Post Colonization South American History Lecture

General William T. Sherman
Pioneer

Ran rampant through Georgia in the March to the Sea

Posts: 3,495

Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 25, 2016 2:43:48 GMT saltin, Napoleon Bonaparte, and 3 more like this

Quote

Post by General William T. Sherman on Mar 25, 2016 2:43:48 GMT

This lecture will talk about the events and history of South America after Spanish and Portuguese colonization. We'll start from 1825 on, mirroring the independence of Brazil, the last South American nation to formally achieve independence from its rulers.

Before we begin, it is good to explain the situation prior to the independence of the states of South America. After the American Revolution, the ideals of liberty may have spread to France, but the ideals of independence also spread throughout the Western Hemisphere. The second nation to declare independence from its former rulers was Haiti, which was a former French colony until the French Revolution began. Once the French Revolution began, the slaves in French Hispaniola revolted, inspired by the ideals of liberty and freedom. They, with the aid of the British and Spanish, succeeded in liberating Haiti.

Haitian slaves revolting against their French captors.
After Haiti gained independence, there were multiple attempted revolutions in Spanish colonies, but none succeeded until the French invaded Spain in 1810. Once France invaded Spain, many nationalists saw this as their chance to rebel. These rebellions were successful for two reasons: One:Spain was preoccupied in trying to defend its independence from the French and Two:The South Americans had great generals such as Simon Bolivar. Bolivar and his forces first secured the Northern Spanish colonies of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, then moved south to the main Spanish stronghold in Peru. Argentina was secured with fairly little bloodshed, and most Argentines ended up fighting in Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Once Peru was finally secured, Bolivia fell soon after. Chile was the last Spanish colony to win its independence, doing so in 1818.

Simon Bolivar sporting his casual look.
By 1818, all of Spain's former colonies in South America had been liberated, but Brazil still remained as a Portuguese colony. When Portugal was invaded and occupied by France in 1807, the Portuguese King Pedro IV and his family fled to Brazil. When he was in Brazil, Pedro IV loved living there and wanted to stay there even when the Napoleonic Wars were over and Portugal was liberated. Eventually, however Pedro IV was forced to return to Portugal following the Liberal Revolution of 1820 in Portugal. He did leave his son, Pedro I, to reign over the colony of Brazil. Two years after Pedro IV left for Portugal, many in the Portuguese colonial administration in Brazil saw that Spanish colonies were gaining independence. As a result, many pressured Pedro I to declare independence from Portugal and become the new head of state of Brazil. Pedro I was drawn to declaring independence from his father, as currently Pedro was only the prince of a second rate European country, while he could become King of a potentially strong Brazil if he did declare independence. Ultimately, Pedro I agreed and declare independence and became the first Emperor of the Empire of Brazil. Brazil was officially recognized as independent from Portugal by most countries by 1825.

Dom Pedro I
Clearly, by looking at Brazil's historical background compared to the rest of South America, there are multiple apparent differences. One: The most obvious one is that Portugal colonized Brazil while the rest of S.America was colonized by Spain. Two: Brazil was the only monarchy/empire in S.America. All the other states in S.America declared independence as republics, and none ever had a ruling monarch. Brazil is the exception to this, as Pedro I was a monarch related to the Portuguese Braganza dynastic line. And finally three: The Spanish colonies fought for their independence, while Brazil's independence was fairly free of bloodshed. There was never a Brazilian war of Independence against the Portuguese, unlike the rest of South America.

All of this information is the historical background to South America's history after colonization. From this background, South American history will be forged.

WHERE TO FIND CERTAIN LECTURES:
Introduction-Page 1
Cisplatine War-Page 1
Gran Colombia-Page 1
Peru-Bolivia and the War of the Confederation-Page 1
Uruguayan Civil War-Page 2
Platine War-Page 2
War of the Triple Alliance-Page 2
Slavery in Brazil-Page 2
Dom Pedro II-Page 3
War of the Pacific-Page 4
Argentine Civil War and the Conquest of the Desert-Page 4
Diego Portales-Page 4
Foreign Interventions in South America-Page 5
Immigration to South America-Page 5
South America in WWI-Page 5
Military Strongmen in South America-Page 5

Last Edit: Oct 26, 2016 4:49:54 GMT by Jean-Luc Picard

FOR FREEDOM!!!!

