Argentina-Brazil War
Encyclopedia
The Cisplatine War or the Argentine–Brazilian War was an armed conflict over an area known as Banda Oriental
or "Eastern Shore" (roughly present-day Uruguay
) in the 1820s between the United Provinces of River Plate and the Empire of Brazil in the aftermath of the United Provinces' emancipation from Spain.
, the region theretofore known as the Eastern Bank
, in the River Plate basin, revolted against Spanish rule in 1811, against the backdrop of the 1810 May Revolution
in Buenos Aires
and the regional rebellions that followed in response to Buenos Aires' pretense of primacy over other regions of the viceroyalty. In the same context, the Portuguese Empire
, then hosted in Rio de Janeiro
, took measures to solidify its hold on Rio Grande do Sul
and to annex the region of the former Eastern Jesuit Missions
.
From 1814 on, the Eastern Province joined forces with the provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Rios in a loose confederation called the Federal League
, which resisted Buenos Aires authority. After a series of banditry incidents in territory claimed by the Portuguese Empire, in Rio Grande do Sul, Portugal invaded the Eastern Bank in 1816.
Artigas
was finally defeated by the Luso-Brazilian troops in 1820 at the Battle of Tacuarembó
. The Portuguese Empire (formally the United Kingdom of Brazil, Portugal and Algarves since 1815) then formally annexed the Eastern Bank, under the name Cisplatine Province
, with support from local elites. With the annexation, the Portuguese Empire now enjoyed strategic access to River Plate
and control of the estuary's main port, Montevideo
.
After Brazilian independence, in 1822, the Cisplatine province
became part of the Empire of Brazil. It sent delegates to the 1823 Constitutional Convention and, under the 1824 Constitution, enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy, more so than other provinces of the Empire.
While initially welcoming Portuguese intervention in the rogue Eastern province, the United Provinces of River Plate eventually urged the local populace to rise up against Brazilian authority, giving them political and material support with a view to reestablishing sovereignty over the region.
Rebels led by Fructuoso Rivera
and Juan Antonio Lavalleja
carried on resistance against Brazilian rule. In 1825, a Congress of delegates from all over the Eastern Bank met in La Florida
and declared independence from Brazil, while reaffirming its allegiance to the United Provinces of River Plate. In response, Brazil declared war on the United Provinces.
Brazilian Emperor Pedro I ordered his fleet to block the River Plate and its two main ports, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The Argentina fleet moved south, first to Ensenada
and then to distant Carmen de Patagones
on the Atlantic Ocean. The Brazilian fleet attempted to take Carmen de Patagones in 1827 and thus tighten its blockade over Argentina, but Brazilian troops were eventually repelled by local civilians.
On land, the Argentine army crossed the River Plate and established its headquarters near the Uruguayan town on Durazno
. General Carlos María de Alvear
invaded Brazilian territory and a series of skirmishes followed. Emperor Pedro I planned a counteroffensive by late 1826, and managed to gather a small army mainly composed of Southern Brazil voluntaries and European mercenaries. The recruiting effort was hampered by local rebellions throughout Brazil, which forced the Emperor to relinquish direct command of his Army, return to Rio de Janeiro and bestow command of the troops on Felisberto Caldeira Brant, Marquis of Barbacena
. The Brazilian counteroffensive was eventually stopped at the inconclusive Battle of Ituzaingó
. While Brazilian troops were prevented from marching on to Buenos Aires, Argentine troops no longer managed to operate in Brazilian territory.
Ituzaingó was the only battle of some magnitude in the whole war. A series of smaller clashes ensued, including the Battle of Sarandí, and the naval Battles of Juncal
and Monte Santiago
. Scarcity of volunteers severely hampered Brazilian response, and by 1828 the war effort had become extremely burdensome and increasingly unpopular in Brazil. That year, Rivera reconquered the territory of the former Eastern Jesuit Missions.
, the latter pressed the two belligerent parties to engage in peace negotiations in Rio de Janeiro. Under British and French mediation, the United Provinces of River Plate and the Empire of Brazil signed the 1828 Treaty of Montevideo
, which acknowledged the independence of the Cisplatine Province under the name Eastern Republic of Uruguay
.
The treaty also granted Brazil sovereignty over the eastern section of the former Eastern Jesuit Missions and, most importantly, guaranteed free navigation of the River Plate – a central national security issue for the Brazilians, but also an issue of great interest to the United Kingdom.
In Brazil, the loss of the Cisplatine Province added to growing discontent with Emperor Pedro I. Although it was far from the main reason, it was a factor that led to his abdication in 1831.
, as none of the belligerents fought to establish an independent nation, it has a similar recognition within Uruguay. The Thirty-Three Orientals
are acknowledged as national heroes, who freed Uruguay from Brazilian presence. The landing of the Thirty-Three Orientals is also known as the "Liberation crusade".
The war has a similar good reception within Argentina, considered as a brave fight against an enemy of superior forces. The Argentine Navy
kept naming many ships after the ships involved in the war, or people or events from it. William Brown
(known as "Guillermo Brown" in Argentina) is considered the father of the Argentine navy, and treated like an epic hero for his actions in the war. He is also known as the "Nelson
of the Río de la Plata".
