User:ChurinPeruana/William Lamport

Childhood and education
The main source for biographical information about Lamport is his own declaration before the Inquisition; it is difficult to tell how much of it is true. William Lamport was born in either 1611 (according to his brother) or 1615 (other sources) in Wexford, Ireland to a family of Catholic merchants.

Lamport underwent an extensive educational experience where he acquired knowledge on a diversity of topics. His academic journey began in his hometown of Wexford, Ireland where he was taught by private tutors. He then received Catholic education from Jesuits in Dublin and London, and then at an Irish college in the great pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. By the time he finished his studies, he had successfully learned Spanish, Latin and Greek.

Since the Protestant monarchy in England increasingly restricted opportunities to Catholics, a number of colegios for Irishmen were set up in Spain. There were longstanding ties between Catholic Ireland and Spain, the staunch defender of Catholicism in Europe. Spain recognized Irish nobles on equal footing as Spaniards, and Irish could claim Spanish citizenship.

In 1627, he claimed to have been arrested in London for sedition for distributing Catholic pamphlets. According to his testimony, he escaped, left Britain for Spain and became a pirate for the next two years. He is also said to have fought for the French at the Siege of La Rochelle against the Huguenots.[citation needed]

Military career
He also fought for the French at the Siege of La Rochelle against the Huguenots.[citation needed] Lamport's participation in the Battle of Nordlingen attracted the interest of the Count-Duke of Olivares In Spain, Lamport came to the attention of the Marquis of Mancera, perhaps via Mancera's sister whose late husband had been posted to London and apparently knew Lamport's tutor there. In 1633, he joined one of three Spanish-sponsored Irish regiments and took part in the combat against Swedish forces in the Spanish Netherlands. His participation in the Battle of Nordlingen in 1634 attracted the interest of the Count-Duke of Olivares, chief minister to Philip IV of Spain, who eventually helped him to enter the service of the King. By that time he had hispanized his name to Guillén Lombardo (in modern Mexico generally called Guillén de Lampart).[citation needed]

Works
Apart from his adventurous life, his only undisputed claim to fame probably lies in the fact that he was the author of the first declaration of independence in the Indies, a document that promised land reform, equality of opportunity, racial equality, and a democratically elected monarch over a century before the French Revolution.

Memorials
A statue of Lamport is immediately inside the Angel of Independence, a major historical monument in Mexico City. Visitors are prohibited from photography in the space. There is a primary school in Mexico City named after him and in Oaxaca, the Instituto Guillén de Lampart; but, in general, in Mexico, he is not part of the pantheon of leaders of independence, despite his statue in the Monument to Independence.

Zorro
During Lamport's life, he became known as a voice for the oppressed. After his death, his fame only grew amongst the underprivileged. Leading up to Mexico's rebellions, the Indigenous people of Mexico drew from Lamport's works and his bravery as a source of their inspiration. Lamport's adventurous life was detailed in Vicente Riva Palacio's novel titled Memorias de un impostor: Don Guillén de Lampart, Rey de México. In the novel Palacio introduces us to Guillen Lombardo, who is a double agent that secretly plots against Spain. This narrative has led many to argue that William Lamport was the inspiration for Johnston McCulley's fictional character known as "Zorro".