During the nineteenth century, the southern portion of South America experienced several conflicts, wars and diplomatic, involving border delimitation issues between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Concomitant to this, there were also internal disputes for power in countries and even external disputes at a time of national formation in South American countries. It was in this tumultuous context that the call occurred War against Aguirre, or Uruguay War.
Occurring between 1864 and 1895, the War against Aguirre involved the army and navy troops of the Empire of Brazil and military groups from Uruguay. The war got its name because the Brazilian action took place against the then president of Uruguay Atanasio Cruz Aguirre. It was a brief conflict, but it demonstrated Brazilian participation in Uruguay's internal political affairs and resulted, soon after its end, in the Paraguayan War.
In the first half of the 1860s, Uruguay was experiencing a civil war that pitted members of the white party
, formed mainly by large landowners, and, on the other hand, members of the Colorado Party, composed of great Montevideo merchants.Atanasio Cruz Aguirre was a member of the Blanco Party, became Uruguayan president in 1964 and was directly involved in disputes taking place in the Uruguay's border with Brazil. Estancieiros (cattle ranchers) from Rio Grande do Sul complained about the theft of cattle, pointing out Uruguayans as those responsible. The Uruguayans, on the other hand, complained about the practices of ranchers in their territory (many had lands in the neighboring country), mainly the use of slave labor and unsupervised trade in Brazil. Aguirre didn't seem to mind the Brazilian complaints.
Photo by Atanasio Cruz Aguirre, Uruguayan President at the time of the Uruguay War
In the domestic political sphere in Uruguay, Venâncio Flores, of the Colorado Party, was a candidate for the presidency and was opposed to Aguirre. This, in turn, accused the Colorados of being supported by Brazil and Argentina, including the two countries being one of the causes of the civil war. Neither of the two Uruguayan parties was in a position to militarily defeat its opponent. In this sense, Brazil's entry into a conflict in Uruguay ended up responding to the situation.
A delegation of ranchers from Rio Grande do Sul sent a complaint about the situation at the border to the Federal Government in Rio de Janeiro. The latter created a diplomatic mission that was sent to Uruguay to resolve the situation. On the border, the situation was getting worse and worse, with an escalation of violence between Uruguayans and Gauchos. Aguirre did not respond to the Brazilian request, demonstrating the failure of diplomatic action.
In this situation, Brazilian military forces were sent to the border, under the leadership of Admiral Joaquim Marques Lisboa, the Baron of Tamandaré. The latter had under his command a fleet of 10 vessels. In March 1864, four thousand army men arrived at the border.
In August of the same year, the troops invaded Uruguayan territory. In the following months, the Brazilians managed to take Melo, besieging Paysandú and heading to Montevideo. But Aguirre was only overthrown in February 1865, when Brazilian military forces arrived in the Uruguayan capital. Venâncio Flores assumed power on February 20, five days after Atanasio Aguirre capitulated. It is said that the ousted president literally burned the diplomatic agreements between Brazil and Uruguay.
However, in August 1864, the president of Paraguay, Francisco Solano Lopez, had informed the Brazilian imperial government that any interference in Uruguayan political disputes would alter the political balance in the Rio da Prata region, demonstrating its connection with Aguirre. After his capitulation in February 1865, Atanasio Aguirre fled to Paraguay. The removal of Aguirre from power by the Brazilian Empire was, therefore, one of the reasons that led to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay to form the Triple Alliance and go to war against Paraguay in the call great war, for the Paraguayans, or Paraguay War, for Brazilians.
By Me. Tales Pinto
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/guerra-contra-aguirre.htm
