Spanish American wars of independence important change in strategy after three United Provinces campaigns had been defeated in Upper Peru. San Martín's army became the nucleus of the Army of the Andes, which received crucial political and material support in 1816 when Juan Martín de Pueyrredón became Supreme Director of the United Provinces. In January 1817, San Martín was finally ready to advance against the royalists in Chile. Ignoring an injunction from the congress of the Río de la Plata not to move against Chile, San Martín together with General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, later Supreme Director of Chile, led the Army over the Andes in
Bernardo Antonio de' Medici Bernardo Antonio de' Medici Bernardo Antonio de' Medici (1476 – 1552) was an Italian bishop and diplomat. He was considered as one of the leading ambassadors of Cosimo I de' Medici. He was the son of Antonio de' Medici and Selvaggia di Felice del Beccuto. He was bishop of Forlì between 1528 and 1551, before being transferred to the diocese of Cassano on 23 October 1551. In 1537 Cosimo I gave him the delicate mission of getting confirmation of his right to the duchy (which had passed to him after Alessandro de' Medici's death) from Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.