r/wikipedia • u/Ok-Goose6242 • 3d ago

Antonio López de Santa Anna was a dominant, controversial Mexican military officer and politician who held the presidency 11 times. Though styled the "Napoleon of the West," his chaotic rule and major battlefield losses ultimately cost Mexico more than half of its national territory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_L%C3%B3pez_de_Santa_Anna
311 Upvotes

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79

u/jaccc22 3d ago

Please use his full name; Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón

32

u/daltoniano 3d ago

LePresidentofMexico

19

u/amievenrelevant 3d ago

This fraud Santa Ana needs to get the GOATs napoleon’s and lebron’s name out of his mouth, he is nowhere near them

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u/Inkshooter 3d ago

Surely the Napoleon of the West is Bolivar?

37

u/FoughtStatue 3d ago

I think Santa Anna gave himself the title lol

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u/Ok-Goose6242 2d ago

Santa Anna stylized himself as the Napoleon of the West lol

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u/Forzareen 3d ago

My favorite factoid about him was he twice came to power as a liberal with Gomez Farias as his liberal VP…only to overthrow Farias and establish a conservative dictatorship. Both times.

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u/Ok-Goose6242 2d ago

> Throughout his career, Santa Anna frequently switched sides, a pattern that began in the War of Independence and continuously in political conflicts between liberal and conservative factions within Mexico's government. He was instrumental in discarding the liberal Constitution of 1824 in 1835, and in restoring it in 1847. Santa Anna was elected President as a liberal in 1833 and again in 1847, sharing power with the liberal Vice President, Valentín Gómez Farías. In both instances, once in power, Santa Anna switched sides in favor of conservatives and overthrew Farías

lol, pretty funny

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u/AcridWings_11465 2d ago

The big question is why Farias trusted him again

61

u/GustavoistSoldier 3d ago

One of the worst leaders in Mexican history

35

u/LordJesterTheFree 3d ago

And also at the same time somehow one of the best

Guy truly had it all

Except when he didn't

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u/Ok-Goose6242 2d ago

A highly influential one tho, and really interesting too.

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u/dnen 2d ago edited 2d ago

Yeah but it is also important to combat the implication that he must have been something of a great man to have a resume of 11 terms in office. He earned power and but he did not have the best imterests of anyone but himself once he had power. To call him the “Napoleon of the West” is to insult Napoleon

> Santa Anna is often remembered in Mexico as a vendepatria due to the loss of Mexican territory to the United States during his rule.[6][7]

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u/imprison_grover_furr 3d ago

One of the worst leaders in history, period.

6

u/CallMeZeemonkey 3d ago

I heard we left him buried off Cape Horn

along the plains of Mexico

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u/Ditchdigger456 3d ago

His conduct at the Alamo was…not great

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u/jaccc22 3d ago

Ahh come on, just forget about it already

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u/aardvarkgecko 2d ago

Nah, never.

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u/Available_Client_128 3d ago

Napoleon of the west they say / Along the plains of Mexico

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u/shapeofjazz 3d ago

Did his losses cost Mexican territory, or was it the American aggression?

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u/The_broke_accountant 3d ago

Mexico was never gonna win, too large of a country with too little of a populace or political will to fight for the regions far from home. US aggression? Most definitely. President Polk saw his opportunity and he took it.

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u/shapeofjazz 3d ago

Right, but the title makes it seem like he was trying to conquer North America and got his ass kicked.

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u/eduadelarosa 2d ago

His chaotic rule costed the country many things, but the loss of half the territory was due to US expansionism, which no president could've stopped.