Manuel Maximiliano Alberti (28 May 1763 – 31 January 1811) was an Argentine priest from Buenos Aires when the city was part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.
He had a curacy at Maldonado, Uruguay during the British invasions of the River Plate, and returned to Buenos Aires in time to take part in the May Revolution of 1810.
Alberti supported most of the proposals of Mariano Moreno and worked at the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres newspaper.
He was baptized on the following 1 June at the Concepción parish; his godparents were Juan Javier Dogan and Isabel de Soria y Santa Cruz.
The Alberti family became benefactor of the House of Spiritual Works of Buenos Aires by donating them a land plot so it could move its headquarters.
[2] He made his first studies at the Real Colegio de San Carlos in February 1777, graduating in philosophy, logic, physics and metaphysics.
However, Alberti was subsequently released by British Army officer John Jaime Backhouse, who permitted a restoration of Catholic religious practices in the city under military escort.
He was selected to take part in the open cabildo celebrated on 22 May to decide the fate of Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, as well as other twenty-seven ecclesiastics.
[6] He also supported Juan Nepomuceno Solá and Ramón Vieytes, who proposed the calling of deputies from the other cities of the viceroyalty.
[7] His brother Manuel Silvestre Alberti signed the popular petition formulated on 25 May that aimed to draft the composition of the Primera Junta that would replace Cisneros in power.
A common accepted theory considers it to be a balance between Carlotists and Alzaguists,[9] and Alberti in particular may have been elected to serve as chaplain of the government.
He signed the harsh commands given to Castelli for the first Upper Peru campaign, but noticing next to his signature that he made an exception with the articles involving capital punishment.
[13] Manuel Alberti worked in journalism as well, at the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres newspaper created by the Junta.
[14] The first conflict between Alberti and Moreno was caused by the arrival of Gregorio Funes, dean of Córdoba with similar ideas to those of Cornelio Saavedra, president of the Junta.
[16] Alberti requested in his will to avoid pageantry or complex funerals, and bequeathed his properties (house, farm, furniture, slaves, clothing, books, etc.)