Napoleon Bonaparte Darth Vader Posts: 2,294	Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 25, 2016 3:58:27 GMT via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Napoleon Bonaparte on Mar 25, 2016 3:58:27 GMT Lectures back! Awesome!

General William T. Sherman
Pioneer

Ran rampant through Georgia in the March to the Sea

Posts: 3,495

Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 25, 2016 15:03:18 GMT Singlemalt and Archduke Charles like this

Quote

Post by General William T. Sherman on Mar 25, 2016 15:03:18 GMT

The first event we'll be looking at will be the Cisplatine War, which was between the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata (Argentina) and the Empire of Brazil from 1825 to 1828.

The war occurred due to prior tensions in Southern Brazil and modern day Uruguay (The Banda Oriental/Eastern strip). After the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata revolted against Spain in 1810, the Banda Oriental had its own revolt against Spanish rule in 1811, led by Jose Gervasio Artigas. During these revolutions, the Portuguese colonial administration in Rio de Janeiro tried to assert its control over the rebellious province of Rio Grande do Sul, to the far south of Brazil. In 1814, the Banda Oriental joined a coalition with the Argentine provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Rios against the powerful Argentine province of Buenos Aires. During this war between the Argentine provinces, the Portuguese saw a chance to expand their colonial boundaries. After taking over Rio Grande do Sul, the Portuguese invaded the Banda Oriental in 1816. The Portuguese defeated Jose Gervasio Artigas and his forces in the Battle of Tacuarembo in 1820, and the Banda Oriental was annexed by the Portuguese colonial administration.

Jose Gervasio Artigas
In 1822, Brazil declared independence from Portugal. The Brazilian constitution gave a considerable amount of autonomy to the Banda Oriental, more so than any other province in the empire. Brazil's inheritance of the Banda Oriental from Portugal upset the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, which saw the Banda Oriental as rightful Argentine land. Rio de la Plata then began aiding rebels in the Banda Oriental against Brazil. Rebel leaders such as Fructuoso Rivera and Juan Antonio Lavelleja, along with delegates from the Banda Oriental, met in La Florida in 1825 and formed a congress. The congress declared independence from Brazil and proclaimed allegiance to the United Provinces. In response to the allegiance to the United Provinces, Brazil declared war on Argentina.

Top: Felisberto Caldeira Brant
Bottom: Battle of Ituzaingo
Emperor Pedro I of Brazil first ordered the Royal Fleet to blockade Buenos Aires and Montevideo. the Argentine military moved into Uruguay and set up its headquarters near the town of Durazno. Argentine general Carlos Maria de Alvear then invaded Southern Brazil. Pedro I planned for a counterattack in 1826, and summoned an army of volunteers from Southern Brazil and European mercenaries. A number of internal rebellions in Brazil hampered recruitment, and ultimately forced Pedro I to relinquish personal control of the military and bestow it upon Felisberto Caldeira Brant. The Brazilian counteroffensive then commended in late 1826, and continued until the Argentines put up resistance at Ituzaingo. The battle was inconclusive, but did stop the Brazilian counteroffensive. The counterattack did kick the Argentines out of Brazil proper and back into Uruguay.

The war became a stalemate by 1828 and both sides had reasons to negotiate peace. Brazil had many internal rebellions and public opinion turned against the war as it became more apparent that the war would be a stalemate. Argentina and their Uruguayan allies were unable to take large Brazilian or Uruguayan cities, and the Brazilian blockade of Buenos Aires had severe economic consequences for Argentina. Ultimately, the Unitied Kingdom mediated peace between the two nations in Rio de Janeiro in 1828. The United Kingdom decided to negotiate peace due to the Brazilian blockade hampering trade between Rio de la Plata and Britain. The Treaty of Montevideo ended the war, with Uruguay gaining independence under the name of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay. The treaty also gave Brazil a right to control their southern domain, a very rebellious area in the Empire, and gave Brazil free navigation through the Rio de la Plata.

