Bolivian War of Independence facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bolivian War of Independence |
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The Bolivian War of Independence was a long fight for freedom from Spanish rule. It started in 1809 in cities like Sucre and La Paz. These early attempts to create local governments, called juntas, were quickly stopped by the Spanish.
However, the desire for independence grew. In 1810, a new government formed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They sent armies to help free Upper Peru (which is now Bolivia). But the Spanish forces, called Royalists, managed to defeat these armies. The fight then turned into a long guerrilla war, where small groups of fighters, known as Republiquetas, kept the Royalists busy.
Finally, important leaders like Simón Bolívar and Antonio José de Sucre helped defeat the Spanish in other parts of South America. Sucre then led a campaign into Charcas (Upper Peru). The last Spanish general, Pedro Antonio Olañeta, was defeated by his own soldiers who switched sides. Bolivia officially became an independent country on August 6, 1825.
Contents
Why the War Started: Spanish Rule and Unrest
Upper Peru, known as Charcas, became part of the Spanish Empire in the 1500s. It was first ruled by the Viceroyalty of Peru. But this was too far away for good control. So, King Philip II created the Audiencia of Charcas. This was a special court and government body based in Chuquisaca. It had judges, called oidores, and a governor. The Audiencia could make big decisions if the viceroy was not available.
Chuquisaca was a major center for government and culture. It had an archbishop and an important university. The oidores often came directly from Spain. They were proud and sometimes didn't understand the local people's needs.
In 1776, Charcas was moved under the rule of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in Buenos Aires. This meant most trade went through Buenos Aires. Peru was unhappy about this because Charcas had rich silver mines in Potosí. For many years, Peru and Río de la Plata argued over who should control Charcas. On May 25, 1809, the people of Sucre started the first major uprising for independence in Bolivia.
Social Classes and Growing Discontent
The people of Bolivia were divided into different social groups. At the top were the Peninsulares. These were powerful people born in Spain who came to lead the church or government in the colonies.
Below them were the Criollos. These were people of Spanish descent born in Latin America. They were often wealthy but felt jealous of the power held by the Peninsulares. This jealousy was a big reason for the War of Independence.
Next were the Mestizos, who had mixed Spanish and Indigenous heritage. They often came about because there weren't many Spanish women in the region.
At the bottom were the largest group: the Indigenous people. They mainly spoke Aymara and Quechua. They often didn't know much about the political changes. However, they provided many fighters for both sides during the war. They were unpredictable and sometimes switched sides. They usually fought for whoever controlled their area. While they fought for different groups, they often preferred the Patriots because some Patriots had Indigenous roots. The Indigenous people's main goal was to bring back the Incan empire. They wanted a different kind of government than any of the other groups.
Everyone in Bolivia was unhappy with Spanish rule. They disliked the high taxes and strict trade rules. Indigenous rebellions had started as early as 1730. However, the different groups didn't agree on a solution. Indigenous people wanted to remove all Spaniards and create their own society. Criollos just wanted more freedom from Spain. Because of racial prejudice, these groups didn't fully unite against Spain.
Ideas for revolution spread from the university in Chuquisaca. Students wrote pamphlets against Spanish authority. They even called officials "thieves." These ideas were inspired by thinkers like Aquinas, who taught that people could rebel against a cruel ruler. There wasn't one main leader of the revolutionaries. But three important men were Jaime Zudañez, Manuel Zudañez, and Bernardo Monteagudo. They all wanted to remove the Spanish president, Ramón García León de Pizarro.
The First Uprisings of 1809
During a war in Spain called the Peninsular War, Charcas (Bolivia) watched the news closely. Spain was in chaos. News arrived that the Spanish king, Ferdinand VII, had been forced to give up his throne to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother. This caused a lot of confusion. Different groups in Spain claimed to be the rightful government. Even Princess Carlotta, the king's sister in Brazil, claimed authority over the Americas.
