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 political chief of the department of San José. He fought in the "Guerra Grande" against Manuel Oribe and his Argentine backers. He became a leading figure in the Colorado Party and formed a triumvirate with

Fructuoso Rivera José Fructuoso Rivera y Toscana (17 October 1784 – 13 January 1854) was a Uruguayan general and patriot who fought for the liberation of Banda Oriental from Brazilian rule, twice served as Uruguay's President and was one of the instigators ...

and

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 1853.

First Presidency of Uruguay (interim)

He served as interim President of Uruguay and remained in power until August 1855, when overthrown by the Blanco president Manuel P. Bustamante, which resulted in civil war and Flores taking refuge in Argentina.

Civil war role

In 1863, he started a rebellion ('' Cruzada Libertadora'' or liberating crusade) against the Blanco president

Bernardo Berro Bernardo Prudencio Berro (April 28, 1803 – February 19, 1868) was the President of Uruguay from 1860 to 1864. Background Berro was a member of the National (Blanco) Party. He served as the President of the Senate of Uruguay in 1852, and from ...

, which led to civil war in Uruguay.Hooker, T.D., 2008, The Paraguayan War, Nottingham: Foundry Books, With Argentine and Brazilian help, by February, 1865 he had taken Montevideo, overthrowing his predecessor.

Second Presidency of Uruguay

During his rule, Flores joined

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in the devastating

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

. Flores's government ended on February 15, 1868.

Assassination

Four days after stepping down as President, Flores was murdered by a group of unidentified assassins. But although Flores' killers were not formally identified, it may be added that as a background to his assassination is the intermittent

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 ...

which continued throughout much of the 19th century between '' Colorados'' and ''Blancos''.

Legacy

The

Flores Department Flores () is a department of Uruguay, positioned in the southwest of the central part of the country. Its capital is Trinidad. It borders Durazno Department to the north and east, Florida Department to the southeast, San José Department to the so ...

was named in his honor by a later Colorado President of Uruguay,

Máximo Santos Máximo Benito Santos Barbosa (15 April 1847 – 19 May 1889) was a Uruguayan political and military figure. Background Santos pursued a career in the military, prior to serving as Minister for War from 1880 to 1882. He was a member of the Color ...