The aftermath of the war had large effects on Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. In Argentina, many felt patriotic and nationalistic due to winning against the larger power in the region, and made them a regional power. In Brazil, Pedro I's incompetence during the war made many Brazilians feel that he wasn't fit to rule, which would be a major cause as to why he abdicated from the Brazilian throne in 1831. In Uruguay, the war had given them independence from Brazil, and would ultimately lead to years of instability and civil war in the country.

With the Cisplatin War over, i have to ask this: Do you guys want to see stuff about Gran Colombia or about Peru, Bolivia and Chile?

FOR FREEDOM!!!!

Singlemalt
EFC Community Supporter

EU4

Posts: 2,385

Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 25, 2016 17:22:13 GMT

Quote

Post by Singlemalt on Mar 25, 2016 17:22:13 GMT

Great way to educate us. What I mostly appreciate us that you dont give any opinion or arguments, which would colour the info.. Now its mostly "facts" (did not check them ofc).
i vote for Colombia since I have some personal relations with it. Keep on going!

Today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky!

Napoleon Bonaparte Darth Vader Posts: 2,294	Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 25, 2016 18:12:24 GMT via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Napoleon Bonaparte on Mar 25, 2016 18:12:24 GMT I'd rather have the Peru Bolivia Chile stuff (PBC)

Horatio Nelson Darth Vader Get shrekd Posts: 890	Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 25, 2016 19:11:38 GMT via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Horatio Nelson on Mar 25, 2016 19:11:38 GMT Haitians fight for freedom but can't handle it. Kinda ironic isn't it.

General William T. Sherman
Pioneer

Ran rampant through Georgia in the March to the Sea

Posts: 3,495

Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 25, 2016 20:34:23 GMT Singlemalt likes this

Quote

Post by General William T. Sherman on Mar 25, 2016 20:34:23 GMT

Since its been a few hours and only two people have responded, both with two different answers, I'm going to roll dice and whichever option gets a higher dice roll will be the next one.
Gran Colombia:
Kat4kD4Q

The Lower Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Chile):

Gran Colombia wins, which means that next lecture will be about Gran Colombia.···

Last Edit: Mar 25, 2016 20:35:59 GMT by General William T. Sherman

FOR FREEDOM!!!!

Jean Lannes Darth Vader "None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear." Posts: 5,851	Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 25, 2016 22:29:18 GMT via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Jean Lannes on Mar 25, 2016 22:29:18 GMT Mar 25, 2016 18:12:24 GMT Napoleon Bonaparte said: I'd rather have the Peru Bolivia Chile stuff (PBC) You mean Santa Cruz taking over Peru? I only know of it because of EU4 and Sherman
	Duc de Montebello, Prince de Sievers

General William T. Sherman
Pioneer

Ran rampant through Georgia in the March to the Sea

Posts: 3,495

Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 26, 2016 15:13:37 GMT

Quote

Post by General William T. Sherman on Mar 26, 2016 15:13:37 GMT

Okay, i just typed the whole Lecture for Gran Colombia, and then when i pressed submit, it said there was an error? And then when i clicked on this thread again, it didn't give me a draft of everything i type. saltin PLEASE fix this, because its so annoying when i spend a half-hour on one lecture and then it all gets deleted when i press enter just due to an error.

FOR FREEDOM!!!!

Jean Lannes Darth Vader "None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear." Posts: 5,851	Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 26, 2016 15:46:16 GMT via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Jean Lannes on Mar 26, 2016 15:46:16 GMT Maybe copy the text always before. Idk what system you use but I just save a big text in my notes
	Duc de Montebello, Prince de Sievers

General William T. Sherman
Pioneer

Ran rampant through Georgia in the March to the Sea

Posts: 3,495

Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 26, 2016 19:38:49 GMT Napoleon Bonaparte, Jean Lannes, and 1 more like this

Quote

Post by General William T. Sherman on Mar 26, 2016 19:38:49 GMT

First, we’ll be looking at Gran Colombia, mainly its foundation and its downfall.

