Question: Experience of Spanish Empire Loyalists compared to British Empire Loyalists?

raharris1973

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We all know something of the saga of the United Empire Loyalists, who had a high rate of exile [proportionately greater I have read than the exiles from France in its revolutionary era] and the UELs became major founder populations in Ontario/Upper Canada and the Canadian Maritimes, while others moved to Britain or the West Indies, while others stayed in place. [And the Floridas I suppose were a temporary, wartime refuge they departed from after 1783]

How did the experience of those loyal to Spain and Portugal during Latin America's wars of independence compare and contrast with the British UEL experience?

Did more stay in place or back to the Iberian mother countries themselves? If expatrated, did Spanish Empire Loyalists cluster in other overseas Spanish possessions like the Philippines or Canaries? Did many Portuguese loyal to the metropolis rather than the empire of Brazil move out? If so, to Portugal itself, or to Portugal's other overseas possessions in the Atlantic, Africa and Asia?
 
The independence progress of the Spanish south American colonies was a long and drawn bloody one since 1809 up to the last battles in 1826. The Spanish population was divided in two: criollos, the ones born of Spanish blood in the colonies who mostly stayed and formed the new elites and peninsulares, the ones that came from Spain and mostly fought for the royal armies.

At the end of the many colonies independence most of the peninsulares fled to either Spain but a few went to the remaining Spanish colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. This was enforced by the exile laws proclaimed by the new independent governments.
 

raharris1973

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So there were not many loyal criollos? In Anglo-America there were some local American-born criollos. What about mestizos, Amerindians and African descendants who had sided with metropolitan Spain during the struggles, what became of them?
 
We all know something of the saga of the United Empire Loyalists, who had a high rate of exile [proportionately greater I have read than the exiles from France in its revolutionary era] and the UELs became major founder populations in Ontario/Upper Canada and the Canadian Maritimes, while others moved to Britain or the West Indies, while others stayed in place. [And the Floridas I suppose were a temporary, wartime refuge they departed from after 1783]

How did the experience of those loyal to Spain and Portugal during Latin America's wars of independence compare and contrast with the British UEL experience?

Did more stay in place or back to the Iberian mother countries themselves? If expatrated, did Spanish Empire Loyalists cluster in other overseas Spanish possessions like the Philippines or Canaries? Did many Portuguese loyal to the metropolis rather than the empire of Brazil move out? If so, to Portugal itself, or to Portugal's other overseas possessions in the Atlantic, Africa and Asia?

For Brazil, the independence was almost a velvet divorce of sorts, as the Crown Prince and much of the ruling elite of Brazil was Portuguese-born. Unlike in the Spanish colonies, the distinction between those born in Portugal and those born in America was not very strong. As a result, Brazil ended up with a Portuguese-born emperor, and Portugal with a Brazilian born queen. The fact that Brazil had received a proportionately larger number of immigrants from Brazil during the 18th century and continued to do so throughout the 19th century, meant that by and large Portuguese people in Brazil were seen as Brazilian or at the very least as "not foreign". The same could be said for Portugal, where there had long been a number of Brazilian-born and other "colonials" occupying posts in the civil administration and armed forces in Portugal and the overseas provinces. As a result, when independence came, there were some battles, but the effort made by Portugal to reconquer Brazil was weak, and the new Empire was formally recognised in May 1825. The King of Portugal recognised his son as Emperor of Brazil, and that was the end of it. Even today, Portuguese Citizens in Brazil (and Brazilians Citizens in Portugal) are recognised in the respective constitutions as having a special status in one another's countries, allowing them to enjoy the full rights and privileges that nationals do, being allowed to run for office even (with the exception of the right to run for president).
 
So there were not many loyal criollos? In Anglo-America there were some local American-born criollos. What about mestizos, Amerindians and African descendants who had sided with metropolitan Spain during the struggles, what became of them?

There were some criollos loyal to the Spanish crown during independence, most were either on the fence or pro-independence after the first battles. Very few of them were punished, exiled or fled after independence, most seeked a new modus vivendi with the new governments which were after all formed by criollos like them, class consciousness was very strong in the former Spanish colonies and most criollos closed ranks to defend their privileges even against the new governments.

Mestizos loyal to the Spanish crown were mostly part of the Spanish armies and deserted, fled with the remaining military units or returned to their homes after the wars, if outside of the army they were either punished or ignored.

African and Amerindians were serfs in all but name, tied to the lands in which they worked, so once the peninsulares owners were exiled they become the quasi-property of the new land owners, mostly local or foreign criollos rewarded for service in the independence wars.
 
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