Amat y Junyent 28 December 1755 9 September 1761Charles III Félix de Berroeta September 1761 October 1762 Antonio de Guill y Gonzaga October 1762 August 1768 Juan de Balmaseda August 1768 March 1770 Francisco Javier de Morales March 1770 March 1772
Governors and captains general of Chile Picture Name Entered office Exited office Notes Appointed by Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa March 1772 July 1780 Charles III Tomás Álvarez de Acevedo Ordaz July 1780 12 December 1780Interim Ambrosio de Benavides 12 December 1780 27 April 1787 Tomás Álvarez de Acevedo Ordaz 27 April 1787 16 May 1788Interim
Appointed by Charles IV Ambrosio O'Higgins, Marquis of Osorno: (May 1788 – May 1796) José de Rezabal y Ugarte (Interim): (May 1796 – September 1796) Gabriel de Avilés, 2nd Marquis of Avilés: (18 September 1796 – 21 January 1799) Joaquín del Pino Sánchez de Rojas: (January 1799 – April 1801) José de Santiago Concha Jiménez Lobatón (Interim): (April 1801 – December 1801) Francisco Tadeo Diez de Medina Vidanges (Interim): (December 1801 – January 1802) Luis Muñoz de Guzmán: (January 1802 – February 1808)
Appointed by Ferdinand VII Juan Rodríguez Ballesteros (Interim): (February 1808 – April 1808) Francisco Antonio García Carrasco Díaz: (April 1808 – July 1810) (Dissolved 1810-1814 Patria Vieja)
Period of the Reconquista Española: Governors and Captains General: Gabino Gaínza Fernández de Medrano: 19 July 1814 – 26 December 1814 Mariano Osorio (Interim): (2 October 1814 – 26 December 1815) Francisco Marcó del Pont Ángel Díaz y Méndez: (26 December 1815 – 12 February 1817)
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