The Revolution of 8 October 1812 () took place during the

Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence () was a secessionist civil war (until 1816) fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli, Martín Miguel de Güemes, Martin Miguel de Guemes and José de ...

. Led by

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

and

Carlos María de Alvear Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewher ...

, it deposed the

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

and allowed the creation of the

Second Triumvirate The Second Triumvirate was an extraordinary commission and magistracy created at the end of the Roman republic for Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian to give them practically absolute power. It was formally constituted by law on 27 November ...

, which called the Assembly of Year XIII.

Context

The

was a government of three members that ruled Argentina during the

, 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 bor ...

who promoted the

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

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 gove ...

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 B ...

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 (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

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 in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

, 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 (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...

, such as the early

Primera Junta The Primera Junta ("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 what ...

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 Martín de Sarratea (1743–1813), of the richest merchant of Buenos-Aires and To ...

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 Argentin ...

promoted antimorenist new members, Manuel Obligado and

Pedro Medrano Pedro de Medrano y Cabrera (26 April 1769 – 3 November 1840) was a Uruguayan-born Argentine statesman, poet and lawyer from the House of Medrano. He was a provisional president and a representative to the Congress of Tucumán which on 9 July ...

. The people organised a riot all across the city, headed by

Bernardo de Monteagudo Bernardo de Monteagudo (1789–1825) was a political activist and revolutionary. He took part in the liberation struggles in South America, particularly in Argentina. He was born in Tucumán in Argentina, and was assassinated in Lima, Perú. ...

, 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 th ...

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

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

, 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

Nicolás Rodríguez Peña Nicolás Rodriguez Peña (30 April 1775 – 3 December 1853) 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 successful businesses, he ha ...

was appointed by 172 votes against 12,

Antonio Álvarez Jonte Antonio Álvarez Jonte (1784 – October 18, 1820) was an Argentine politician. He was born in Madrid and moved with parents to Córdoba when young. He studied law at Córdoba University and obtained his doctorate at the Real Universidad de San ...

by 147 against 35, and

Juan José Paso Juan José Esteban Paso, (January 2, 1758, Buenos Aires – September 10, 1833) was an Argentine politician who participated in the events that started the Argentine War of Independence known as May Revolution of 1810. Biography Early life ...

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 1810s coups d'état and coup attempts