The Revolution of October 8, 1812 ( es, Revolución del 8 de octubre de 1812) took place during the Argentine War of Independence. Led by

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...

and

Carlos María de Alvear Carlos María de Alvear (October 25, 1789 in Santo Ángel, Rio Grande do Sul – November 3, 1852 in New York), was an Argentine soldier and statesman, Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in 1815. Early life H ...

, it deposed the

First Triumvirate The First Triumvirate was an informal political alliance among three prominent politicians in the late Roman Republic: Gaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Marcus Licinius Crassus. The constitution of the Roman republic had many ve ...

and allowed the creation of the Second Triumvirate, which called the Assembly of Year XIII.

Context

The

was a government of three members that ruled Argentina during the Argentine War of Independence, after the fall of the

Junta Grande Junta Grande (), or Junta Provisional Gubernativa de Buenos Aires, is the most common name for the executive government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (modern-day Argentina), that followed the incorporation of provincial represent ...

, which had many members. The Triumvirate had a conservative policy, and had removed the radical supporters of the late

Mariano Moreno Mariano Moreno (; September 23, 1778March 4, 1811) was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, and politician. He played a decisive role in the Primera Junta, the first national government of Argentina, created after the May Revolution. Moreno was b ...

who promoted the

May Revolution The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...

and managed government the first months. However, a strong

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

conspiracy headed by

Martín de Álzaga Martín de Álzaga (11 November 1755 – 6 July 1812) was a Spanish merchant and politician during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata. Hero of the Reconquest He arrived in Buenos Aires at 11 years of age, poor and speaking only ...

made them unite forces once more. Álzaga was defeated and executed, but Morenists returned to the political scene. The revolutionary war was reinforced by a number of Argentine-born officers who left Spain when the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

was nearing a total French victory. The most notable of them were

and

. They organized a local wing of the Lodge of Rational Knights from

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, and quickly headed the local military forces.

Revolution

Both the Morenist peoples and the new military group opposed the conservative policy of the First Triumvirate, and wanted a government that fostered the ideas of the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

, such as the early

Primera Junta The Primera Junta ( en, First Junta) or ''Junta Provisional Gubernativa de las Provincias del Río de la Plata'' (''Provisional Governing Junta of the Provinces of the Río de la Plata''), is the most common name given to the first government of ...

headed by Moreno. The revolution was caused by the end of the terms of

Manuel de Sarratea Manuel de Sarratea, (Buenos Aires, 11 August 1774 – Limoges, France, 21 September 1849), was an Argentine diplomat, politician and soldier. He was the son of Martin de Sarratea (1743–1813), of the richest merchant of Buenos-Aires and Tom ...

and

Feliciano Chiclana Feliciano Antonio Chiclana (June 9, 1761 in Buenos Aires – September 17, 1826 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine lawyer, soldier, and judge. Biography Feliciano Chiclana studied at the Colegio de San Carlos and in 1783 he finished with a law ...

, as

Juan Martín de Pueyrredón Juan Martín de Pueyrredón y O'Dogan (December 18, 1777 – March 13, 1850) was an Argentine general and politician of the early 19th century. He was appointed Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata after the Argentine ...

promoted antimorenist new members, Manuel Obligado and Pedro Medrano. The people organized a riot all across the city, headed by Bernardo de Monteagudo, and attacked the houses of Pueyrredón and

Bernardino Rivadavia Bernardino de la Trinidad González Rivadavia (May 20, 1780 – September 2, 1845) was the first President of Argentina, then called the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, from February 8, 1826 to June 27, 1827. He was educated at t ...

. At the night of October 7, a military unit headed by San Martín and Alvear stationed in front of the

Buenos Aires Cabildo The Cabildo of Buenos Aires ( es, Cabildo de Buenos Aires) is the public building in Buenos Aires that was used as seat of the town council during the colonial era and the government house of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. Today the bu ...

, in support of the popular request. The Cabildo closed the assembly that was about to elect Obligado and Medrano, and took government again. There were rumors that San Martín or Alvear would be appointed in place of the Triumvirate, but they denied any appointment. They declared that the military did not intervene in the conflict to take the government by force, or to promote someone from their ranks, but to guarantee that the popular will was respected. Thus, the Cabildo elected a new triumvirate, the Second Triumvirate.

Nicolás Rodríguez Peña Nicolás Rodriguez Peña (1775, in Buenos Aires – 1853, in Santiago de Chile) was an Argentine politician. Born in Buenos Aires in April 1775, he worked in commerce which allowed him to amass a considerable fortune. Among his several successfu ...

was appointed by 172 votes against 12,

Antonio Álvarez Jonte Antonio Álvarez Jonte (Madrid, 1784 – Pisco, Perú, October 18, 1820) was an Argentine politician. He was born in Madrid in 1784 and moved with parents to Córdoba when young. He studied law at Córdoba University and obtained his doctorat ...

by 147 against 35, and Juan José Paso by 96 against 87. The new triumvirate called the Assembly of Year XIII, a popular request that the First Triumvirate avoided to follow.Galasso, pp. 87-88

Bibliography

References

{{San Martín Revolutions in Argentina Argentine War of Independence 19th-century rebellions Military coups in Argentina 1812 in Argentina Conflicts in 1812 October 1812 events 1810s coups d'état and coup attempts