José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia

Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia maintained a ledger which contained information about all the women he had slept with. Despite not having any close relationships with any of these women, he became the father of seven illegitimate children.

He was a worrier and took several precautions to guard himself against assassination. He locked the palace doors himself, and slept with a pistol under his pillow. Whenever he went for a ride, he made sure that all bushes and trees along the route were uprooted so that assassins could not hide. He also instructed that all the shutters remain closed and ordered pedestrians to prostrate before him as he passed.

Later in life, upon sensing his death, he destroyed all his papers and also refused to take medical aid. Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia died on September 20, 1840, in Asunción, Paraguay. He was given a state funeral where the priest eulogized him.

Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia was born on January 6, 1766, in Yaguarón, Paraguay, to García Rodríguez de Francia, an artillery officer turned tobacco planter, and his wife, María Josefa de Velasco.

He received his early education from the monastery school of San Francisco, Asunción. In April 1785, he obtained a doctor of theology degree and also completed post-graduation in philosophy from the University of Córdoba.

Thereafter, he lectured at the Royal College and Seminary of San Carlos, but in 1792 left teaching to pursue law.

Later on he became a lawyer and also mastered five languages including Spanish, French, and English. He felt disgusted by the “class system” prevalent in Paraguay as imposed by Spain, and being a lawyer, always tried to support and defend the less privileged citizenry against the wealthier ones.

In 1807, he became a member of the cabildo, the administrative council. The following year, he was appointed as the fiscal officer and by August 1809, he was elevated to the position of head of the Asunción cabildo.

On May 15, 1811, Paraguay's independence was declared and two months later, on June 17, 1811, he was appointed secretary to the national junta in a Congress meeting. But after serving for a short period he resigned from his post in August 1811 because of the army's dominance over Congress.

In October 1811, he returned to his post on the condition that Juan Bogarin, one of the five junta members, should be removed. After serving for two months, he resigned again in December 1811.

In November 1812, he returned again and was appointed as the Foreign Secretary to the National Junta, a post he held until October 1813.

On October 1, 1813, he was named as an alternate Consul of the Republic for a year, along with Fulgencio Yegros.

Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia, or ‘El Supremo’, made some significant contributions towards the development of Paraguay. He gave emphasis to national industries to make the nation self-sufficient.

He also introduced modern methods of farming and livestock raising, and played a key role in organizing the armed forces of the country.