Knowra Spanish American independence Spanish American independence Spanish American independence was the political separation of most Spanish American territories from the Spanish monarchy during the early nineteenth century, producing new sovereign states.
Juntas of Spanish America : Local governing bodies formed in Spanish America during the crisis of the Spanish monarchy beginning in 1808. They claimed authority in the king’s absence and became early centers of self-government.
Bourbon Reforms : Eighteenth-century administrative, fiscal, and military changes introduced by Spain’s Bourbon dynasty across its empire. They strengthened imperial control while intensifying resentment among American-born elites.
Simón Bolívar : A Venezuelan military and political leader who helped liberate northern South America and establish Gran Colombia. His campaigns and republican projects shaped independence across Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia.
Gran Colombia : A republic founded in 1819 that united present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama until its dissolution in 1831. It embodied Bolívar’s attempt to preserve unity among newly independent territories.
Brazilian independence : Brazil’s separation from Portugal in 1822, achieved under the Braganza prince Pedro, who became emperor. It contrasts with Spanish America’s fragmented republic-making and numerous prolonged independence wars.
Peninsular War : A conflict in Spain and Portugal from 1807 to 1814, triggered by French occupation and resistance to Napoleon. The invasion destabilized the monarchy and prompted political authority disputes across the empire.
Spanish American Enlightenment : The circulation and adaptation of Enlightenment ideas in Spanish America during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Its debates about sovereignty and representation supplied language for political challenges to imperial rule.
José de San Martín : An Argentine-born general who led independence campaigns in Argentina, Chile, and Peru. His southern military strategy complemented Bolívar’s campaigns in the north.
Federal Republic of Central America : A Central American federation that existed from 1823 to 1841 after separation from Spain and Mexico. Its formation and breakup show how independence produced new regional unions as well as separate states.
Mexican War of Independence : The conflict from 1810 to 1821 through which Mexico ended Spanish rule. Its popular insurgencies and final elite alliance followed a distinctive path within Spanish America.
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