The Paraguayan Legion ( es, Legión Paraguaya), was a military unit led by colonel

Juan Francisco Decoud ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

and

Fernando Iturburu Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

that was formed in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

during the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

and consisted mainly of Paraguayan exiles and opponents of

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 – 1 March 1870) was President of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of Juana Pabla Carrillo and of President Carlos Antonio López, Francisco's predecessor. ...

regime. Due to mistrust between the allied Argentina and Brazil, the Legion never developed into a strong fighting unit, as Brazilians distrusted this unit created by Argentina. They started fighting only in March 1869 but under Paraguayan flag. Legionnaires dominated the Paraguayan political scene during the liberal period of the first post-war years. The first Provisional government, the Triumvirate of

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 – E ...

, included two Legionnaires: José Díaz de Bedoya and

Carlos Loizaga Carlos Loizaga was member of the Paraguayan Triumvirate established by the occupying allied forces following the death of Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 – 1 March 1870) was President of Para ...

. Politically, legionnaires quickly split into the Decoud faction and the Bareiro faction. The Decoud faction was involved in the formation of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

. The former López supporters and nationalists who in 1887 established the Colorado Party, used this to portray the liberals as traitors, despite the fact that many signers of the 1887 Colorado founding manifesto were former legionnaires as well.Historical Dictionary of Paraguay
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References

History of Paraguay {{Paraguay-stub