The Battle of Ingavi occurred on November 18, 1841, during the

Peruvian-Bolivian War of 1841-1842 The Peruvian-Bolivian War was a warlike confrontation between Peru and Bolivia in the years 1841 and 1842. In 1841, Agustín Gamarra, President of Peru, tried to annex Bolivia (the former colonial Charcas Audience), which cost the Peruvian presi ...

, in the town of Ingavi,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. The

Bolivian Army The Bolivian Army ( es, Ejército Boliviano) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. Figures on the size and composition of the Bolivian army vary considerably, with little official data available. It is estimated that the arm ...

, commanded by Jose Ballivian, there met an invading

Peruvian Army The Peruvian Army ( es, Ejército del Perú, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missi ...

commanded by

Agustín Gamarra Agustín Gamarra Messia (August 27, 1785 – November 18, 1841) was a Peruvian soldier and politician, who served as the 4th and 7th President of Peru. Gamarra was a Mestizo, being of mixed Spanish and Quechua descent.Larned, Smith, Seymour, Sh ...

, who later died during the battle.

Background

With the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, Peruvian President

, made the controversial decision to invade Bolivia and used the political chaos occurring in the Bolivian government as an excuse.Biografías de Bolivianos Célebres
Gamarra had from the beginning supported a union between Peru and Bolivia but preferred it to be completely dominated by the Peruvian government, rather than being a confederation between the two nations. Immediately, Jose Ballivian assumed power in the chaotic state of Bolivia and proclaimed himself president. There were three different governments attempting to rule Bolivia: a legitimate government headquartered in Chuquisaca and headed by

José Mariano Serrano José Mariano Serrano (8 September 1788–1852) was a Bolivian-born statesman and jurist. He was a representative to the Congress of Tucumán of 9 July 1816 which declared the Independence of the provinces of the River Plate and presided over ...

, another headquartered in

Cochabamba Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630 ...

and headed by

José Miguel de Velasco José Miguel de Velasco Franco (; 29 September 1795 – 13 October 1859) was a Bolivian military officer and statesman who served as the fourth president of Bolivia on four occasions: 1828, 1829, 1839-1841, and 1848. Velasco also served as the ...

, and that of Ballivian headquartered in

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bol ...

. Faced with the danger of a Peruvian invasion, the three governments joined under Ballivian and readied their armies, which in Ingavi repelled the Peruvians.

Result

On November 18, 1841, with Agustin Gamarra being dead, the

left Bolivia. The news generated chaos in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

, where Vice-President

Manuel Menéndez Manuel Menéndez Gorozabel (1793 – May 2, 1847) served as Interim President of Peru from 1841 to 1842, on 1844, and lastly from 1844 to 1845. See also * List of presidents of Peru 1793 births 1847 deaths Presidents of Peru ...

struggled to maintain his authority. He was soon deposed, with

Juan Crisóstomo Torrico Juan Crisóstomo Torrico Vargas (January 21, 1808, Lima, Peru – March 27, 1875, Paris, France) served as the 16th President of Peru during a brief period in 1842. At age 34, he was Peru's youngest President ever. In 1820, Torrico participated ...

assuming power, which allowed order to return to the country. That would be the last attempt of Peru to try to assume control of Bolivia. The Bolivian Army did not have enough troops to maintain the occupation. In the

Battle of Tarapacá The Battle of Tarapacá occurred on November 27, 1879, during the Tarapacá Campaign of the War of the Pacific. Three Chilean columns of almost 3,900 soldiers attacked a numerically inferior Peruvian contingent of 3,046 troops at Tarapacá - 500 ...

(1842), Peruvian montoneros, formed by Major Juan Buendía, from Iquique defeated on January 7, 1842 the detachment led by Colonel José María García, who died in the confrontation. Thus, Bolivian troops vacated Tacna, Arica and Tarapacá in February 1842 and retreated to Moquegua and Puno. In the battle of

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the capita ...

the Peruvian militias expel Bolivian troops who wanted to take over the port of Arica. Motoni and Orurillo batlles evict and subsequently initiate the withdrawal of Bolivian forces that occupied Peruvian territory, again threatening Bolivia to suffer an invasion.

Notes

External links

Estados Unidos y el mar boliviano

La Batalla de Ingavi

Elecciones Perú 2001 - La Confederación Peruano-Boliviana

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Ingavi Ingavi Ingavi 1841 in Bolivia 1841 in military history November 1841 events