Aristocratic Chileans begin considering independence only when…
1804 CE to 1815 CE
Napoleon replaces the Spanish king with his brother, Joseph Bonaparte.
On the peninsula, Spanish loyalists form juntas that claim they wil govern both the motherland and the colonies until the rightful king is restored.
Thus, Chileans, like other Spanish Americans, have to confront the dilemma of who is in charge in the absence of the divine monarch: the French pretender to the throne, the Spanish rebels, or local leaders.
The latter option is tried on September 18, 1810, a date whose anniversary is celebrated as Chile's independence day.
On this day, the criollo leaders of Santiago, employing the town council as a junta, announce their intention to govern the colony until the king is reinstated.
They swear loyalty to the ousted monarch, Ferdinand VII, but insist that they have as much right to rule in the meantime as do subjects of the crown in Spain itself.
They immediately open the ports to all traders.
Chile's first experiment with self-government, the Old Fatherland (Patria Vieja, 1810-14), is led by Jose Miguel Carrera Verdugo (president, 1812-13), an aristocrat in his mid-twenties.
The military-educated Carrera is a heavy-handed ruler who arouses widespread opposition.
One of the earliest advocates of full independence, Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, captains a rival faction that plunges the criollos into civil war.
For him and for certain other members of the Chilean elite, the initiative for temporary self-rule quickly escalates into a campaign for permanent independence, although other criollos remain loyal to Spain.
Among those favoring independence, conservatives fight with liberals over the degree to which French revolutionary ideas will be incorporated into the movement.
People
Groups
Mapuche (Amerind tribe)
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Christians, Roman Catholic
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Spaniards (Latins)
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Chile (Spanish colony)
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Jesuits, or Order of the Society of Jesus
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Peru, Viceroyalty of
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Spain, Bourbon Kingdom of
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Río de la Plata, Viceroyalty of
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France, (first) Empire of
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Spain, Bonapartist Kingdom of
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Chile, Republic of
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South America
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