Leonardo Bravo (general officer)

Leonardo Bravo (Chilpancingo, Guerrero, 1764 - Mexico City, September 13, 1812) was a Mexican of liberal ideology. Brother of Máximo Bravo and father of Nicolás Bravo. Bravo participated with the insurgent faction during the development of the armed movement of the first stage of the Independence of Mexico.

Biography
Being son of an accommodated Spanish family, devoted to agricultural works and proprietary of the Hacienda of Chichihualco. When the Mexican War of Independence started, he and his son Nicolás Bravo, as well as his four brothers Miguel, Víctor, Máximo and Casimiro refused to work along the Spanish royalists.

From 1811, the Bravo family took part in the insurgent fight, joined to the army of José María Morelos and Pavón. They managed to flee from the Siege of Cuautla, but was captured by the Spanish forces. The government asked his son, Nicolás, and to his four brothers a surrender and in return it would forgive the life of their father Leonardo. However, such offerings from the Viceroy did not constitute any guarantee, as other insurgents that had accepted the offer, like the Orduña family, were executed by the royalist force.

Execution
Morelos did not want to impose his authority on the feelings of the youngster Bravo, so he wrote to the Viceroy offering him 800 Spanish prisoners as exchange. However, the viceroy Francisco Javier Venegas did not accept the proposal. Leonardo Bravo and his mates, Mariano Piedras and Manuel Pérez, were condemned to death under the modality of vile garrotte, considered one of the most infamous and degrading ways, it happened on November 13, 1812, in Mexico City.

Morelos orders him to Nicolás Bravo execute to 300 realistic prisoners like answer to the actions of the Viceroy. Instead to get revenge through them, Nicolás Bravo decided to forgive them. The majority of them decided to join his army. On June 19, 1823 he was declared Benemerito of Mexico.

Bequeathed
When Leonardo was executed, José María Morelos and his son Nicolás were informed of this. After this, Morelos ordered the insurgent youngster that in reprisal, he had to execute 300 royalist soldiers. Bravo explained them the fate of his father and the order that he had to fulfil. Thinking in the horror of this order, when the prisoners expected the death, he delivered a message to the Spaniards telling them "Quedais en Libertad" (You are now free). After this, those royalist soldiers joined the insurgents forces.

After the death of Leonardo, survived him his wife Gertrudis Rueda, his son Nicolás, his brothers Miguel, Víctor, Máximo, Casimiro, his sister in law Gertrudis Villaso and his nephew Calixto.

Honours
On June 19, 1823 he was declared Benemérito of Mexico. An accomplishment that his son Nicolás received too. The municipality Leonardo Bravo, in Guerrero was named after him, the same place where he and his family had their hacienda. Also the Institute Leonardo Bravo was called like this in honour to him and in the Alameda Central in Mexico City there is a statue of him.