Spanish-Portuguese War (1776–1777)
| date | February 1776 to February 24, 1777 |
|---|---|
| place | South America |
| output | Spanish victory |
| consequences | First Treaty of San Ildefonso |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
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The Spanish-Portuguese War was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal from 1776 to 1777. The colonial conflict in South America over the possession of what is now Uruguay ended with a Spanish success.
prehistory
Control of the Banda Oriental , now Uruguay and parts of southern Brazil , had long been disputed between Spain and Portugal. The last open military conflict was the Spanish-Portuguese War of 1735-1737 . The Colonia del Sacramento , conquered by the Spaniards, had to be returned to Portugal after the Treaty of Paris concluded the peace , but Santa Tecla, San Miguel, Santa Teresa and Rio Grande de São Pedro remained in Spanish hands.
During the Seven Years' War , the Spaniards conquered Colonia del Sacramento again and took what is now the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul . In the Peace of Paris in 1763 they had to return Colonia del Sacramento. The Brazilian territories followed later. In the years 1763–1765 there were further colonial conflicts between the two sides. The Spaniards conquered Rio Grande and other important places.
The balance of power shifted when the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata was established in Buenos Aires in 1776 for more effective rule in this sub-region. For the course of the conflict of 1776/77 it was of great importance that Great Britain was bound by the American War of Independence and could not support its ally Portugal.
course
The Portuguese side wanted to expand their position in the region in 1776. They mobilized about 6,000 men against 1,450 men on the Spanish side. In February 1776 Portuguese ships under Robert MacDouall and Jorge Hardcastle attacked Rio Grande de São Pedro. A Spanish fleet had to turn off after a lost sea battle. By land, the Portuguese pushed the Spaniards out of the disputed area. After a siege and a lost battle, the city had to surrender.
Not only the Spanish colonial troops, but the mother country itself responded by sending a strong fleet of six ships of the line, eight frigates and around 100 transporters. These transported around 9,000 soldiers and the necessary equipment. The command of the Spanish armed forces was given to Viceroy Pedro Antonio de Cevallos. He had already proven his skills on his first voyage of discovery (1762–1763).
In February 1777 the Spanish fleet reached South America. A weaker Portuguese fleet under Robert MacDouall avoided a confrontation. On February 23rd, Cevallos attacked the garrison on the island of St. Catarina . When the Portuguese saw the Spanish troops landing on the coast, they fled without resistance. While trying to retake Rio Grande de São Pedro, the Spanish fleet was surprised by a storm that forced them to call at Montevideo to repair .
Cevallos had troops marched into the Banda Oriental on the other side of the Río de la Plata . With about 4,500 men he besieged Colonia del Sacramento. The city was shelled with mortars and cannons. The Portuguese, already weakened by a Spanish blockade, quickly capitulated. The fortifications were destroyed. The port was blocked by sunk ships.
In the meantime the Spanish navy had searched for the enemy ships. Cevallos now sailed again to Rio Grande de São Pedro and received further reinforcement from a Spanish garrison. Before he could conquer the city, news of a peace agreement reached him.
consequences
In February 1777, Portugal recognized the hopeless military situation after the first Spanish successes and sought peace. On February 24, 1777, King Joseph I of Portugal died , his daughter Maria signed the peace treaty with the Spaniards. The Banda Oriental was ceded to Spain in the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1777. Santa Catarina was returned to Portugal and the Portuguese claim to Rio Grande de São Pedro was recognized. The boundaries between the Spanish and Portuguese spheres of power are set, which correspond to the current borders of Brazil and Uruguay. As the province of Banda Oriental, the new area was incorporated into Spanish rule. An exception was the area called Misiones Orientales in what is now Paraguay ; even a precisely drawn Mato Grosso border failed to pacify both sides. The western part of the border was a particular problem.
Because Portugal was not supported by Great Britain during the war, the country remained neutral when the Anglo-Spanish War broke out in 1779 in connection with the American War of Independence . This gave Spain greater freedom of action overseas and in Europe and this allowed Gibraltar to besiege for several years. This forced the British to use ships and troops for the fight with Spain, which were missing in the war against the insurgent colonies and France, allied with them.
Individual evidence
- ^ Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein: The Second Era of Great Expansion of the Capitalist World-economy, 1730-1840s. Berkeley, 2011. p. 217.
- ^ A b Thomas Whigham: The Paraguayan War: Causes and early conduct - Studies in war, society, and the military, University of Nebraska Press, 2002, pp. 81–82.