Spanish American wars of independence

A series of conflicts in which Spanish American territories broke from Spanish rule, chiefly between 1808 and 1833. They produced most of the independent states of mainland Spanish America.

Peninsular War: A conflict from 1808 to 1814 in which Spain resisted French occupation and the rule of Joseph Bonaparte. The invasion destabilized Spanish authority and prompted American cities to form governing juntas.
Mexican War of Independence: The conflict from 1810 to 1821 that ended Spanish rule in Mexico. It began with a large popular uprising and concluded through a negotiated alliance of former opponents.
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 informed revolutionary political arguments.
Gran Colombia: A republic founded in 1819 that united present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama before dissolving in 1831. It embodied Bolívar’s effort to preserve a large political union after liberation.
Brazilian War of Independence: The conflict from 1822 to 1824 that secured Brazil’s separation from Portugal. It formed a neighboring independence movement against Portugal, not Spain.
Juntas of Spanish America: Local governing bodies formed in Spanish America during the crisis of the Spanish monarchy after 1808. They claimed authority in the king’s absence, opening disputes over sovereignty and self-government.
Venezuelan War of Independence: The conflict from 1810 to 1823 that established Venezuela’s independence from Spain. Its shifting fortunes shaped Bolívar’s military and political strategy.
Bourbon Reforms: Eighteenth-century measures by Spain’s Bourbon monarchs to strengthen imperial administration and revenue. The reforms increased imperial control and helped fuel creole grievances.
Federal Republic of Central America: A Central American federation that existed from 1823 to 1841, comprising several former Spanish provinces. Its formation followed independence, but regional rivalries soon weakened the union.
Spanish reconquest of New Granada: The Spanish campaign from 1815 to 1816 that restored royalist control over much of New Granada. Its temporary restoration of Spanish rule distinguishes military reconquest from final independence.

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