Artigas: between “anti-Spanish feeling” and decision to “die for independence”

The assembly of deputies held on June 29, 1815 in the town of Arroyo de la China, now Concepción del Uruguay, in the province of Entre Ríos, is known as the Oriental Congress or Congress of Free Peoples. The Protector of Free Peoples, José Gervasio ArtigasHe presides over the congress of provinces subject to his protectorate within the United Provinces of Río de la Plata, recognized as the Federal League or Union of Free Peoples.

Because the Assembly of the Year XIII had not fulfilled its objective of proclaiming independence, which was the first of the instructions of the Eastern Caudillo to its representatives, that of the East was to be considered as the first independence congress. in the provinces of the former viceroyalty of Río de la Plata.

It was not so much a formal declaration of independence as the affirmation of the said will by provinces which had no doubt that the revolt of May 25 was carried out to sever colonial ties with Spain. . Marked a substantial difference with Buenos Aires and its provincial allies who opted for the strategy of hiding their insurrectionary designs from some of the participants in May. Not because two Spanish merchants, Larrea Yes Matheu They were part of the First Board and their goal was to overthrow the Viceroy who held exclusive trade with Spain in order to open up to free trade, mainly with England.

The decision of the Free Peoples and their Protector to sever ties with Spain, more determined and more sustained than that of the politicians of Buenos Aires, emerges clearly from reading the files on the communications of the Portuguese Empire based in Rio. de Janeiro and those of Andres Villalba, delegate of Fernando VII and his Minister of State the Duke of San Carlos before the Emperor Peter I of Portugal. Artigas sent delegates to Rio on different occasions, claiming to seek cooperation in his war against Buenos Aires centralism, a strategy of deception that Juan Pivel Devoto, editor-in-chief of the Artigas Archives, defines as a resource of circumstances, “the ruse of war, a political pretext, which has been called upon to save the fate of the Eastern Revolution”. These missions were one of the means of thwarting the diplomatic efforts of the Directory of Buenos Aires in Brazil.

Princess Carlota, sister of the king Fernando and wife of the Portuguese emperor, she was attentive to the movements of Artigas in the hope of establishing the alliance against Buenos Aires. But with the passage of the correspondence with Villalba, there is a change of attitude in her letters: at the beginning she is enthusiastic about the possibility of being a mediator in the Río de la Plata in favor of the interests of Fernando VII, then there is disenchantment and discredit towards Artigas and finally he declares that the only possible alliance or hope for the Spanish monarchy is in the politicians of Buenos Aires and that it is necessary to avoid at all costs that the artiguistas win. The triumph of Orientalism was decisive for this change. Fructuoso Rivera in Guayabos, January 10, 1815, where “anti-Spanish sentiment” and emancipation were manifested and unanimous when the blue and white flag with a red stripe was hoisted and the decision to “die for the independence “has been made public.

In a letter dated April 18, 1815 from Rio de Janeiro, Villalba is final in his judgment: “If Artigas had had arms and everything he needed, he certainly would not have appeared to belong to the king’s party. According to information from his spies, the declaration of independence is more obvious and imminent for the royalists, as well as its firmer aim, in Artigas, than in Buenos Aires itself. Write a report to Don Pedro de Cevallos, in order to “alert” the court to Fernando VII of the political situation and the intentions of Caudillo Artigas and his supporters, dated April 12, 1815, and explains:

“Just as before I saw with pleasure that Artigas distracted the forces of Buenos Aires with his squads of people, now I see with pain that he already takes as much preponderance over those he is able to dominate in Buenos Aires. , and then I think it is much more difficult than before the submission and reconciliation of these provinces to Spain ”.

From the information in this paragraph, it seems clear to spies, informants and observers outside the struggle of the Buenos Aires / Artigas Directory that the balance of power, at least during 1815, was ostensibly altered in favor of the Eastern federalism. His military and political support on the coast and extended to other provinces, such as Cordoba and Santa Fe, in addition to having consolidated his hegemony within the Banda Oriental, not only gave him the leadership of this confederation or League federal, after the Free Pueblos, but rather they position it with a preponderance on Buenos Aires. One of the reasons was surely the great popular support, the social basis of artiguism, on the contrary was generated by the conflicts and the strong dissidents that had the government of Buenos Aires, which was forced to raise taxes and suppress recurring military uprisings. This risk for Buenos Aires is the explanation for its worrying support for the Brazilian-Portuguese invasion of Eastern Banda, that is to say of its own territory, which ultimately resulted in the loss of this rich province. Everything was justified to destroy the eastern leader.

Villalba’s words to the king forcefully show us that for the Spanish colonial regime and its attempt to reclaim the American colonies, it was much more viable and feasible to negotiate with Buenos Aires, with some hope of agreement, than to do so. with Artigas, who clearly represented for Spain the impossibility and the refusal to regain power. This declaration, from the hand of a member of the royal ministry, proves not only the independence position of Artigas, but also the real and imminent emancipation of the provinces of eastern federalism, beyond any political speculation, such as the attempts to crown the European princes of Buenos Aires.

By way of ratification of what we have said so far, in this same letter quoted, the envoy to the Portuguese court said to His Majesty: “To please and flatter Alvear that now he commands as director of Buenos Aires and for the others who have influence in this government, there are a thousand media; but to please Artigas and his second Awards, which is the same thing, there is not, since these people are such that neither honors, nor distinctions, nor comforts matter to them at all, and since they find all their needs helped in the in the countryside and in the mountains (because with a piece of meat, which they sometimes eat raw and without salt, they are already happy) they look at everything with indifference. “

Andres Villalba continues to inform the Spanish Minister of State with concern about actions in favor of independence Pedro de Ceballos. He declares to have seen copies of documents, “papers” intercepted by a commissioner of Artigas, from which it is clearly deduced that “this caudillo worked and is currently working hard for independence, that he is furious against those of Buenos Aires because he supposes that they are contrary to them for some time in this part … “

He tells in his report that before the withdrawal of the troops from Buenos Aires from Montevideo, the place is taken by General Otorgues, the second of Artigas, who enters the city without troops to prevent violence or excesses from being commissioned, and immediately appointed individuals of the people to govern, “being one of the first of those most inclined to independence (it is said), he raised a new flag, the design of which is that which I accompany being the bands of different colors, and they say there’s a sign on it that says, die for independence.

In the same letter, Villalba reports having in his possession a copy of a Constitution, “which is said to have been made for the Provinces of Uruguay which are under the domination of Artigas”. He clarifies that he assumes that it was not drafted at that time, but that it was already around for a long time, but now it was appropriate for the leader to try to implement it, and that is why he sent it in his signaling to V. E, “in spite of being badly written”, to make you aware of the terrible intentions of the artiguistas. Said draft Constitution has not arrived today, as much of the material on the federal side has fallen into the hands of Unitarianism.

Whether or not the Artigas party won defined the fate and future of the revolution in the Río de la Plata. If they were imposed, they guaranteed the end of power and the hopes of the return of Spanish domination, it was Independence; on the other hand, if Buenos Aires won, it became indefinite and volatile, doable to negotiate and agree with the peninsula. The events of the following years confirm this, since artiguista independence has been declared, it takes another year for the Congress of Tucumán to declare it, but with greater lukewarmness and in an incomplete way, since it does not determine any form of government. , organization or constitution. , and keeps negotiations open with European royalty.

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