Republic of South Peru República Sur-Peruana | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1836–1839 | |||||||||
 Flag .svg) Coat of arms | |||||||||
 South Peru within the Confederation | |||||||||
| Capital | Tacna 18°3′20″S70°14′54″W / 18.05556°S 70.24833°W /-18.05556; -70.24833 | ||||||||
| Government | Presidentialrepublic within aconfederation | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1837–1838 | Ramón Herrera | ||||||||
• 1838–1839 | Pío de Tristán | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| 17 March 1836 | |||||||||
| 28 October 1836 | |||||||||
• Occupied | October–November 1837 | ||||||||
| 25 August 1839 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Peru Bolivia Chile Brazil | ||||||||
TheRepublic of South Peru (Spanish:República Sud-Peruana) was one of the three constituent Republics of the short-livedPeru–Bolivian Confederation of 1836–39.
South Peru was one of two states—the other beingNorth Peru—that arose from the division of thePeruvian Republic due to the civil wars of1834 and1835 to 1836. The states were founded in 1836 to be constituent Republics of the plannedPeru-Bolivian Confederation, alongsideBolivia.[1]
The Confederation came to an end three years later after continuous border wars withArgentina andChile in theWar of the Confederation, and after a chaotic civil conflict between north and south Peruvians. In August 1839,Agustín Gamarra declared the Confederation dissolved; as a result, South Peru and North Peru reverted to being aunified Republic of Peru.
After political instability in Peru and a coup d'état in 1835, acivil war broke out between newly self-declared presidentFelipe Santiago Salaverry and constitutional presidentLuis José de Orbegoso, who allowed Bolivian presidentAndrés de Santa Cruz to send his troops through the Peruvian border.[2] After the latter's triumph in 1836, assemblies were soon established to make way for the creation of the Confederation, an idea that had been floating around since theera of independence.
A constituent assembly known as theSicuani Assembly was established on March 16, 1836, and closed on March 22. It featured representatives fromAyacucho,Arequipa,Cuzco,Puno andTacna.[3] On April 10, Orbegoso recognizedSouth Peru as an independent state through a decree, and a Supreme Court was installed inCuzco on August 24. The assembly also created the country's flag and currency. Fines were put in place to prevent the(now North) Peruvian flag from being flown.[4]
Provided, then, with all the legal elements granted by the assemblies of the three states, Santa Cruz decreed the establishment of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, by decree given in Lima on October 28, 1836.[5][6] A congress known today as theCongress of Tacna was ordered to meet inTacna to establish the foundations of the confederation. ThePact of Tacna was signed without debate during the congress. It established thelegal framework through which the state would operate, and also included the design of the Confederation's flag.[7] Reactions to the pact were mixed event among its signatories, and disagreements led to the establishment of one constituent congress per member state.[8] The act was later promulgated in 1837.
The Confederation generated resistance among several groups in both countries, which resented the dilution of national identities, and also among neighbouring countries. An important number of Peruvian politicians who opposed the Confederation, such asAgustín Gamarra andRamón Castilla, fled to Chile where they received support, leading to theWar of the Confederation.[3][9]
After a trade war, theCongress of Chile approved the declaration of war on December 26, 1836,[10] claiming that Santa Cruz's rule over Peru was illegitimate, and that his influence threatened the integrity of otherSouth American nations, as seen by Orbegoso's support for an attempted invasion of Chile byRamón Freire, specifically pointing out that it targeted then ministerDiego Portales.[11]Argentina followed suit afterJuan Manuel de Rosas thendeclared war on the Confederation on May 19, 1837, after the escalation of a territorial conflict inits border,[12] accusing Santa Cruz of harboring supporters of theUnitarian Party. The accusations ended up being true, as Santa Cruz had financially supported the émigrés.[13]
South Peru wasinvaded from October to November under the nominal leadership ofAntonio Gutiérrez de la Fuente asSupreme Chief of Peru.,[14] with the occupants being surrounded and forced to sign the atreaty, leaving the country shortly after.[10][15] The treaty was declared null and void by Chile,[16] and a second expedition headed byManuel Bulnes was organized,[17] which left for Peru on July 19, 1838.[10] Around the same time,North Peru seceded from the Confederation on July 30,[18] but was nevertheless attacked and defeated by thesecond expedition in theBattle of Portada de Guías of August 21.[19][20]
During this time, the Confederation's stability collapsed. WhilePío de Tristán continued to be president in South Peru and Santa Cruz continued to be the Supreme Protector, by September, they were two of other seven parallel presidents at one time: Gamara claimed to be the restorationist president, with his troops heading north; Orbegoso claimed the leadership of the secessionist North Peruvian state, now defeated;José de la Riva Agüero was appointed by Santa Cruz as Orbegoso's successor;Domingo Nieto claimed control in the north; andJuan Francisco de Vidal claimed control in Huaylas.[21]
Santa Cruz headed for Lima, arriving on November 10, but left for the north, where therestaurateurs were located. He was defeated in theBattle of Yungay on January 20, 1839, and thus, the Confederation was dissolved,[19] with Gamarra announcing its dissolution on August 25.[22] The Confederate defeat led to the exile of Santa Cruz, first toGuayaquil, in Ecuador, then to Chile, and finally to Europe, where he died.
From 1837 to its dissolution were aProvisional President and a Congress, both with limited powers and under the control of MarshalAndrés de Santa Cruz, who was styled theSupreme Protector.
South Peru was divided into five departments which in turn were divided into provinces, and these into districts.
On its foundation it consisted of four departments with their capitals in the cities of the same name. A fifth, Litoral, was added in 1837 with its capital atTacna.
| Bolivia | |
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| North Peru | |
| South Peru | |
| Special areas | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