I may as well state a disclaimer that the nation I will refer to for the rest of the lecture was officially named the Republic of Colombia, not Gran Colombia. Gran Colombia is simply the name that historians gave this country in order to differentiate it from the modern day country.

Gran Colombia was proclaimed following Simon Bolivar’s victory over the Spanish in Colombia. The country became a Federal Republic with three departments: The Cundinamarca Department (Colombian Department) with its capital at Bogota, the Venezuelan Department with its capital at Caracas, and the Quito Department (Ecuadorian Department) with its capital at Quito. At the time of the country’s declaration, most of Venezuela and Colombia were still occupied by the Spanish as with all of Ecuador. The country’s constitution was drafted at the Congress of Cucuta in 1821. The Constitution of Cucuta was drafted there, which established a much more centralized state with its capital at Bogota. Despite many delegates who went to the Congress supported the previous federalist, decentralized government, many of those delegates believed that a strong centralized state was necessary to kick the Spanish out of South America. In order to end regionalism in the state, the previous three departments of Cundinamarca, Venezuela and Quito were dissolved and were split into smaller departments all run by its own intendant. Not all of the provinces of Gran Colombia were liberated from Spanish rule yet, namely Venezuelan and Ecuadorian land, meaning that the Congress was dominated by Colombian delegates. This would become an issue as all of Ecuador and Venezuela were to be liberated later on. In order to counteract this, another constitutional congress was set to be held in 1831.

The first president to be elected of the new country was Simon Bolivar and the first vice president was Francisco de Paula Santander. The government mainly focused on liberating other areas from Spanish rule and to expand its own borders. Virtually all of Venezuela was liberated following the Battle of Carabobo, Panama joined the country in late 1821, Ecuador was liberated in 1822, and the Gran Colombian military moved into Bolivia in order to liberate that country as well. Bolivar and Santander were re-elected in 1826.

Soon after Gran Colombia was liberated, internal issues began. The country was split between between those who supported a strong, centralized government with a powerful president, which President Simon Bolivar supported, and those who supported a decentralized, federalist government with a much weaker head of state, which Vice President Francisco de Paula Santander supported. Another political division also occurred between those who supported the Constitution of Cucuta, those who supported the break up of the country into smaller republics, and those who supported keeping the country united but to have an even stronger president.

At the same time of these political divisions, separatist movements also began to pop up throughout the country. The Constitution of Cucuta had been mainly drafted by Colombian delegates, which upset the Ecuadorians and Venezuelans in the country. In Ecuador, there were also economic issues as with political ones. Prior to the conception of Gran Colombia, the Ecuadorian textile industry suffered due to the import of cheaper textiles into the country. This continued into the Gran Colombian period, as the government of Gran Colombia adopted a low tariff policy. While they adopted this low tariff policy in order to benefit Venezuelan grain farmers, they did not anticipate that the Ecuadorian textile industry would suffer. Due to Ecuador joining the country later than Venezuela, Panama or Colombia, many rights were revoked from them. Ecuadorians could not serve in the Gran Colombian armed forces and most local Ecuadorian political offices were occupied by either Colombians or Venezuelans.

The largest separatist movement in the country was not from Ecuador, however, but instead from Venezuela. Many Venezuelans were ardent federalists, and did not support the centralized form of government in Gran Colombia. Many of these federalist Venezuelan liberals aligned themselves to the commandant of the department of Venezuela, Jose Antonio Paez. Venezuela actually nearly seceded in 1826. The secession crisis was sparked when the Gran Colombian Congress began impeachment proceedings against Paez. Many in Venezuela took up arms against the government, and this rebellion spread throughout Venezuela. This rebellion was known as the Cosiata, translating to “Insignificant Thing” in Spanish. This was the name given to the rebellion because the rebellion didn’t exactly stand for much except as an act of defiance against the Gran Colombian government. The crisis got so bad that Simon Bolivar threatened to march an army into Venezuela and crush the rebellion with force. Compromise was made before that could happen. Bolivar gave an official amnesty to all Venezuelans who revolted and the government promised that a new Constitutional Congress would occur before 1831. Paez accepted the compromises and told his Venezuelan supporters to stand down.

