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39-716: Supporters of the two opposing presidents Rivera and Oribe formed two political parties: the Colorado Party and the National Party , both of which received backing and support from foreign sources, including neighboring Empire of Brazil , the Argentine Confederation , Buenos Aires Province as well as European powers, primarily the British Empire and the Kingdom of France , but also

78-665: A conflict for primacy arose between the leader of the Thirty-Three Orientals Juan Lavalleja and veteran military commander Fructuoso Rivera , who on November 6, 1830, was chosen as the first President of Uruguay. In June 1832 Lavalleja's supporters attempted to kill Rivera and on July 3 the Montevideo garrison revolted, calling for Lavalleja to be made Commander-in-Chief. Rivera, with the help of Argentine Unitarians defeated Lavalleja on September 18, 1832, at Tupambaé , forcing Lavalleja to flee to

117-471: A coup to take the government and executed governor Dorrego, his former leader, without a trial. His government then started a reign of terror, aiming to destroy the Federal Party , but there was resistance in the countryside, which did not recede. In 1829, the demographic growth was negative as there were more deaths than births. During this time, José de San Martín had returned from Europe. While he

156-480: A legion of Italian volunteers including Giuseppe Garibaldi . The great diversity of nationalities among the military forces supporting the Colorado Party posed difficulties in arguing for their struggle in terms of a "national liberation"; instead, the Colorado Party side argued that they were defending "humanity" and "civilization" against "tyranny". After the proclamation of Uruguayan Independence in 1828

195-678: A legitimate President, and sought to restore Oribe to power. Rivera and Juan Lavalle prepared troops to attack Buenos Aires. At this point, both the British and French troops intervened, transforming the conflict into an international war. On December 6, 1842, the Blancos under Manuel Oribe and the Colorados under Fructuoso Rivera fought the Battle of Arroyo Grande . Rivera's forces were utterly defeated, and Oribe laid siege to Montevideo. With

234-533: A term from 6 November 1830 until 24 October 1834. Rivera then supported General Manuel Oribe 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

273-522: The rosista resistance instead. Lavalle would be defeated a short time later at the Battle of Márquez Bridge by the forces of Juan Manuel de Rosas and Santa Fe governor Estanislao López . López returned to his province, menaced by Unitarian José María Paz , who had taken power in Córdoba . Meanwhile, Rosas kept Lavalle under siege and forced him to resign with the Cañuelas pact. Juan José Viamonte

312-482: The Battle of Sarandí . Due to arguments with other leaders, Rivera left the country for a year and did not participate in the Battle of Ituzaingó 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 became the first provisional Governor. Rivera finally assumed Presidency for

351-637: The Laguna Merin and the Rio Yaguaron , the natural border between both countries. Both parties were weary of the chaos. In 1870, they came to an agreement to define spheres of influence: the Colorados would control Montevideo and the coastal region, the Blancos would rule the hinterland with its agricultural estates. In addition, the Blancos were paid half a million dollars to compensate them for

390-687: The Maipú in Chile. He continued along with San Martín on his way to Peru and Ecuador and took part in the battles of Pichincha and the Riobamba, after which he became known as the Hero of Riobamba . Because of disagreements with Simón Bolívar , Lavalle returned to Buenos Aires by the end of 1823. He would later govern Mendoza Province for a short time. He then fought in the war against Brazil in command of 1,200 cavalry, with reported episodes of valour in

429-720: The Regiment of mounted grenadiers as a cadet. By 1813 he reached the grade of lieutenant and moved to the army. Under orders of Carlos María de Alvear the army besieged Montevideo . Lavalle fought against José Gervasio Artigas in 1815 and in the Battle of Guayabos under the command of Manuel Dorrego . In 1816 Lavalle moved to Mendoza to join the Army of the Andes of the " liberator " José de San Martín and fought in Chacabuco and

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468-603: The Rio Uruguay and its tributaries and exempted cattle and salted meat exports from taxes. The Uruguayan cattle industry was devastated by the war. The treaty also acknowledged Uruguay's debt to Brazil for its aid against the Blancos and Brazil's commitment for granting an additional loan. Uruguay renounced its territorial claims north of the Río Cuareim , thereby reducing its area to about 176,000 square kilometers, and recognized Brazil's exclusive right of navigation in

507-653: The Unitarian Party . Lavalle was born in Buenos Aires to María Mercedes González Bordallo and Manuel José Lavalle, general accountant of rents and tobacco for the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata . In 1799, the family moved to Santiago de Chile , but returned to Buenos Aires in 1807. Like many other nineteenth century Argentines prominent in public life, Lavalle was a freemason . In 1812 Lavalle joined

546-774: The Abrazo del Monzón (Embrace of the Monsoon). In the same year, the Thirty-Three Orientals led by Juan Lavalleja and their Argentine supporters, began their fight against the Empire of Brazil , 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 and participated in the Battle of Rincón and

