Patria Vieja

Chile, 1810–1814. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Patria Vieja is a time period in the history of Chile between the First Junta of the Government (September 18, 1810) and the Disaster of Rancagua (October 1, 1814). This period was characterized by the transformation from a movement of temporary autonomy to one of total independence. During this time a Government Junta of Chile as well as a National Congress were organized to administer the country during the imprisonment of the king. This put an end to the Chilean Patria Vieja and it was the decisive step of the Spanish military Reconquest of Chile.

Seat of power: Santiago

Rulers

Mateo de Toro Zambrano, 1st Count of La Conquista

Head of state, 1810–1811

In 1810, following Francisco Antonio García Carrasco's resignation, he stepped into the role of interim president-governor and captain general of Chile. On September 18, 1810, he assumed the presidency of the First National Government Junta of Chile, becoming the initial leader of the autonomist movement that eventually led to Chile's independence.

Portrait of Mateo de Toro Zambrano, 1st Count of La Conquista: Unidentified painter, Public domain, file

Jose Miguel Carrera

Head of state, 1811–1813

Carrera was the most important leader of the Chilean War of Independence during the period of the Patria Vieja ("Old Republic"). On 25 July 1814, the radicals overthrew Supreme Director Francisco de la Lastra and appointed Jose Miguel Carrera as the head of a provisional junta.

Portrait of Jose Miguel Carrera: Miguel Venegas Cifuentes (1907-1979), Public domain, file

José Miguel Infante

Head of state, 1813–1814

He served several times as deputy and minister, and was the force behind the Chilean Federalist movement. In the first meeting he asked for the convocation of a popular congress to declare the independence of the nation, and, notwithstanding strong opposition, carried his point.

Portrait of José Miguel Infante: Raymond Monvoisin, Public domain, file

Culture

The Congress passed a law decreeing Liberty of the Womb, which stated that all children of slaves born on Chilean soil from that point onwards would be free.
In 1812, the first constitutional decree was passed, which agreed to recognize the king if he accepted certain constitutional regulations.
Two things that stood out during this period were the political prominence of the Carrera brothers, especially José Miguel Carrera and the military campaigns led by Bernardo O'Higgins as General.

Picture

The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins.

Image: Pedro Subercaseaux, Public domain, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.