Peruvian admiral Jorge Martin Guise

Another event we shall be looking at is the Gran Colombia-Peru War. When Simon Bolivar liberated Bolivia from Spain, he became the president of the new country as well. He drafted a constitution for the new country as well. Gran Colombian troops were also stationed in Bolivia during his reign over the country. In 1826, Bolivar resigned as president of Bolivia and returned to Bogota. He turned over the presidency to a fellow general, Antonio Jose de Sucre. When Bolivar left Bolivia, Peru, which claimed Bolivian land, saw an opportunity to gain their claimed land. In early 1828, Peru, under the presidency of Jose de la Mar, invaded Bolivia and expelled all Gran Colombian troops from the country.
Bolivar was furious upon hearing of the news, and declared war on Peru in the summer of 1828. Antonio Jose de Sucre resigned from the Bolivian presidency and became the commander of the Gran Colombian military on request of Bolivar.

The war began with Peruvian admiral Jorge Martin Guise occupying the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil in November of 1828. The Gran Colombians attempted a counterattack, where Guise himself was killed, but the Peruvians held out against the Colombians. Following the defense of the city, the Peruvian military captured the Ecuadorian city of Loja after winning the Battle of Saraguro in Febuary 1829. Following the victory, the Peruvian army marched north to link up with the Peruvian forces in Guayaquil. Meanwhile, other Peruvian forces led by Peruvian general Augustin Gamarra and Jose de la Mar captured the Peruvian president's birthplace of Cunca in Ecuador. Shortly after the Peruvian capture of Cunca, the Gran Colombian generals Jose de la Sucre and Juan Jose Flores successfully counterattacked and defeated the Peruvians at the Battle of Portete de Tarqui in Febuary, which resulted in the recapture of Cunca. This was the final major battle of the war.

Peace was made following Augustian Gamarra's coup in Lima against de la Mar which gave Gamarra power over Peru. The peace was status quo antebellum, with neither side gaining anything. This inconclusive peace and the failure of the Gran Colombian military to fully defeat the Peruvians was yet another reason as to why Gran Colombia collapsed.

Top: Territories of Gran Colombia
Middle: Jose Antonio Paez
Bottom: Francisco de Paula Santander

In 1828, a constitutional congress was called in Ocana as part of the compromises made following the Cosiata. At the congress, Bolivar proposed a new constitution based off the one he drafted for Bolivia, but it was very unpopular and was rejected. The congress became a failure when supporters of a centralized government walked out of the congress instead of signing a federalist constitution. Bolivar then hoped that if he could centralize his constitutional powers, he could prevent the separatists from dissolving the nation. Ultimately, however, it was virtually impossible to salvage the nation by this point, and, realizing that he wasn't going to be able to save the nation, Bolivar resigned from the presidency in 1830. The Union of Gran Colombia was officially dissolved in 1831, with the nation being divided into three different nations: Colombia, including Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador.

With the failure of a union to exist in the Northern Andes, a potential united power became divided into three countries that were easy for nations to bully into doing what they wanted. This will become apparent as both Colombia and Venezuela become very valuable regions in the late 19th and early 20th century and with the rise of powers such as the United States of America, Germany and Italy.

Last Edit: Mar 26, 2016 22:01:21 GMT by General William T. Sherman

FOR FREEDOM!!!!

General William T. Sherman
Pioneer

Ran rampant through Georgia in the March to the Sea

Posts: 3,495

Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 27, 2016 0:24:52 GMT Napoleon Bonaparte and Singlemalt like this

Quote

Post by General William T. Sherman on Mar 27, 2016 0:24:52 GMT

Time to finish off the beginning stuff today, because we are going to talk about the War of the Confederation which occurred from 1836 to 1839.