585-705: The Brazilian province of Rio Grande do Sul . There Lavalleja organized a new force with the support of Buenos Aires strongman Juan Manuel de Rosas and in March 1834 invaded Uruguay, only to be defeated by Rivera once again. On March 1, 1835, Manuel Oribe, another of the Thirty-Three Orientals, was elected as the second President of Uruguay while Rivera remained as the commander of Army. Oribe pursued his own policies and in January 1836 removed Rivera from

624-539: The British and French naval forces temporarily blockaded the port of Buenos Aires during December 1845. Then, the French and British fleets protected Montevideo from the sea. French, Spanish and Italian legionnaires, led by Giuseppe Garibaldi , teamed up with the Colorados in defending the city. Also in 1846, the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot, sent by Britain, arrived in Montevideo and defended it for seven months against besieging Argentine troops. Historians believe that

663-504: The Confederation with the Argentine Confederation and Chile . Unable to deploy land troops, France looked for allied forces to fight Buenos Aires strongman Juan Manuel de Rosas on their behalf. For this purpose they supported Fructuoso Rivera and helped him to defeat Oribe, who was on good terms with Rosas. On October 24, 1838, Oribe resigned and fled to Buenos Aires, and Rivera assumed power. Rosas did not recognize Rivera as

702-675: The French and British forces intervened in the region to ensure free navigation along the Rio Parana and Rio Uruguay . However, in 1850, both the French and British withdrew after signing a treaty which represented a triumph for Juan Manuel de Rosas and his Federal Party in Argentina. After the withdrawal of British and French troops, it appeared that Montevideo would fall to Juan Manuel de Rosas and Oribe. However, an uprising against de Rosas led by fellow Federalist Justo José de Urquiza , governor of Argentina's Entre Ríos Province , with

741-669: The assistance of a small Uruguayan force, changed the situation completely. Manuel Oribe was defeated in 1851, leaving the Colorados in full control of the country. Brazil followed up by intervening in Uruguay in May 1851, supporting the Colorados with financial and naval forces. This led to the Platine War with Rosas in August 1851. In February 1852, after being defeated at Caseros , Rosas resigned and Urquiza's pro- Colorado forces lifted

780-604: The battles of Bacacay and Ituzaingó in February 1827. His forces defeated General Abreu and he was proclaimed General on the field of battle itself. By the time he returned to Buenos Aires, Bernardino Rivadavia , the Unitarian Party President of the United Provinces , had resigned, and Manuel Dorrego was elected the federal governor of Buenos Aires Province. Lavalle, a Unitarian himself, led

819-459: The business interests of Montevideo ; the Blancos were headed by Manuel Oribe , who looked after the agricultural interests of the countryside and promoted protectionism. In order to support Oribe, Lavalleja organized an army in Argentina and moved against Rivera, who was helped by Argentine Unitarians led by General Juan Lavalle . On September 19, 1836, Rivera was defeated at the Battle of Carpintería and fled to Brazil, where his troops joined

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858-488: The command and gave amnesty to his old comrade Lavalleja. On July 16, 1836, Rivera rebelled against Oribe. To distinguish his soldiers, Oribe ordered them to wear a white armband. Rivera then ordered his supporters to wear blue, but as it quickly faded, they started using red armbands. Out of these military distinction marks quickly emerged the conservative Blancos ("Whites") and the liberal Colorados ("Reds"). The Colorados were led by Fructuoso Rivera and represented

897-585: The country. In 1847 Rivera was forced to leave for exile in Brazil, where he stayed until 1853. After President Juan Francisco Giró was overthrown, a ruling triumvirate was created on 25 September 1853 consisting of Venancio Flores , 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. Rivera's legacy in Uruguayan political history, and particularly among

936-438: The defense of the city. By 1843 Montevideo's population of thirty thousand inhabitants was highly cosmopolitan with Uruguayans making up only a third of it. The remaining were chiefly Italian (4205), Spanish (3406), Argentine (2,553), Portuguese (659), English (606) and Brazilians (492). During this time Uruguay had two parallel governments: The British Empire eventually saved the city by allowing it to receive supplies. First,

975-506: The destruction of the Uruguayan army at the battle of Arroyo Grande, it was assumed that the country's capital, Montevideo, would fall to the combined forces of the Buenos Aires governor Juan Manuel de Rosas and the former Uruguayan president Manuel Oribe. However, Oribe's siege of Montevideo lasted for nine years. The newly freed slaves, who formed a contingent 5,000 strong, and the community of foreign exiles were mostly responsible for

1014-509: The first chance, urged Lavalle to lead the attack, who requested not to share command with Rivera. As a result, they led both their own armies. His imminent attack was backed up by conspiracies in Buenos Aires, which were discovered and aborted by the Mazorca , a group loyal to Rosas. Manuel Vicente Maza and his son were among the conspirators, and were executed as a result. Pedro Castelli also organized an ill-fated uprising against Rosas, and

