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Primary sourceDocument1844

Testamento de San Martín

José de San Martín · 1844

San Martín's 1844 will, in which he bequeaths his saber to Juan Manuel de Rosas and sets out his final wishes.

This is San Martín's own final will, recording his wishes, his family, and the fate of his famous saber.

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Handwritten Spanish manuscript page on lined paper, with a faded seal at upper left. The text begins 'En el Nombre de Dios todo poderoso' and continues with San Martín's will, mentioning his daughter Mercedes, a pension for his sister Elena, and his sable given to Juan Manuel de Rosas.
José de San Martín, last will and testament, 1844.

About this source

What it is

This is the handwritten will of José de San Martín, in which he names his daughter Mercedes as heir, arranges a pension for his sister Elena, and bequeaths his curved saber to Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas as a mark of respect for defending Argentina's honor against foreign pressure.

Why it matters

Written near the end of his life in exile, the will reveals what mattered most to San Martín: his family's welfare and the symbolic fate of the sword that had accompanied him through the whole independence war. His praise of Rosas also shows his political sympathies late in life, connecting him to a controversial figure in Argentine history.

Look closer

  • Why might San Martín choose to give his saber to Rosas rather than to his own family?
  • What does the document's language tell you about San Martín's sense of his own place in history?
  • What parts of the will are about family, and what parts are about his public legacy?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of José de San Martín on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Máximas para mi Hija

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Portrait of José de San Martín

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Oval gilt frame behind glass holding a sepia daguerreotype portrait of an elderly man with white hair and a moustache, wearing a dark double-breasted coat, dark cravat and white shirt, seated with one hand resting on his knee.Photograph

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Daguerreotype of José de San Martín

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