Junta (Spanish American Independence) facts for kids
A Junta (pronounced HOON-tah) was a special type of self-government that formed in Spanish America during the time of the Spanish American wars of independence. These juntas were created as a patriotic way to govern themselves, instead of being ruled directly by the central government in Spain.
Juntas usually started in cities. They often grew out of existing city councils, called ayuntamientos, with other important people from the community joining in.
Why Juntas Formed
Juntas appeared in Spanish America because Spain was in a big political crisis. The king, Ferdinand VII, was kidnapped by Napoleon Bonaparte and forced to give up his throne. Napoleon then invaded Spain.
People in Spanish America reacted much like the Spanish people in Europe. They used an old law that said if there was no rightful king, power would go back to the people. This idea is called the retroversion of the sovereignty to the people.
Once this idea of power belonging to the people was accepted across the Spanish Empire, a conflict began. Some people wanted to stay united with Spain, while others wanted full independence.
The Spanish government declared these new juntas illegal. They completely denied that the juntas had any right to exist. Spain fought to keep its monarchy whole.
The juntas in the Americas did not accept the European governments. They didn't accept the government Napoleon set up in Spain. They also didn't accept the Spanish governments that formed to fight Napoleon, like the one in Cadiz. They even rejected the Spanish Constitution of 1812.
Most Spanish Americans still wanted to keep Ferdinand VII as their king, but they didn't want him to rule as an absolute monarch (a king with total power). In the end, ideas for a republic (like those from Simón Bolívar) became more popular than ideas for a Constitutional monarchy (like those from José de San Martín).
Timeline of Important Juntas
See also
In Spanish: Juntas de Gobierno de Hispanoamérica para niños
- Junta (Peninsular War)
- Retroversion of the sovereignty to the people
- Spanish colonization of the Americas