On November 11, 1809, a representative from one of Spain's new governments arrived in Chuquisaca. He wanted Charcas to recognize his group's authority. He also brought a letter from Princess Carlotta. The Spanish governor, Ramón García León de Pizarro, wanted to recognize the Spanish group. But the local court, the Audiencia, thought it was too soon to decide. The Audiencia was mostly made up of Peninsulares (people from Spain).
The revolutionaries supported the Audiencia's decision. They saw it as a chance for more power to go to the people in Latin America. Over time, the governor and the archbishop started to think recognizing Princess Carlotta might be best. But most people in Charcas and the Audiencia disagreed. The Audiencia wanted to keep information from Spain secret to hide their own weaknesses.
On May 26, 1809, the Audiencia heard rumors that the governor planned to arrest them. They decided that Charcas needed to take control of its own government. They removed the governor and formed their own junta (a governing council). They said they were ruling in the name of the Spanish king, just as cities in Spain were doing.
A second junta was formed in La Paz on July 16. This one was led by Criollos who took over the local army base. They removed the local governor and bishop. The La Paz junta clearly wanted to break away from Spain and even from Buenos Aires.
The Spanish Viceroy in Peru sent 5,000 soldiers led by Goyeneche. The rebels in La Paz were defeated. Their leaders were executed or sent to prison for life. The Audiencia in Chuquisaca had to beg the Royalists for mercy to save their city. This rebellion was stopped, but the desire for freedom remained strong. After Buenos Aires successfully formed its own junta in May 1810, Charcas came under the control of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It managed to fight off several attempts by Argentina to take it over.
The Peninsulares were divided on what kind of government was best. This confusion allowed other groups to take action. The Criollos were excited about the split between the governor and the Audiencia. They saw it as a chance to gain the power they always wanted. Some Criollos wanted full independence. Others, called Radicals, wanted independence to bring about deeper social changes. The middle-class Criollos and Mestizos didn't lead, but they watched everything closely.
The Republiquetas: Guerrilla Fighters
From 1810 to 1824, the idea of independence was kept alive by six guerrilla groups. These groups formed in the countryside of Charcas. The areas they controlled were called republiquetas, meaning "small republics." These republiquetas were found in places like Lake Titicaca, Mizque, and around Sucre.
They were led by strong leaders called caudillos. These leaders gained power through their personality and military wins. They created small, almost independent states. They attracted many different followers, from political exiles to cattle thieves. These Criollo and Mestizo republiquetas often worked with local Indigenous communities. However, it was hard to keep the Indigenous people loyal. Their own interests sometimes mattered more than the idea of regional independence.
The republiquetas were never big or organized enough to win independence on their own. But they kept the Spanish Royalists busy for fifteen years. They also stopped Buenos Aires from taking control of the area. Most of these small states were so isolated that they didn't even know the others existed.
During this time, Argentina gained its independence on May 25, 1810. Since Charcas was part of the same Spanish region, Argentina wanted to free Charcas too. The people of Charcas supported this with their own uprisings. Argentina sent three armies to Charcas between 1810 and 1817.
The first army was led by Juan José Castelli. After a victory at Suipacha, he arrested several Spanish officials. The local people protested because these officials were respected, even if they were on the other side. Castelli ignored them and executed the officials. His army also looted and mistreated the citizens of Potosí. Castelli moved from city to city, freeing people but also causing destruction. He tried to make reforms to help the Indigenous people.
Castelli eventually reached the border of the Viceroyalty of Lima. He made a treaty with Goyeneche but didn't respect it and kept expanding. So, on June 20, 1811, Goyeneche attacked Castelli's army at Huaqui. Castelli's army had to flee back to Argentina. They avoided some cities because the people wanted revenge for the trouble they had caused. Goyeneche didn't chase them but instead helped the wounded. Castelli was eventually forced out of the country, and the Royalists regained control. Two more Argentinian armies followed but were also defeated.
Bolivia Becomes Independent
Meanwhile, Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín were working to free other parts of South America. San Martín, from Argentina, had freed Chile and then moved to Peru. He believed that to defeat Spain, they had to defeat the Royalists in Peru. Since Charcas was under Peru's rule, freeing Peru would also free Charcas.
