May Revolution

The May Revolution happened from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires was the capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. It was a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. The result was the removal of Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros and the forming of a local government now called the "Primera Junta". In Argentina this is now celebrated as "May Week" (Spanish: Semana de Mayocode: es is deprecated ).

The May Revolution was a direct reaction to Spain's Peninsular War of the previous two years. In 1808, King Ferdinand VII of Spain abdicated in favor of Napoleon. Napoleon gave the throne to his brother, Joseph Bonaparte.

The May Revolution began the Argentine War of Independence. No formal declaration of independence was made. The Primera Junta continued to govern in the name of the deposed king, Ferdinand VII. The Argentine Declaration of Independence was made at the Congress of Tucumán on July 9, 1816.

May Revolution Media

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  The rule of Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain was resisted by Spaniards, and cast doubts on the legitimacy of the Spanish viceroys

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  The US Declaration of Independence inspired similar movements in the Spanish colonies in South America

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  The coronation of Infanta Carlota Joaquina was considered an alternative to revolution

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  The coronation of Carlota Joaquina de Borbón was briefly considered an alternative to the Revolution

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  Santiago de Liniers ruled as viceroy between 1807 and 1809

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  Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, the last viceroy to rule in Buenos Aires

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  Map of Cádiz during the French siege

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  Secret meeting of the revolutionaries at the house of Nicolás Rodríguez Peña