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José Fructuoso Rivera y Toscana (17 October 1784 – 13 January 1854) was a
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
an general and patriot who fought for the liberation of
Banda Oriental Banda Oriental, or more fully Banda Oriental del Uruguay (Eastern Bank), was the name of the South American territories east of the Uruguay River and north of Río de la Plata that comprise the modern nation of Uruguay; the modern state of Rio Gr ...
from Brazilian rule, twice served as Uruguay's
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and was one of the instigators of the long
Uruguayan Civil War The Uruguayan Civil War, also known in Spanish as the ''Guerra Grande'' ("Great War"), was a series of armed conflicts between the leaders of Uruguayan independence. While officially the war lasted from 1839 until 1851, it was a part of armed c ...
. He is also considered to be the founder of the Colorado Party, which ruled Uruguay without interruption from 1865 until 1958. He made a controversial decision to almost completely eliminate the native
Charrúa The Charrúa were an indigenous people or Indigenous Nation of the Southern Cone in present-day Uruguay and the adjacent areas in Argentina ( Entre Ríos) and Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul). They were a semi-nomadic people who sustained themselves ...
during the 1831 Massacre of Salsipuedes.


Life

Rivera was a rancher who joined the army of
José Gervasio Artigas José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a political leader, military general, statesman and national hero of Uruguay and the broader Río de la Plata region. He fought in the Latin American wars of ind ...
in 1810. Eventually he rose to the rank of general. When Banda Oriental was occupied by the
United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was a pluricontinental monarchy formed by the elevation of the Portuguese colony named State of Brazil to the status of a kingdom and by the simultaneous union of that Kingdom of Brazil w ...
and the defeated Artigas forced into exile in 1820, Rivera stayed in the newly created
Cisplatina Cisplatina () was a Brazilian province in existence from 1821 to 1828 created by the Luso-Brazilian invasion of the Banda Oriental. From 1815 until 1822 Brazil was a constituent kingdom of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algar ...
province. Rivera first met with
Juan Antonio Lavalleja Juan Antonio Lavalleja (June 24, 1784 – October 22, 1853) was a Uruguayan revolutionary and political figure. He was born in Minas, nowadays being located in the Lavalleja Department, which was named after him. Pre-Independence role He l ...
in 1825, during an event that would become known as the Abrazo del Monzón (Embrace of the Monsoon). In the same year, the
Thirty-Three Orientals The ''Treinta y Tres Orientales'' (English: Thirty-Three Orientals or Thirty-Three Easterners) was a militant revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Manuel Oribe against the Empire of Brazil. Their actions culminated in the found ...
led by Juan Lavalleja and their Argentine supporters, began their fight against the
Empire of Brazil The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a Representative democracy, representative Parliamentary system, parliamentary constituti ...
, Rivera joined the Argentinians. It's not clear if he joined voluntarily or was forced to join. He soon became an important military commander during the
Cisplatine War The Cisplatine War (), also known as the Argentine-Brazilian War () or, in Argentine and Uruguayan historiography, as the Brazil War (''Guerra del Brasil''), the War against the Empire of Brazil (''Guerra contra el Imperio del Brasil'') or t ...
and participated in the
Battle of Rincón A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
and the
Battle of Sarandí The Battle of Sarandí was fought on 12 October 1825, in the vicinity of the Arroyo Sarandí in Uruguay, between troops of the Banda Oriental and the Empire of Brazil. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Orientals. Background The Banda ...
. Due to arguments with other leaders, Rivera left the country for a year and did not participate in the
Battle of Ituzaingó The Battle of Ituzaingó, also known as the Battle of Passo do Rosário, was a pitched battle fought in the vicinity of the Santa Maria River, in a valley of small hills where a stream divided the valley into two. After a two-year series of cont ...
in 1827. After Uruguayan independence was proclaimed in 1828 as a result of the Treaty of Montevideo, arguments between Rivera and Lavalleja turned into fighting, and Argentine general
