The Chuquisaca Revolution was a popular uprising on 25 May 1809 against Ramón García de León y Pizarro, Governor-intendant of the Intendancy of Chuquisaca (or Charcas) (today

Sucre Sucre (; ) is the ''de jure'' capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

). The Real Audiencia of Charcas, with support from the faculty of University of Saint Francis Xavier, deposed the governor and formed a junta. The revolution is known in Bolivia as the "First Cry of Freedom" (), meaning the first phase in the

Spanish American Wars of Independence The Spanish American wars of independence () took place across the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. The struggles in both hemispheres began shortly after the outbreak of the Peninsular War, forming part of the broader context of the ...

. The level of hostility against the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

and news from both the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and the French Revolution has made historians dispute whether such a description is accurate. However, accounts depict it as the first step towards liberty in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

against the Spanish Crown.

Causes

Although nearly 30 years passed, the indigenous revolutions led by Túpac Amarú II and Tomás Katari and their violent repression were still remembered. The revolutions ranged from the south of modern Colombia to the north of modern Argentina and Chile. There was great concern about recent developments in Spain, where French forces, led by Napoleon, had invaded many parts of the country, captured Spanish King Ferdinand VII, and replaced him with Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte. Without the authority of a king leading them, the Spanish resistance created Government Juntas.

Development

The news of the fall of Ferdinand VII in Spain caused great concern in the city and the University of Chuquisaca, and there were important debates about the legitimacy of the government. Bernardo de Monteagudo explained an idea that promoted

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

, which would be later known as "Syllogism of Chuquisaca:" The junta, initially loyal to King

Ferdinand VII of Spain Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was Monarchy of Spain, King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (t ...

, was justified by the suspicion that García León de Pizarro planned to turn the country over to Princess

Carlota Joaquina Don (honorific), Doña Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830) was List of Portuguese royal consorts, Queen of Portugal and List of Brazilian royal consorts, Brazil as the wife of King Dom John VI of Portuga ...

, the wife of

Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness) or ab ...

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

of Portugal and Brazil, but from the beginning, the revolution provided a framework for the actions of supporters of independence, who spread the rebellion to

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

, where a ''Junta Tuitiva'' ("protecting junta") was formed on 16 July. It broke with both authority in Spain and the

Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata or Viceroyalty of Buenos Aires ( or Virreinato de Buenos Aires or ) meaning "River of the Silver", also called the "Viceroyalty of River Plate" in some scholarly writings, in southern South America, was ...

. After the second and more radical uprising was put down violently by an army sent by the Viceroy

Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros y de la Torre (6 January 1756 – 9 June 1829) was a Spanish Navy officer and colonial administrator. He took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent and the Battle of Trafalgar, and in the Spanish resistance against ...

, the movement at Chuquisaca lost all external support. It finally ended in October when Viceroy José Fernando de Abascal sent forces from Lima.

Historiography

The Chuquisaca revolution did not intend to alter the city's loyalty to the king, but the revolution of La Paz openly declared independence. Today, historians disagree on whether the revolution of Chuquisaca was motivated by independence or was just a dispute between Ferdinand VII's and Carlota's supporters. Consequently, there is disagreement on whether the first revolution to proclaim independence in

Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' Spanish Empire, imperial era between 15th and 19th centur ...

was that of Chuquisaca or that of

. The researchers Juan Reyes and Genoveva Loza support the latter by arguing that in Chuquisaca, the Spanish system of government was maintained and did not support the revolution in La Paz. Others like Charles Arnade, Teodocio Imaña, Gabriel René Moreno, and Felipe Pigna argue, however, that the Chuquisaca revolution supported independence and cited as its main foundation the political philosophical concept of the " Syllogism of Chuquisaca," which proposed

. Still other historians locate the first "cry of freedom" in

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, rather than Bolivia, because of a revolt that took place in

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

in August 1809.

Revolution in Chuquisaca

Upper Peru

The territory of

Upper Peru Upper Peru (; ) is a name for the land that was governed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas. The name originated in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 18th century after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the Viceroyalty of Peru to th ...

, now in Bolivia, was made up of four provinces and two political-military governments. One of the provinces was that of Chuquisaca, in whose capital Chuquisaca, also called La Plata or Charcas and now

, had the headquarters for the Royal Court of Charcas.

References

Sources

External links

25 de mayo: 1809 Insurrección en Chuquisaca – 1810 Revolución en Buenos Aires
{{Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata 1809 in Bolivia 1810s in Bolivia Bolivian War of Independence Colonial Bolivia Conflicts in 1809 19th-century rebellions 19th century in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata May 1809