Bolivian Marshal Santa Cruz

Before we talk about the war, we'll talk about the situation in Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Chile had gained its independence from Spain in 1825, being the last Spanish colony in South America to do so. Soon after independence, a brief civil war occurred from 1829-1830. The civil war was fought between the conservative Pelucones, led by Joaquín Prieto, and the liberal Pipiolos, led by Ramón Freire. The decisive battle of the civil war was the Battle of Lircay in 1830, which won the war for the Pelucones, and put Prieto in power of Chile. Ramón Freire then went into exile in Lima, Peru. An important figure also entered Chilean politics in 1830, named Diego Portales. Portales remodeled many Chilean institutions, and made Chile more authoritarian. He became almost as powerful as Prieto himself.

Bolivia was liberated by Simon Bolivar in the mid 1820's, and was briefly the head of state of the country. He later resigned in 1826 and gave control of the country to a compatriot of his named Antonio José de Sucre. Peru then invaded Bolivia in 1828, which prompted Gran Colombia, which had troops stationed in Bolivia, to declare war on Peru. The war became a stalemate very quickly, but what was important to Peru was that the former president, José de la Mar, was deposed of in a coup led by a top general of his named Augustín Gamarra. Gamarra's government quickly made white peace with Gran Colombia. In Bolivia, chaos ensued following the Peruvian invasion in 1828, but the chaos ended following the election of Andres de Santa Cruz in 1829. Marshal Santa Cruz would rule Bolivia for ten years, and solidified his grip over the country through repression. After Santa Cruz's election, Gamarra and Santa Cruz talked of a possible union between Peru and Bolivia, both believing it was a major mistake to have been separated after independence. While the parliaments of both nations agreed on the concept of a confederation, the idea was spoiled as a result of Gamarra and Santa Cruz arguing about whether or not Peru or Bolivia should rule the confederation.

Santa Cruz got his chance to try and unite Peru and Bolivia under one flag soon after Gamarra took power. Multiple revolts occurred in Peru against Gamarra, making it difficult for him to consolidate power over the country. The new Peruvian parliament which was formed in 1933 was opposed to Gamarra, and Gamarra's term as president was over in that year as well. There wasn't time to hold a presidential election, so Peruvian general Luis Orbegoso was made the head of state. Gamarra did not recognize Orbegoso's government, and tried to overthrow him. He proved unsuccessful in doing so. Another general, Felipe Salaverry, was successful in orchestrating a coup against Orbegoso, however, and took control of the government of Peru in 1835. Orbegoso still had support of the citizens in Southern Peru, however, and asked Santa Cruz for assistance in taking down Salaverry. Santa Cruz gladly accepted, and the Bolivian military promptly invaded Peru. Salaverry was quickly defeated and executed by Orbegoso. To reward Santa Cruz for helping him, Orbegoso agreed to the formation of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. Santa Cruz was made the dictator and head of state, while Orbegoso was made the president of the province of Northern Peru. The Peru-Bolivian Confederation was proclaimed in 1836.

Diego Portales

Immediately after the formation of the Confederation, tensions rose between Chile and the PBC (Peru-Bolivian Confederation). The government of Chile was initially opposed to the PBC for multiple reasons. First of all, it upset the balance of power in the region, as a collection of weaker, mainly equally powerful states in the lower Andes was now replaced with one powerful nation. Second of all, some Chileans believed that the PBC would even try to take Chile over. And finally, and most importantly, the Chileans were afraid of the economic consequences of the Confederation. Trade power in the region was at jeopardy for Chile with the formation of the PBC.

Tensions escalated even more as 1836 progressed. The Chilean government had previously signed a trade treaty with the Salaverry government in Peru in 1835, but following Orbegoso's coup, the treaty was declared null and void. In order to make the Chileans negotiate another treaty, the Peruvians in the Confederation raised the tariff on Chilean wheat by 2400%. The Chileans then responded by raising the tariff on Peruvian sugar by 2400% as well. These tariff wars continued until the Mexican ambassador to Chile intervened and was able to avoid open conflict between the two nations.

Following the Chilean Civil War, Ramón Freire was exiled to Lima. Freire then convinced the PBC to give him a small subsidy and a frigate in order to take power away from the Prieto administration in Santiago de Chile. The Freire Expedition, as it was called, was a total failure, with the Orbegoso, Freire's frigate, being captured by the Chilean frigate Monteagudo in July of 1836. The Orbegoso was then added to the Chilean fleet. Freire, who had managed to land in the Chilean city of Ancud was quickly captured by Chilean forces. He was first exiled to the prison island of Robinson Crusoe, and then to Australia.