On the contrary, Brazil has little interest in the war, beyond a claque of naval warfare fans. Few Brazilian historians have examined it in detail. The national heroes of Brazil are instead from the Brazilian independence, the conflicts with Rosas or the War of the Triple Alliance.
Despite the role of Britain in the war, and the presence of British naval people on both sides of the conflict, the war is largely unknown in the English-speaking world.
Banda Oriental
The Banda Oriental del Uruguay was the South American territory east of the Uruguay River and north of the Río de la Plata, coinciding approximately with the modern nation of Uruguay, the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul and some parts of Santa Catarina...
or "Eastern Shore" (roughly present-day Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
) in the 1820s between the United Provinces of River Plate and the Empire of Brazil in the aftermath of the United Provinces' emancipation from Spain.
Background
Led by José Gervasio ArtigasJosé Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas is a national hero of Uruguay, sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan nationhood".-Early life:Artigas was born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764...
, the region theretofore known as the Eastern Bank
Banda Oriental
The Banda Oriental del Uruguay was the South American territory east of the Uruguay River and north of the Río de la Plata, coinciding approximately with the modern nation of Uruguay, the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul and some parts of Santa Catarina...
, in the River Plate basin, revolted against Spanish rule in 1811, against the backdrop of the 1810 May Revolution
May Revolution
The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and the regional rebellions that followed in response to Buenos Aires' pretense of primacy over other regions of the viceroyalty. In the same context, the Portuguese Empire
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
, then hosted in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, took measures to solidify its hold on Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
and to annex the region of the former Eastern Jesuit Missions
Misiones Orientales
The Misiones Orientales or Sete Povos das Missões are a historic region in South America, in present-day Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost State of Brazil....
.
From 1814 on, the Eastern Province joined forces with the provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Rios in a loose confederation called the Federal League
Liga Federal
The Federal League or League of Free Peoples was a confederal state based around Montevideo from 1815 to 1820...
, which resisted Buenos Aires authority. After a series of banditry incidents in territory claimed by the Portuguese Empire, in Rio Grande do Sul, Portugal invaded the Eastern Bank in 1816.
Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas is a national hero of Uruguay, sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan nationhood".-Early life:Artigas was born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764...
was finally defeated by the Luso-Brazilian troops in 1820 at the Battle of Tacuarembó
Battle of Tacuarembó
The Battle of Tacuarembó was a battle between the Portuguese forces under the Count of Figueira, José de Castelo Branco Correia, and the Artiguist forces of Andrés Latorre in Tacuarembó, modern-day Uruguay....
. The Portuguese Empire (formally the United Kingdom of Brazil, Portugal and Algarves since 1815) then formally annexed the Eastern Bank, under the name Cisplatine Province
Cisplatina
The Cisplatina Province was a Portuguese and later a Brazilian province in existence from 1815 to 1828...
, with support from local elites. With the annexation, the Portuguese Empire now enjoyed strategic access to River Plate
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
and control of the estuary's main port, Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
.
After Brazilian independence, in 1822, the Cisplatine province
Cisplatina
The Cisplatina Province was a Portuguese and later a Brazilian province in existence from 1815 to 1828...
became part of the Empire of Brazil. It sent delegates to the 1823 Constitutional Convention and, under the 1824 Constitution, enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy, more so than other provinces of the Empire.
Conflict
Rebels led by Fructuoso Rivera
Fructuoso Rivera
José Fructuoso Rivera y Toscana was an Uruguayan general and patriot who assisted in the efforts to force Brazilians out of the Banda Oriental.-Founder of Colorado Party and President of Uruguay:...
and Juan Antonio Lavalleja
Juan Antonio Lavalleja
Juan Antonio Lavalleja was an Uruguayan revolutionary and political figure. Today's Lavalleja Department is named after him.-Pre-Independence role:...
carried on resistance against Brazilian rule. In 1825, a Congress of delegates from all over the Eastern Bank met in La Florida
Florida, Uruguay
Florida is the capital of Florida Department of Uruguay. It is located on Route 5, around north of Montevideo. The stream Arroyo Santa Lucía Chico flows along the east and south limits of the city...
and declared independence from Brazil, while reaffirming its allegiance to the United Provinces of River Plate. In response, Brazil declared war on the United Provinces.
Brazilian Emperor Pedro I ordered his fleet to block the River Plate and its two main ports, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The Argentina fleet moved south, first to Ensenada
Ensenada, Buenos Aires
Ensenada is a city and port in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, located around the Ensenada de Barragán. It has 31,031 inhabitants as per the...
and then to distant Carmen de Patagones
Carmen de Patagones
- Geography :It is located 937 km from the city of Buenos Aires, on the north bank of the Río Negro , near the Atlantic Ocean, and opposite Viedma, capital of the province of Río Negro...
on the Atlantic Ocean. The Brazilian fleet attempted to take Carmen de Patagones in 1827 and thus tighten its blockade over Argentina, but Brazilian troops were eventually repelled by local civilians.