José Rondeau José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra (March 4, 1773 – November 18, 1844) was a general and politician in Argentina and Uruguay in the early 19th century. Life and Politics He was born in Buenos Aires but soon after his birth, the family moved t ...
became the first provisional Governor. Rivera finally assumed Presidency for a term from 6 November 1830 until 24 October 1834. Rivera then supported General
Manuel Oribe Manuel Ceferino Oribe y Viana (August 26, 1792 – November 12, 1857) was the 2nd Constitutional president of Uruguay and founder of Uruguay's National Party, the oldest Uruguayan political party and considered one of the two Uruguayan "tr ...
as his successor to Presidency. Once again, Rivera become involved in conflict with Lavalleja and also with Oribe. In October 1838 Rivera defeated Oribe and forced him to flee into exile to Buenos Aires. During this conflict the political division between Colorados and Blancos began, as Rivera's supporters wore red armbands, but Oribe's wore white. Later these factions formed their political parties. Rivera assumed Presidency for the second time between 1 March 1839 and 1 March 1843. Oribe, with the support of Buenos Aires strongman
Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confederation. Although ...
, organized a new army and invaded Uruguay, thus starting the
Uruguayan Civil War The Uruguayan Civil War, also known in Spanish as the ''Guerra Grande'' ("Great War"), was a series of armed conflicts between the leaders of Uruguayan independence. While officially the war lasted from 1839 until 1851, it was a part of armed c ...
. In December 1842 Oribe defeated Rivera at the
Battle of Arroyo Grande The Battle of Arroyo Grande took place on the 6 December 1842 and was a major battle of the Uruguayan Civil War. Battle At Arroyo Grande, the federal forces, or '' blancos'', of Manuel Oribe defeated the '' colorados'' of Fructuoso Rivera, havin ...
and started the
Great Siege of Montevideo The Great Siege of Montevideo ( es, Gran Sitio de Montevideo), named as ''Sitio Grande'' in Uruguayan historiography, was the siege suffered by the city of Montevideo between 1843 and 1851 during the Uruguayan Civil War.Walter Rela (1998). Ur ...
. Rivera's power was limited to the capital city, while Oribe ruled the rest of the country. In 1847 Rivera was forced to leave for exile in Brazil, where he stayed until 1853. After President
Juan Francisco Giró Juan Francisco Giró (3 June 1791, Montevideo – 8 May 1863) was a Uruguayan politician and the President of Uruguay from 1852 until 1853. He was deposed by a military mutiny in September 1853 by one of the Colorado party. See also * History ...
was overthrown, a ruling triumvirate was created on 25 September 1853 consisting of
Venancio Flores Venancio Flores Barrios (18 May 1808 – 19 February 1868) was a Uruguayan political leader and general. Flores was President of Uruguay from 1854 to 1855 (interim) and from 1865 to 1868. Background and early career In 1839, he was made politic ...
, Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Rivera. However, Lavalleja died on 22 October and Rivera died on 13 January 1854 en route to Montevideo, leaving only Flores in power.


Later legacy

Rivera's legacy in Uruguayan political history, and particularly among the members of the Colorado Party, is one of strong personal leadership. A 'Riverista' tendency (among others, represented by
Jorge Pacheco Areco Jorge Pacheco Areco (April 9, 1920 – July 29, 1998) was a Uruguayan politician and member of the Colorado Party. He served as President of Uruguay from December 6, 1967 to March 1, 1972.
and the Bordaberry family) in the Colorado Party has long existed as a counterpoint to the 'Batllista' and other factions.


See also

*
Politics of Uruguay The politics of Uruguay abide by a presidential representative democratic republic, under which the President of Uruguay is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as a multiform party system. The president exercises executi ...
* Colorado Party (Uruguay)#Pedro Bordaberry and Riverista resurgence


Bibliography

* Setembrino Pereda, ''La leyenda del arroyo Monzón, Lavalleja y Rivera''. Montevideo: 1935.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Fructuoso 1784 births 1854 deaths People from Durazno Genocide perpetrators People of the Cisplatine War Presidents of Uruguay Foreign ministers of Uruguay Uruguayan people of Spanish descent Uruguayan National Army generals Colorado Party (Uruguay) politicians Defence ministers of Uruguay Burials at Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral 19th-century Uruguayan people