San Martín took over Lima in July 1821 and declared Peru's independence. But he faced strong resistance from the Royalists. His army also suffered from disease and soldiers leaving. San Martín had to ask Bolívar for help. Bolívar and San Martín met, but they couldn't agree on how the new countries should be governed. San Martín returned to Peru, but faced a revolution in Lima. Disappointed, he resigned. Bolívar was determined to remove the Spanish from the continent. He arrived in Lima on September 1, 1823, and took command.
The fight for independence got a big boost after the Battle of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824. In this battle, an army of soldiers from Gran Colombia and Peru, led by Antonio José de Sucre, defeated the main Royalist army. They also captured its leader, Viceroy José de la Serna.
However, some Royalist forces remained. There was a stronghold at El Callao and General Olañeta's army in Charcas. The force at El Callao was easily defeated. But Olañeta's army was harder to beat. There were rumors that Olañeta planned to give Charcas to Brazil in 1824 to keep it under Spanish control. He asked Brazil for an army, but Brazil refused to get involved.
Bolívar and San Martín wanted to make a deal with Olañeta because he had helped them in the Battle of Ayacucho. But Sucre, Bolívar's best general, didn't trust Olañeta. So, Sucre began to occupy Charcas. He prepared to either convince Olañeta to surrender or defeat him by force. Bolívar thought Olañeta would take a long time to decide. But Olañeta planned one more surprise attack.
Sucre invited the people of Charcas to join him. In January 1825, many of Olañeta's soldiers left him and joined Sucre. By March 9, Sucre had captured every Royalist general except Olañeta. But Olañeta still refused to give up. Finally, on April 13, some of Olañeta's own forces turned against him. Olañeta was badly wounded in the fight and died. At last, Spain had lost its hold on South America. The final battles were fought in Charcas.
Marshal Sucre called La Paz "the cradle of American Independence." This was because La Paz was one of the first places where people died fighting for independence. Now, decades later, the last Spanish forces were defeated there. The remaining Royalist soldiers gave up or deserted.
On April 25, 1825, Sucre arrived in Chuquisaca, which had been the center of Spanish power. The citizens celebrated, gathering along the road. The town council, church leaders, and university students all came out to greet Sucre. People even prepared a special chariot pulled by twelve young women to bring Sucre into the city.
Sucre called a meeting on July 10 in Chuquisaca to decide the future of Charcas. There were three choices: join Argentina, join Peru, or become independent. Bolívar wanted Charcas to join Peru. However, the council voted to become an independent nation. Even though not everyone voted for it, they all signed the declaration of independence on August 6, 1825.
Bolivia was named after Bolívar. Some historians say this was to make Bolívar happy, as he wanted Charcas to join Peru. The people still celebrate Bolívar's birthday as a national holiday. Bolívar was president for five months. During this time, he lowered taxes and changed land rules to help Indigenous people. He left Sucre as president when he returned to govern the North. Sucre tried to reduce taxes for Indigenous people, but this plan failed. Without those taxes, he couldn't support the army that stopped Argentinians from invading Bolivia again. So, the tax system stayed in place.
After a while, local leaders in Bolivia's congress didn't like having a Gran Colombian army in their country. After someone tried to attack him, Sucre resigned in April 1828 and went back to Venezuela. The Bolivian Congress chose Andrés de Santa Cruz as the new president. Santa Cruz had been a Spanish officer, then served under San Martín and Sucre. He was also briefly president of Peru. Santa Cruz arrived in Bolivia in May 1829 and took office.
Independence did not immediately bring stability to Bolivia. For the next sixty years, the country had weak and short-lived governments.
See also
In Spanish: Guerra de la Independencia de Bolivia para niños
- Contemporary Bolivian history
- History of Bolivia
- List of wars involving Bolivia
- Military career of Simón Bolívar
- Peru-Bolivian Confederation, 1836–1839
- Spanish American wars of independence
- Chuquisaca Revolution
