Uruguay, the only Spanish-speaking South American country that did not gain independence from Spain

All Spanish-speaking South American countries gained independence from Spain through revolution and war. However, Uruguay, a country sandwiched between Portuguese-speaking Brazil and Spanish-speaking Argentina has a very interesting and unique story.

In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Spain and overthrew its monarchy and replaced its king with his own brother. This caused a power vacuum in the Spanish colonies in South America. Modern-day Uruguay and Argentina was among these colonies, at that time it was part of the Viceroyalty of the Rio De la Plata, which also encompassed modern-day Argentina, Peru and Bolivia.

Bolivia and Peru fought their own wars of independence from the Spanish under Simón Bolívar.

I did a series on Simón Bolívar. Check it out in my South America portal.

Anyway, in Argentina, rebels had been fighting since 1810., In 1811, modern-day Uruguay, then called Banda Oriental, under José Gervasio Artigas, revolted against the Spanish and joined the Argentines in the fight against the Spanish. 5 years later, Argentina declared independence from Spain as the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata with modern-day Uruguay as part of it.

In that same year, Portugal, from Brazil, attacked modern-day Uruguay and cemented control of it by 1820, establishing Cisplatina province. The war to capture Uruguay lasted about four years and José Gervasio Artigas fought hard to defend his homeland, eventually his defeat got him exiled to Paraguay after he was abandoned by his other allies. He lived the rest of his years there. He died in 1850, and he is remembered as the father of Uruguayan nationhood, the man who fought to liberate it from the Spanish and defend it in the face of Portuguese aggression.

Anyway, five years after the fall of Uruguay to the Portuguese, a group of Uruguayan patriots known as the Thirty Three Orientals declared independence from Brazil in 1825. ( Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1822 ). The Brazilians tried to suppress the revolt but failed as it turned into a full-scale war with Uruguayan militias arming themselves, ready to defend their homeland from the invaders. Argentina supported Uruguay in the conflict, and in 1828, Uruguay's independence was secured.

Uruguay remained independent for the next 199 years, until the present day. Next year Uruguay celebrates 200 years of glorious independence, and I might just do a post about these 200 years next year as a special for Uruguayan Independence day, 25 August ( Declaration of Independence ), 27 August ( Securing of Independence ).

By the way, Uruguay got its name from its Guaraní name which loosely translates to " winding river ". This " river " is most likely the Uruguay River, which marks the western border of the country. The Guaraní are an indigenous people of Paraguay and Uruguay, making up 2% of the population in both countries.