THE Cisplatin War it was a conflict waged by the Empire of Brazil against the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata (present-day Argentina) for the control of Cisplatina, a region we currently know as Uruguay. This was the first war that Brazil participated as a nation independent and extended from 1825 to 1828. The result of the confrontation was disastrous for Brazil, which, in addition to losing Cisplatin, had to suffer an intense economic crisis.
Why did the Cisplatin War take place?
The region of Cisplatin (now Uruguay) was a place of tension and friction since the colonial period. The dispute for Cisplatine had as a milestone stipulated by historians the year 1680, when the Portuguese Crown authorized the construction of a fort on the east bank of the Rio da Prata. At that moment the Colony of Sacramento.
The Colony of Sacramento was the target of intense dispute between the Portuguese and the Spanish. Several territorial treaties were signed between the two nations, such as the Treaty of Madrid (1750)
, O Treaty of El Pardo (1761) it's the Treaty of Saint Ildefonso (1777). However, despite the treaties, the dispute and uncertainty about the control of Sacramento remained during the nineteenth century.From 1808 onwards, D. João VI transferred the Court Portuguese to Brazil on account of the invasion of Portugal by Napoleonic troops. The impact of this in Brazil was immediate, including on the issue of international relations. In retaliation for the Spanish action to allow French troops to cross their territory to invade Portugal, D. John ordered the invasion of Sacrament and named the region Cisplatin.
There were two invasions of the Portuguese in the region. In 1816, Cisplatin was permanently invaded and added to the territory of Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves. Brazilian troops were led by Francisco Frederico Lecor and were made up of approximately 14,000 soldiers. The goals, as listed by Chico Castro, were two|1|:
Gathering the Spanish colonies under Portuguese rule;
Expel a local revolutionary named José Artigas.
The occupation of Cisplatina by Portugal increased the tension and weariness that existed in the platinum region because Commander Lecor got very upset with the local population, acting in an authoritarian manner. Furthermore, the attrition of the Kingdom of Portugal with the United Provinces, above all, with the Buenos Aires elite (from Buenos Aires), increased considerably.
In 1822, Brazil declared its independence under the leadership of Dom Pedro I, and the annexation of Cisplatine to Brazilian territory was confirmed. The region even sent representatives to the constituent Assembly who drafted the first Constitution of Brazil (the one rejected by D. Peter I in 1823).
Because of the permanent tension in Cisplatin, a rebellion began in 1825, organized by Juan Antonio Lavalleja. In this rebellion, Lavalleja and his allies (known as the “33 Orientals”) declared the separation of Cisplatin from Brazil and its link with the United Provinces. This attitude by Lavalleja happened because he and his allies were being supported materially and financially by the porteños.
Goals
The objectives of each side can be summarized as follows:
Brazil: put an end to the rebellion in Cisplatin and regain control of the region.
Uruguay: of the movement led by Lavalleja, the main objective was to annex the United Provinces, but there were Uruguayans who defended independence.
provincesunited: guarantee the annexation of Cisplatin to its territory.
See too:The war that left the Bolivians without a sea
Battles of the War of Cisplatin
On December 10, 1825, the Brazil of D. Pedro I declared war on the United Provinces, marking the official beginning of the War of Cisplatin.**
Once the rebellion in Cisplatine broke out, the emperor's action was to intervene militarily to prevent the loss of the province. The rebellion started in April 1825, and the actions taken by the emperor from that time on were understood by historians as hasty. Chico Castro suggests two capital mistakes made between the start of the rebellion and the formal declaration of war|2|:
Decree of December 1825 that prevented the circulation of ships in the ports of the platinum region;
Announcement of D. Pedro I offering rewards for the capture of Lavalleja and Frutuoso Rivera (military ally of the rebellion).
At actions of D. Peter I they only served to aggravate the tempers at Cisplatin. Furthermore, Lecor's high expenditures and brutality against the local population were of no use to Brazil. War was officially declared on December 10, 1825, but historians point out that before that battles had already taken place between Brazilian troops and republican troops (Cisplatin rebels).
To make matters worse in Brazil, the economy was in tatters, and the Empire was barely able to pay civil servants. Even so, D. Pedro I chose to declare war against the United Provinces on the date mentioned. During the conflict, some battles were fought, most of them being small-scale conflicts. Some of the battles of the War of Cisplatin were:
Battle of the Rincão das Galinhas: was stopped in September 1825, and Brazilian troops were defeated.
Battle of Juncal: naval battle of February 1827 in which the Brazilian Navy was defeated.
Battle of Ituzaingó: battle fought on February 20, 1827 in which, once again, Brazilian troops were defeated.
Conclusion: Who won the Cisplatin War?
The defeat suffered in the Battle of Ituzaingó was very hard for the Brazilian troops, since around 1,200 Brazilians died in it. Soon after, Brazil agreed to start negotiations to deal with the definitive transfer of Cisplatin to the Uruguayans. The result of this negotiation was the signing of the Preliminary Peace Convention on August 27, 1828. At that moment, Brazil signed the end of its territorial claims on Cisplatin and accepted military defeat.
However, it must be considered that the Argentines didn't reach their goals either., since at the beginning of the conflict the Uruguayans had announced their link with the United Provinces. In this agreement, Argentines and Brazilians agreed to end their pretensions in Cisplatin and for the independence of the region. Thus, the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.
Consequences
The consequences of this war for Brazil were very serious. First, the war widened the economic crisis that hit the country. Spending on the conflict was gigantic and broke the Brazilian economy. Furthermore, this situation was aggravated by the fact that, during the war years, the Mint issued a large volume of currency, which caused its devaluation.
The war also contributed to erode D's image. Peter I. The emperor had been suffering continual attrition since 1822 because of his authoritarianism. At the end of the war, defeat and the economic crisis caused his popularity to plummet.
|1| CASTRO, Chico. The night of bottled drinks. Brasília: Federal Senate, Editorial Board, 2013, p. 122.
|2| Idem, p. 124-125.
*Image credits: commons
**Image credits: Georgios Kollides and Shutterstock
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/guerra-cisplatina.htm