Everything about The May Revolution totally explained
The
May Revolution (in
Spanish:
Revolución de Mayo) was a series of political and social events in the
nineteenth century city of
Buenos Aires which installed the first local government not designated by the
Spanish Crown in the
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, which at the time contained the present-day nations of
Argentina,
Bolivia,
Paraguay and
Uruguay. Although the Revolution took place only in Buenos Aires, one of the consequences was that the head of the Viceroyalty,
Viceroy Cisneros, was ousted from office. Involved in these acts were mostly middle-high to high-
class inhabitants of Buenos Aires (most native Spanish ex-patriates or residents of Spanish descent). There was no great violence involved; the term "revolution" has been loosely applied by Argentine
tradition to highlight the changing of their governmental system and distinguish the undisputed fact that after the May Revolution, Buenos Aires itself was no longer subservient to decisions taken by Spain in their name.
Prelude
On
May 13,
1810, the arrival of a
British frigate in
Montevideo confirmed the rumors circulating in Buenos Aires:
France, led by Emperor
Napoleon, had
invaded Spain, capturing and overthrowing
Ferdinand VII Bourbon, the Spanish King who was then replaced by Bonaparte's older brother
Joseph. The power of the Spanish Crown was transferred to the
Cortes in
Cádiz, which was besieged by French troops. The situation was clear: with the authority of the viceregency gone, there was a power vacuum
Viceroy Cisneros attempted to conceal the news from Spain; however, the rumor had already spread throughout the whole city. He decided then to give his own version of the facts through a proclamation, while trying to calm down the
criollos ("Creoles"). He asked for allegiance to King Ferdinand, but popular unrest continued to intensify.
Not fooled by the Viceroy's story, some
criollos decided to meet at the houses of
Nicolás Rodríguez Peña and
Hipólito Vieytes. During these secret sessions they decided to name a representative commission to ask Cisneros for a
Cabildo Abierto (open town hall meeting), an unprecedented move. There they intended to decide the future of the Viceroy.
Viceroy Cisneros received
Juan José Castelli and
Martín Rodríguez, and they presented the petition. They urged him to set the meeting for the next day, but the Viceroy wouldn't decide: he thought that a
Cabildo Abierto wouldn't be in his favor. He decided that he needed more time, and called the leaders of the military to his gubernatorial residence,
el Fuerte ("the fort"), to find out whether they'd support him.
The military leaders arrived at
el Fuerte in the late hours of the afternoon. Creole
Cornelio Saavedra, chief of the
Patricios Regiment was in attendance. When the Viceroy asked for his support, Saavedra replied that he should resign, as the Junta which had appointed him no longer existed.
The only one to defend Cisneros's position was
Julián de Leiva, the prosecutor of the
Cabildo.
At nine o'clock, business at the
Cabildo began as usual, but was interrupted by armed men and women which occupied
la Plaza de la Victoria (known today as
la Plaza de Mayo). They demanded a
Cabildo Abierto and the removal of the Viceroy. Amongst the agitators
Domingo French and
Antonio Beruti distinguished themselves. Viceroy Cisneros finally signed an authorization for the assembly to be held the following day.
The
Cabildo Abierto began at noon at the
Buenos Aires Cabildo. Six-hundred invitations had been printed, only four-hundred and fifty of which were delivered. The list of individuals invited had been drawn up by the
Cabildo, taking into account the most prominent citizens of the city. Many didn't attend out of fear and uncertainty, which led to a final attendance of two-hundred and fifty-one. The debate lasted four hours, and was interrupted by moments of great disorder. There were two opposing viewpoints: the
archbishop of Buenos Aires,
Benito de Lué cautioned against abrupt change, and
Juan José Castelli maintained that the
American population should assume their own fates until Ferdinand VII Bourbon could retake the Spanish throne.
After the speeches of the previous day, the
Cabildo met again to vote for the continuation of the Viceroy (alone or in company) or for his removal. The outcome of the
vote was sixty-nine "for" and one-hundred and fifty-five "against", dictating that Cisneros should be removed from the viceroyalty.
Ultimately, Saavedra's proposal prevailed and a Junta was created. Leiva nominated Cisneros as the Junta's
president, and with that aim presented a list of future members. Saavedra and
Manuel Belgrano, who were on the list, were present at the
Cabildo and rejected Leiva's proposal. They insisted on the Viceroy's total removal from government.
With all gathered at the
Cabildo, the formation of a Junta consisting of four Creoles plus the ex-Viceroy as president was once again proposed. Such a Junta would be maintained until the arrival of deputies from the rest of the Viceroyalty. The Junta consisted of Cisneros, Saavedra,
Juan N. Sola,
Juan José Castelli and
José Santos de Incháurregui. The
Cabildo approved the Junta but the news was concealed from the public until the military could voice its
opinion.
The military chiefs were summoned and swore
allegiance by three o'clock PM. When news spread of the new Junta, public discontent arose. They proclaimed, "
lo de Cisneros presidente de la Junta es igual a Cisneros virrey" (
"Cisneros as the Junta's president is the same as Cisneros as viceroy"). With tensions among the populace rising, Saaverra and Castelli relinquished membership in the Junta. At 8:00 p.m., the revolutionaries met at Rodríguez Peña's house, and sent emissaries to persuade all members to quit.
In the morning, the collective
Cabildo Abierto was prepared to reject the resignations, holding that the Junta had no faculties to relinquish a power that had been endorsed by the population. But two things precipitated the crisis: Saavedra's
Patricios Regiment no longer supported Cisneros, and pressure from the populace remained strong.
The
Cabildo had no choice but to ask Cisneros for his resignation, and dissolved the Junta which he'd presided over.
Patriots took advantage of the situation and asserted the need for a local authority. Thus,
la Primera Junta de Gobierno ("the First Junta") was created.
Contemporaneously,
el Día de la Revolución de Mayo (May Revolution Day) on
May 25 is an annual
holiday in Argentina to commemorate these significant events in the
history of Argentina. This and the other events of the week leading up to that day are referred to as
la Semana de Mayo (May Week).
Further Information
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