Chapter 1: The Fall of Buenos Aires
The Spanish Empire was the largest Empire the world had ever seen. With territories in five continents, it was truly the Empire where the Sun never set. However, it was not destined to last forever. The change from the 18th to the 19th Centuries was a violent one. The French Revolution and the Coalition Wars changed Europe forever, and Spain with it.
Spain was at first an enemy of the French, opposed to the Revolutionary Ideas that Paris intended to spread over the Continent. However, with the Treaty of San Ildefonso, Spain was forced to switch sides and ally with the French Revolutionaries. This put Spain as the enemy of a very powerful country: the Kingdom of Great Britain.
The British Empire was certainly not as big or powerful as the Spanish had been. In 1776, they lost their primary colony, the Thirteen American Colonies, after tariffs were raised to help rebuild Great Britain after the Seven Years’ War (known in the colonies as the French and Indian War). The Colonies were firmly against these tariffs and rebelled, with the war of Independence lasting from 1775 to 1783. This was a major blow to the British path to Global Imperialism, but things would soon change. The Industrial Revolution started in Britain, and made its economy flourish. However, their new industrial economy needed raw materials, something the the Canadian colony or the Indian Company couldn’t contribute with in large amounts. Great Britain saw itself forced to buy materials, and the best place to buy them was the American Colonies of other European Powers. However, Spain, which was the country with the most colonies, was pretty strict with their colonial policies: No trade with any country other than Spain. This, combined with the Spanish focus on precious metals rather than animal or plant production, harmed both the interests of the colonial merchants and the British economy. Even with the wars in Europe, Spain refused to open the markets.
In 1805, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland decided to put in motion old plans to invade the Spanish Colonies in South America, after having its market severely damaged by the French Blockade of Mainland Europe, seeking to find new places to buy materials from and sell products to. The invasion was helped by the British capture of the Cape Colony from the Dutch, as the South African colony served as a “refuel stop” for the British.
The next year, the invasion took place. The British Fleet set sail from Cape Town towards Buenos Aires. Despite the time they took between arriving to South America and actually invading Buenos Aires, they were able to overrun the City rather quickly At first the resistance was fierce, but after the Viceroy fled to Montevideo and many royalist troops evacuated the city, resistance fell down.
Viceroy Rafael de Sobremonte
But it was one thing which ended up deciding the fate of the city. The British had the order of immediately opening the market upon taking control, and soon they did. Buenos Aires was allowed, for the first time, to trade with the British and Portuguese. With the British Fleet protecting them, ships soon sailed towards Great Britain, Portugal and Brasil. Merchants soon convinced the population of the goods of the free market, and, although bitterly, they accepted British occupation. Many expected the occupation to be temporary anyway, and that when the war ended, Spain would retake Buenos Aires.
With Buenos Aires secured, the British moved on to the next problem: Montevideo. The city was now the Provisional Capital of the Viceroyalty, and where the Viceroy had fled during the invasion. The British planned an invasion to the Banda Oriental with the help of locals who knew the city and its surroundings. When the plan was executed, the local population of Montevideo already knew about the wonders of the free trade set by the British, and so resistance was smaller than in Buenos Aires. The Viceroy was captured and put in prison by the British. The Viceroyalty was now effectively in a power vacuum.
Spain was at first an enemy of the French, opposed to the Revolutionary Ideas that Paris intended to spread over the Continent. However, with the Treaty of San Ildefonso, Spain was forced to switch sides and ally with the French Revolutionaries. This put Spain as the enemy of a very powerful country: the Kingdom of Great Britain.
The British Empire was certainly not as big or powerful as the Spanish had been. In 1776, they lost their primary colony, the Thirteen American Colonies, after tariffs were raised to help rebuild Great Britain after the Seven Years’ War (known in the colonies as the French and Indian War). The Colonies were firmly against these tariffs and rebelled, with the war of Independence lasting from 1775 to 1783. This was a major blow to the British path to Global Imperialism, but things would soon change. The Industrial Revolution started in Britain, and made its economy flourish. However, their new industrial economy needed raw materials, something the the Canadian colony or the Indian Company couldn’t contribute with in large amounts. Great Britain saw itself forced to buy materials, and the best place to buy them was the American Colonies of other European Powers. However, Spain, which was the country with the most colonies, was pretty strict with their colonial policies: No trade with any country other than Spain. This, combined with the Spanish focus on precious metals rather than animal or plant production, harmed both the interests of the colonial merchants and the British economy. Even with the wars in Europe, Spain refused to open the markets.
In 1805, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland decided to put in motion old plans to invade the Spanish Colonies in South America, after having its market severely damaged by the French Blockade of Mainland Europe, seeking to find new places to buy materials from and sell products to. The invasion was helped by the British capture of the Cape Colony from the Dutch, as the South African colony served as a “refuel stop” for the British.
The next year, the invasion took place. The British Fleet set sail from Cape Town towards Buenos Aires. Despite the time they took between arriving to South America and actually invading Buenos Aires, they were able to overrun the City rather quickly At first the resistance was fierce, but after the Viceroy fled to Montevideo and many royalist troops evacuated the city, resistance fell down.
Viceroy Rafael de Sobremonte
But it was one thing which ended up deciding the fate of the city. The British had the order of immediately opening the market upon taking control, and soon they did. Buenos Aires was allowed, for the first time, to trade with the British and Portuguese. With the British Fleet protecting them, ships soon sailed towards Great Britain, Portugal and Brasil. Merchants soon convinced the population of the goods of the free market, and, although bitterly, they accepted British occupation. Many expected the occupation to be temporary anyway, and that when the war ended, Spain would retake Buenos Aires.
With Buenos Aires secured, the British moved on to the next problem: Montevideo. The city was now the Provisional Capital of the Viceroyalty, and where the Viceroy had fled during the invasion. The British planned an invasion to the Banda Oriental with the help of locals who knew the city and its surroundings. When the plan was executed, the local population of Montevideo already knew about the wonders of the free trade set by the British, and so resistance was smaller than in Buenos Aires. The Viceroy was captured and put in prison by the British. The Viceroyalty was now effectively in a power vacuum.