On land, the Argentine army crossed the River Plate and established its headquarters near the Uruguayan town on Durazno
Durazno
Durazno is the capital of Durazno in Uruguay. It is located at the intersection of Routes 5 and 41, in the south of the department, close to the borders with the departments of Flores to the southwest and Florida| to the southeast. It is only northeast of the city of Trinidad, capital of Flores...
. General Carlos María de Alvear
Carlos María de Alvear
Carlos María de Alvear was an Argentine soldier and statesman, Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in 1815....
invaded Brazilian territory and a series of skirmishes followed. Emperor Pedro I planned a counteroffensive by late 1826, and managed to gather a small army mainly composed of Southern Brazil voluntaries and European mercenaries. The recruiting effort was hampered by local rebellions throughout Brazil, which forced the Emperor to relinquish direct command of his Army, return to Rio de Janeiro and bestow command of the troops on Felisberto Caldeira Brant, Marquis of Barbacena
Felisberto Caldeira Brant, Marquis of Barbacena
Felisberto Caldeira Brant Pontes de Oliveira Horta, the Marquis of Barbacena was a soldier and statesman of both Portugal and the Empire of Brazil.- Life :...
. The Brazilian counteroffensive was eventually stopped at the inconclusive Battle of Ituzaingó
Battle of Ituzaingó
The Battle of Ituzaingó was fought in vicinity of Santa Maria river, in a valley of small hills where a stream divided the valley in two....
. While Brazilian troops were prevented from marching on to Buenos Aires, Argentine troops no longer managed to operate in Brazilian territory.
Ituzaingó was the only battle of some magnitude in the whole war. A series of smaller clashes ensued, including the Battle of Sarandí, and the naval Battles of Juncal
Battle of Juncal
The naval Battle of Juncal took place between a squadron of the newly independent United Provinces of the River Plate under command of William Brown and a squadron belonging to the Brazilian Empire, commanded by Sena Pereira...
and Monte Santiago
Battle of Monte Santiago
The naval Battle of Monte Santiago was an important naval encounter during the Argentina-Brazil War .While many of them were inconclusive, this battle proved to be a major loss for the Argentine Navy, and an important strategic victory for the Brazilian Navy...
. Scarcity of volunteers severely hampered Brazilian response, and by 1828 the war effort had become extremely burdensome and increasingly unpopular in Brazil. That year, Rivera reconquered the territory of the former Eastern Jesuit Missions.
Aftermath
Given the high cost of the war for both sides and the burdens it imposed on trade between the United Provinces and the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the latter pressed the two belligerent parties to engage in peace negotiations in Rio de Janeiro. Under British and French mediation, the United Provinces of River Plate and the Empire of Brazil signed the 1828 Treaty of Montevideo
1828 Treaty of Montevideo
Treaty of Montevideo : In a treaty signed on August 27, 1828, after British mediation, Brazil and Argentina recognized the independence of Uruguay....
, which acknowledged the independence of the Cisplatine Province under the name Eastern Republic of Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
The treaty also granted Brazil sovereignty over the eastern section of the former Eastern Jesuit Missions and, most importantly, guaranteed free navigation of the River Plate – a central national security issue for the Brazilians, but also an issue of great interest to the United Kingdom.
In Brazil, the loss of the Cisplatine Province added to growing discontent with Emperor Pedro I. Although it was far from the main reason, it was a factor that led to his abdication in 1831.
Legacy
Although the war was not a war of independenceWar of Independence
A war of independence is a conflict occurring over a territory that has declared independence. Once the state that previously held the territory sends in military forces to assert its sovereignty or the native population clashes with the former occupier, a separatist rebellion has begun...
, as none of the belligerents fought to establish an independent nation, it has a similar recognition within Uruguay. The Thirty-Three Orientals
Thirty-Three Orientals
The Treinta y Tres Orientales was a militant revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja against the Empire of Brazil. Their actions culminated in the foundation of modern Uruguay...
are acknowledged as national heroes, who freed Uruguay from Brazilian presence. The landing of the Thirty-Three Orientals is also known as the "Liberation crusade".
The war has a similar good reception within Argentina, considered as a brave fight against an enemy of superior forces. The Argentine Navy
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
kept naming many ships after the ships involved in the war, or people or events from it. William Brown
William Brown (admiral)
Admiral William Brown was an Irish-born Argentine Admiral. Brown's victories in the Independence War, the Argentina-Brazil War, and the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata earned the respect and appreciation of the Argentine people, and today he is regarded as one of Argentina's national...
(known as "Guillermo Brown" in Argentina) is considered the father of the Argentine navy, and treated like an epic hero for his actions in the war. He is also known as the "Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
of the Río de la Plata".
On the contrary, Brazil has little interest in the war, beyond a claque of naval warfare fans. Few Brazilian historians have examined it in detail. The national heroes of Brazil are instead from the Brazilian independence, the conflicts with Rosas or the War of the Triple Alliance.
Despite the role of Britain in the war, and the presence of British naval people on both sides of the conflict, the war is largely unknown in the English-speaking world.
See also
- Argentina–Brazil relations
- List of wars involving Brazil
- List of wars involving Argentina