Spanish Reconquest or just Reconquest ( Spanish: ''Reconquista'') is the name of a period of Chilean history that started in 1814 with the

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

victory at the Battle of Rancagua and ended in 1817 with the patriot victory at the

Battle of Chacabuco The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, took place on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes, from the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and led by Captain (land), Captain–General José de San Martín, ...

. During this period, the defenders of the Spanish Empire reestablished their dominion in Chile after said country had separated itself from the Spanish Crown, installed its First National Government Board in 1810—the first institution of self-government in Chile, created its First Congress National in 1811 and subsequently elected its first supreme director, Francisco de la Lastra, in 1814. Authors such as the Chileans Julio Heise and Jaime Eyzaguirre prefer to call the period Absolutist Restoration, considering it merely the return to power of the royalists.

After the battle of Rancagua

Upon learning the outcome of the Battle of Rancagua (qualified as a "Disaster" in Chilean historiography), many patriots decided to gather those belongings they could carry and began their exile in Mendoza. The soldiers who left Rancagua alive guarded the caravan of women and children as they ascended the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

. However, the quarrels between

Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; 20 August 1778 – 24 October 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque people, Basque-Spanish people, Spani ...

and

José Miguel Carrera José Miguel Carrera Verdugo (; October 15, 1785 – September 4, 1821) was a Chilean general, formerly Spanish military, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most impor ...

did not end with the battle of Rancagua; Upon arriving in Cuyo, they were received by the mayor-intendant at the time,

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

, a friend of O'Higgins and member of the

Lautaro Lodge The Lautaro Lodge () was a revolutionary secret lodge active in Latin American politics in the 19th century. It was initially known as the Lodge of Rational Knights (). Its initial purposes were to apply the goals of the Spanish Enlightenment, ...

, who decided to prosecute the Carrera brothers and their followers in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, for the death of Juan Mackenna. killed in a duel at the hands of Luis Carrera, one of O'Higgins' most prominent collaborators.

Restoration of Spanish institutions

As of October 9, 1814, with the government of

Mariano Osorio Mariano de Osorio (; 1777–1819) was a Spanish general and Governor of Chile, from 1814 to 1815. Early career Osorio was born in Seville, Spain. He joined the Spanish army and as many of his contemporaries, his military career began during the S ...

, colonial institutions were reestablished. Osorio received orders from the

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

to be commiserated, but the person in charge of the kingdom's security, the captain of the Talavera de la Reina Regiment, Vicente San Bruno, did not tolerate it. The ''Vindication Courts'' were created, which all patriots and all those suspected of having collaborated with them had to attend. If they were found guilty, they had to pay a fine, and, if the charge was greater, they were arrested and then exiled to Juan Fernández. In November 1814, a ship sailed from

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

carrying more than 200 exiles, who had to take shelter in caves and endure many hardships until they were rescued in 1817. Those patriots who went into exile in Mendoza had their property confiscated. In February 1815, San Bruno pretended to open the prison so that the patriots could escape, but outside a platoon of riflemen was waiting for them and ended the patriots' lives. This act filled even the most realistic with indignation. Given this, Osorio reopened the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

and later the

Royal University of San Felipe The Royal University of San Felipe () was a university created by Philip V of Spain, King Philip V in 1738, in territory which was then part of the Kingdom of Spain. It was officially founded in Santiago in 1747 and began teaching activities in ...

repealed the decrees promulgated during the Patria Vieja (1810-1814) and eliminated the General José Miguel Carrera National Institute and the

National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...

, institutions created in that period. Due to conflicts with Viceroy José Fernando de Abascal (1806-1816), Osorio was removed from his position as governor (1815) and Casimiro Marcó del Pont was appointed. Marcó del Pont made good friends with San Bruno, whom he placed in the position of president of the Surveillance and Public Security Court, establishing an espionage network that imposed terror in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. The new governor went so far as to prohibit movement within the country without his authorization. He closed the chinganas, places where the people ate, drank and danced. Frightened by the secrets about a liberation expedition by O'Higgins and the guerrilla activities of Manuel Rodríguez, he put a price on the latter's head. One day, when Marcó del Pont was getting out of his carriage, a humble man approached him with feigned reverence to open the door for him. Marcó del Pont threw him a silver coin, without realizing that the one who opened the door of his carriage was Rodríguez. The Spanish rulers were unable to extinguish the patriotic sentiment provoked by the formation of the

Army of the Andes The Army of the Andes () was a military force created by the United Provinces of South America, United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (Argentina) and assembled by General José de San Martín as part of his campaign to liberate Chile from the S ...

, led by Captain General San Martín with the help of Brigadiers O'Higgins, Miguel Estanislao Soler and Juan Gregorio de Las Heras.

End of the Reconquest

On February 12, 1817, victory occurred in Chacabuco, under the command of General

, supported by the Chilean Bernardo O'Higgins and the Argentine Soler, beginning the Patria Nueva (1817-1823).

After the battle of Rancagua

Restoration of Spanish institutions

End of the Reconquest

See also