Retroversion of the sovereignty to the people facts for kids
The Retroversion of the sovereignty to the people was a big idea that helped start the Spanish American Independence movements. It meant that if a king wasn't in charge, the power (sovereignty) would go back to the people. This idea challenged the power of the colonial authorities at the time.
Later, this idea changed into what we call popular sovereignty. This is the idea we use today in most countries. It means the people are the true source of power, and they choose their leaders to govern for them. But the power always stays with the people.
How the Idea Developed
In 1808, something big happened in Spain. The Spanish King, Ferdinand VII, was captured by Napoleon's army. Napoleon then put his own brother, Joseph Bonaparte, on the throne.
When the king was gone, people in Spain started forming their own local governments called Juntas. They did this because an old law, the Seven-Part Code, said that "good and honest" people could form groups to govern if the king was absent. These Juntas claimed they had the right to rule because the real king wasn't there.
Power Returns to the People
In 1810, the main governing Junta in Spain broke apart. This made people in Spanish America think: if the central government in Spain was gone, then they had the right to choose their own leaders too! They brought back a tradition called the open cabildo, which was a public meeting where important decisions were made.
The old Seven-Part Code suggested that these Juntas were only a temporary fix and that the land still belonged to the king. But the idea of "retroversion of sovereignty" added a new twist. It said that if the king was truly gone, then the power didn't just go to temporary Juntas; it actually returned to the people. This meant the people had the right to reject the king's authority and choose new leaders for good.
America's Special Status
This idea was also based on the belief that the Spanish lands in America were not just regular colonies of Spain. Instead, they were seen as the king of Spain's personal property. Only the king could rule them, either directly or through his appointed viceroys. This is why Spain and Spanish America often had different laws. Some thinkers even said they were like two different kingdoms, just united under one king.
When King Ferdinand VII was kidnapped and imprisoned by Napoleon, the people in Spain used the "retroversion" idea to justify governing themselves. But the Juntas in Spain had no right to send new viceroys to America. This meant that people in America had the same rights as people in Spain to govern themselves while their true king was missing.
This powerful idea was used by many independence movements in South America, like the Chuquisaca Revolution and the May Revolution. The new governments in America also believed in consentimiento, which means "consent" or "agreement." They felt they could reject any decision that was made without their agreement.
See also
In Spanish: Retroversión de la soberanía de los pueblos para niños