After the Freire Expedition, Diego Portales decided to strike back against the PBC by sending his own expedition. He gave control of a small Chilean fleet to the Spanish sailor Victorino Garrido and gave him orders to raid the Confederate fleet at the port of Callao. Garrido made a surprise attack on the port, capturing three Confederate ships: The Santa Cruz, Arequipeño, and the Peruviana.

Instead of immediately declaring war, Santa Cruz tried to negotiate with Chile. The Chilean government sent diplomat Mariano Egaña to negotiate a treaty between Chile and the Confederation. The treaty consisted of the following terms: The repaying of Peruvian debts to Chile, the limitation of the Confederate military, commercial agreements, compensation for the Freire Expedition, and the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivan Confederation. Santa Cruz agreed to all of the treaty's terms except for the dissolution of the Confederation. As a result, Chile declared war on the Confederation on December 28th, 1836. The War of the Confederation now began, and only one country in the South Andes was going to come out as the power of the region.

Top: The Battle of Yungay
Bottom: The Callao Raid

Following Chile's declaration of war, the Argentine government, led by Juan Manuel de Rosas, declared war in May of 1837, aiming to take the province of Tarija from the PBC. Following the Argentine declaration of war, France, in support of Santa Cruz's government, blockaded Buenos Aires. Despite both Chile and Argentine declaring war of the same common enemy, they never cooperated with each other for the whole war. The main reason for this was the personal dislike of Rosas by Portales and vice versa.

In Chile, public opinion was heavily against the war, and, as a result of the government's sagging support, the government imposed martial law. This immediately caused many to accuse the Prieto administration of tyranny, specifically Diego Portales, who was typically the man who was really behind the government's actions. A heated press campaign then began against Portales. Public and political opinion against Portales became so bad that he was actually captured. While reviewing troops at an army barracks in Quillota, he was captured by Colonel José Antonio Vidaurre. Vidaurre, mistakenly believing that the public would support a coup against the government, proceeded to try and take the major port city of Valparaíso with his Maipo regiment. Chilean rear admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada was able to prevent a capture of the port by defeating Vadaurre right outside of the port at the Battle of Baron. Captain Santiago Florín, the man who was in charge of Portales, had him killed after hearing of the unsuccessful coup attempt in June of 1837. The killing of Portales had a massive impact on the war, as the Chilean public mistakenly believed that Santa Cruz had orchestrated the murder of Portales, and not fellow Chileans. As a result, those who previously were against the war were now volunteering to join overnight. The assassination of Portales made the War of the Confederation a holy war, with Portales as its martyr.

The initial action of the war was at sea. The Confederate fleet, composed of three frigates, attacked the Juan Fernández garrison. They captured the garrison and freed the prisoners who were being held captive there. After freeing the prisoners, the three ships went on to raid the ports of Talcahuano, San Antonio, Huasco, and Caldera. A Chilean expedition was sent under command of Manuel Blanco Encalada. The expedition landed at Islay, in Southern Peru, in October of 1837. From there, the Chilean force marched to the city of Arequipa, where many Chilean troops died of disease on the way to the city. The expedition was unable to rally local support against the confederate government, which they had believed they would find. Wile Encalada negotiated with the local leaders in the city, Santa Cruz silently surrounded Encalada with his army while simultaneously blockading the city, completely preventing any route of escape for the Chileans. Due to being surrounded and outnumbered, Encalada signed a peace treaty with Santa Cruz. The Treaty of Paucarpata stated that the Confederation would repay Peruvian debts to the Chile, the withdrawal of Chilean troops from Confederate territory, the devolution of all captured Chilean troops, and restoration of commercial ties between both nations. Encalada then withdrew from the city with his remaining troops and returned to Valparaiso with the treaty in hand. Immediately, the Chilean government repudiated the treaty and threw Encalada in prison on charges of treason. The Chilean government then sent out five ships under command of Robert Simpson to disrupt Confederate commerce. While searching for commercial vessels, the ships encountered three Confederate ships at Islay under command of Juan José Panizo in January of 1838. The Chileans then engaged the Confederate fleet. The Confederates were able to hold out until eventually escaping under cover of darkness. Both sides claimed victory, but it was realistically a stalemate. In January of 1839, four ships of the Confederate fleet, led by Frenchman Juan Blanchet, attacked the port of Casma which had a Chilean transport fleet which was necessary to transport Chilean troops. The Confederate fleet was crushed, with Blanchet being killed in action and all four Confederate ships being sunk. The Chilean fleet had been badly battered, but the Battle of Casma virtually insured Chilean naval superiority for the rest of the war.