1053-614: The loss of their stake in Montevideo. But the caudillo mentality was difficult to erase from Uruguay and political feuding continued culminating in the Revolution of the Lances ( Revolución de las Lanzas ) (1870–1872), and later with the uprising of Aparicio Saravia . French author Alexandre Dumas , in his novel The New Troy , described Oribe's siege of Montevideo as a new Trojan war . Fructuoso Rivera José Fructuoso Rivera y Toscana (17 October 1784 – 13 January 1854)

1092-466: The members of the Colorado Party, is one of strong personal leadership. A 'Riverista' tendency (among others, represented by Jorge Pacheco Areco and the Bordaberry family) in the Colorado Party has long existed as a counterpoint to the 'Batllista' and other factions. Juan Lavalle Juan Galo Lavalle (17 October 1797 – 9 October 1841) was an Argentine military and political figure, from

1131-609: The native Charrúa during the 1831 Massacre of Salsipuedes . Rivera was a rancher who joined the army of José Gervasio Artigas 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 and the defeated Artigas forced into exile in 1820, Rivera stayed in the newly created Cisplatina province. Rivera first met with Juan Antonio Lavalleja in 1825, during an event that would become known as

1170-526: The newly proclaimed Riograndense Republic . With the help of this republic Rivera invaded Uruguay in 1837 and on October 22 defeated Oribe's forces at the Battle of Yucutujá and completely crushed Oribe on June 15, 1838 Battle of Palmar . In 1838, France had started a naval blockade of Buenos Aires port in support of their allies the Peru–Bolivian Confederation who were involved in the War of

1209-537: The second time between 1 March 1839 and 1 March 1843. Oribe, with the support of Buenos Aires strongman Juan Manuel de Rosas , organized a new army and invaded Uruguay, thus starting the Uruguayan Civil War . In December 1842 Oribe defeated Rivera at the Battle of Arroyo Grande and started the Great Siege of Montevideo . Rivera's power was limited to the capital city, while Oribe ruled the rest of

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1248-500: The siege of Montevideo. The government of Montevideo rewarded Brazil's financial and military support at the final stages of the war by signing five treaties in 1851 that provided for perpetual alliance between the two countries. Brazil was required to extradite runaway slaves and criminals from Uruguay. In fact, during the war, both the Blancos and the Colorados had abolished slavery in Uruguay to reinforce their respective military forces. The treaties also allowed joint navigation on

1287-403: The way to Buenos Aires. At this juncture, however, France had given up its trust on the effectiveness of the blockade, as what was thought it would be an easy and short conflict was turning into a long war, without clear security of a final victory. France began peace negotiations with the Confederation and cut its financial support to Lavalle. He didn't find help at local towns either, and there

1326-677: Was accidentally shot by a Montonera detachment which spread-shot a reputed Unitarian's house, not realizing that Juan Lavalle, the very chief of the Unitarians, was staying there. This occurred in 1841 in San Salvador de Jujuy . Afraid that his body would be desecrated by the Federales , his followers fled to Bolivia carrying Lavalle's decomposing remains with them. Hurrying over the Humahuaca pass, they finally decided to strip

1365-411: Was an Uruguayan general and patriot who fought for the liberation of Banda Oriental from Brazilian rule, thrice served as President of Uruguay and was one of the instigators of the long Uruguayan Civil War . 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

1404-567: Was designated as interim governor, and the legislature that was removed during Lavalle's coup d'état was restored. This legislature would elect Rosas as the governor. Lavalle retired to the Banda Oriental . During the French blockade to the Río de la Plata , Fructuoso Rivera was reluctant to take military actions against Rosas, aware of his strength. Unitarians, who thought that the whole Argentine Confederation would rise against Rosas at

1443-589: Was executed as well. Rosas did not wait to be attacked and ordered Pascual Echagüe to cross the Paraná river and take the fight to Uruguay , with López. The Uruguayan armies split: Rivera returned to defend Montevideo, and Lavalle moved to Entre Ríos Province . He expected that the local populations would join him against Rosas and increase his forces, but he found severe resistance, so he moved instead to Corrientes Province . Governor Pedro Ferré defeated López, and Rivera defeated Pascual Echagüe, clearing for Lavalle

1482-476: Was in Montevideo, Lavalle offered him the government of Argentina, because of his authority over leaders on both sides. But when he learned about the spiraling factionalist violence, San Martín realised that he would have to choose sides as the only actual way to govern, so he refused and returned instead to self-exile in Europe. The other provinces did not recognize Lavalle as the legitimate governor, and supported

1521-461: Was widespread desertion among his ranks. Buenos Aires was ready to resist his military attack, but the lack of support forced him to give up and retire from the battlefield, without starting any battle. Persecuted, his troops suffered constant attacks and Lavalle was forced to move further north, being defeated by Manuel Oribe in La Rioja and Tucumán . Escaping with a small group of 200 men, he

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