Cisplatin War

The “Cisplatin War ” or “Guerra del Brasil ” (as it is known outside Brazil) was an armed confrontation that took place between 1825 and 1828, involving the Empire of Brazil, the United Provinces of Rio da Prata and the inhabitants of the Cisplatina Province for regional control of the current Uruguay .

With the exception of the battles of Sarandi (October 1825) and Passo do Rosário (January 1827), in which the imperial forces were defeated, most of the battles were skirmishes without great results.

Main Causes and Consequences

Officially, Dom Pedro I claimed that those territories belonged to his mother, Carlota Joaquina, sister of King Ferdinand VII of Spain. However, the locals disputed this claim.

In addition, a good part of the Andean silver was drained through the estuary of the Rio de la Plata, which, in addition to economic interests, would be a solution to strengthen the authority of Emperor Dom Pedro I. However, the enormous financial losses and the Brazilian economy ended up further weaken your image.

Finally, neither the Empire of Brazil nor the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata took possession of the Province of Cisplatina, as this territory became independent at the end of the conflict, forming the Province of Oriental del Río de la Plata, present-day Uruguay. .

To learn more:Brazil Empire

Key Features

From the outset, it is worth mentioning the difficulty between belligerent nations in constituting national armies to fight in the conflict, especially in the case of Brazil, given that the imperial government decreed the forced recruitment to serve in the army and hired foreign mercenaries for the war.

The imperial forces had around 10,000 men spread across the Province, most of whom were recruited locally and had no military training. Meanwhile, the forces of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (provinces of the Spanish viceroyalty that formed Argentina) began the attacks with an army of just over 800 men, under the command of Juan de las Heras, governor of the Province of Buenos Aires. However, the Uruguayan population massively adhered to the United Provinces, strengthening its army and making it comparable to the Brazilian army.

On the other hand, the Brazilian Navy was much superior. Formed by about 3,000 sailors (1,200 English, Irish and North American mercenaries), the imperial fleet was made up of eighteen brigs, six frigates, and more than twenty-five smaller vessels. The Buenos Aires Navy had the brigs General Belgrano (14 guns) and General Balacre (14 guns), the corvettes 25 de Mayo (28 guns), Independencia (28 guns) and Chacabuco (20 guns), the frigate Buenos Aires and some gunboats.

See also :Formation of the Brazilian territory

Historical Context

This territory has been disputed by the crowns of Portugal and Spain since 1680, when the Colônia do Santíssimo Sacramento was raised. However, the most immediate genesis of the conflict appears in 1816, when Dom João VI began the incorporation of the territory.

In turn, in July 1821 the Cisplatine Province was officially annexed to the Empire. However, during the reign of Dom Pedro I, a movement for the independence of the province emerged, culminating in the proclamation of its sovereignty in April 1825 by Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Fructuoso Rivera, supported by the elites of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata.

In December 1825, the imperial government declares war on the United Provinces. The following year, Juan Antonio Lavalleja and General Carlos Maria de Alvear, in command of the Argentine army, crossed the Rio de la Plata and began the conquest of Brazilian territory. In response, the Empire sends troops of volunteers and mercenaries to fight the Cisplatines.

Thus, while imperial forces defeated republican forces in the Battle of Monte Santiago (1827), Fructuoso Rivera took the Territory of the Sete Povos das Missões (1828) by storm. Meanwhile, the impasse remained and Colonia del Sacramento, as well as Montevideo, remained under Brazilian rule. On the other hand, the naval battle, with the blockade of Buenos Aires, gradually weakened the forces of the United Provinces, despite their smaller vessels being able to break the blockade to send supplies to the Uruguayans.

Finally, due to British and French pressure to end the conflict, the Empire of Brazil and the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata signed the “Preliminary Peace Convention ” on August 27, 1828, in Rio de Janeiro, also recognizing the independence of the newly created Oriental Republic of Uruguay.