By mid 1838, Chile obtained naval superiority and prepared to attack on land. The Chilean Army was led by Manuel Bulnes Prieto. Despite small groups of Confederates harassing the army, the Chileans ultimately laid siege to Lima. The Chileans defeated forces loyal to Orbegoso right outside of Lima in the Battle of Portada de Guías. The Chileans occupied Lima in October of 1838, but abandoned the city in November upon hearing of an approaching Bolivian army led by Santa Cruz. They withdrew to Huacho. Once they left, Peruvian citizens were disloyal to Santa Cruz convened a congress in Lima which proclaimed General Gamarra as provisional president of Peru. Santa Cruz chased after the Chilean military, and both met at the Battle of Buin in January of 1839. The battle was a Confederate victory, resulting the Chileans turning around from their initial retreat route. This restored morale in the Confederate army. Santa Cruz then occupied the town of Yungay in order to cut provisions off from the Chileans. General Bulnes, seeing that Santa Cruz was trying to strangle his army of supplies, turned around and engaged Santa Cruz as soon as he could. The Chileans won a crushing and decisive victory, with 2,600 Confederate troops killed in action and 1,600 taken prisoner, compared with the Chilean figures of 1,300 dead and 400 injured. After the Battle of Yungay, Bulnes occupied Lima a second time. Seeing that defeat was near certain, Santa Cruz fled to Ecuador, and the War of the Confederation, and therefore the PBC itself, had ended.

On August 25th, 1839, Augustin Gamarra declared the dissolution of Peru-Bolivian Confederation and unification of the former Confederate republics of North and South Peru back into one state. Santa Cruz was first exiled to Ecuador, then Chile, and finally Europe where he died. Chilean troops withdrew from Peru and Bolivia, having seen that the Confederacy had been dissolved. The Chilean government officially recognized Gamarra's government. Gamarra still supported the idea of an united Peru and Bolivia, but one which was Peruvian dominated, and so the Peruvian military invaded Bolivia. The Peruvian army was beaten in the Battle of Ingaví in November of 1841, where Gamarra himself was killed. The Bolivian general José Ballivián mounted a counterattack against the Peruvians where he captured the Peruvian port of Arica. White peace was signed in 1842, ending the war between Peru and Bolivia.

Argentina was unsuccessful in taking Tarijia, and the French blockade of Buenos Aires had severe economic consequences on the country.

The war made Chile a military power in South America, and one to be reckoned with.

Last Edit: Mar 27, 2016 4:08:06 GMT by General William T. Sherman

FOR FREEDOM!!!!

Jean Lannes Darth Vader "None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear." Posts: 5,851	Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 27, 2016 0:26:50 GMT via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Jean Lannes on Mar 27, 2016 0:26:50 GMT You remember EU4 1837? Why does Peru get to lead the Confederation
	Duc de Montebello, Prince de Sievers

General William T. Sherman Pioneer Ran rampant through Georgia in the March to the Sea Posts: 3,495	Post Colonization South American History Lecture Mar 27, 2016 1:09:14 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by General William T. Sherman on Mar 27, 2016 1:09:14 GMT Mar 27, 2016 0:26:50 GMT Jean Lannes said: You remember EU4 1837? Why does Peru get to lead the Confederation Very easy answer: Paradox can be stupid.
	FOR FREEDOM!!!!