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Realm of Chile / Kingdom of Chile
AD 1540 - 1818
Chile is the long strip of land down the Pacific coast of South
America. It was
first entered by
Spanish
conquistadors in 1535, when Diego de Almagro led his men south from
Peru in search of gold. Almagro
had taken part in the conquest of Peru, during which he had captured amazing
wealth. This allowed him to finance a new expedition at great expense, although
it proved more difficult than expected to cross the Andes Mountains. Reaching
the other side, the territory that would become Chile was claimed for Spain,
but Almagro found no gold and the hostility of the natives eventually persuaded
him to return to Peru.
In 1536 a fresh expedition was led by Pedro de Valdivia, and this followed a
different route through the Atacama Desert, and strived harder to establish
friendly relations with the natives. An advantageous location was eventually
found in the River Mapocho valley. In 1540 the Spanish Realm or Kingdom of Chile
was officially created as an administrative division of the viceroyalty of Peru,
and administered locally by royal governors. Valdivia founded the capital of
Santiago de la Nueva Extremadura on 12 February 1541. |
1540 - 1547 |
Pedro de Valdivia |
First governor of Chile. |
1541 |
Pedro de Valdivia campaigns against the native tribes, who have begun to
resist the invaders. While he is away from Santiago, the Michimalonco
natives attack the capital and a desperate defence is led by Valdivia's
mistress, Ines de Suarez. Although the natives are held off for long enough
so that Valdivia can return and push them back, the city is almost entirely
destroyed by fire. Rebuilding commences only slowly, and is under
permanently armed guard, facing the constant threat of attack from the
increasingly organised natives. |
1546 - 1547 |
It is only by 1546 that Valdivia is able to fully pacify the territory
surrounding the city. The following year he returns to Peru in search of
reinforcements and supplies, leaving Villagra as governor.
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The very nature of Chile's topography made it one of the
toughest parts of South America for the Spanish to conquer
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1547 - 1549 |
Francisco de Villagra |
Lieutenant governor. |
1549 - 1553 |
Pedro de Valdivia |
Second term of office. |
1549 - 1553 |
Returning to Chile, Valdivia campaigns south, facing heavy resistance from
the native population. In 1550 he founds Concepcion on land conquered from
the Araucanian people, but their will to resist is far from broken. They
unite under the leadership of Caupolican and, in 1553, Valdivia is ambushed
at the Battle of Tucapel and killed. |
1553 |
Rodrigo de Quiroga |
Interim governor. |
1553 - 1555 |
Francisco de Villagra |
Second term of office, this time as full governor. |
1555 - 1556 |
The cities of the colony are self-governing during the period in which the
position of governor is disputed, as Villagra's governorship is not
officially recognised. The Real Audiencia in Peru
reaches a settlement. |
1556 - 1557 |
Francisco de Villagra |
Restored to office. |
1557 - 1561 |
Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza |
|
1561 - 1563 |
Francisco de Villagra |
Third term of office. |
1561 |
Villagra's arrival by ship for the start of his third term of office also
brings with it the smallpox virus. An epidemic grips the Spanish cities in
Chile, but it affects the Mapuche natives even worse, wiping out up to a
quarter of their entire population. |
1563 - 1565 |
Pedro de Villagra |
Cousin. |
1565 - 1567 |
Rodrigo de Quiroga |
Interim governor for the second time. |
1567 - 1568 |
The Real Audiencia of Chile temporarily governs the colony after removing
Quiroga from office while he is campaigning in the south. However, their own
choice, Saravia, comes into dispute with them, so he is in turn replaced by
Quiroga. |
1568 - 1575 |
Melchor Bravo de Saravia |
|
1575 - 1580 |
Rodrigo de Quiroga |
Former interim governor. |
1580 - 1583 |
Martin Ruiz de Gamboa |
Interim governor. |
1583 - 1592 |
Alonso de Sotomayor |
|
1592 |
Pedro de Viscarra |
Lieutenant governor. |
1591 - 1598 |
Martin Garcia de Onaz y Loyola |
Ambushed and killed. |
1598 - 1600 |
Loyola is killed at the Battle of Curalaba in December 1598, when Mapuche
people led by Pelantaru surprise the governor and his small force of fifty
men, killing most of them. This ends the 'Conquista' period in colonial
Chile and greatly encourages the natives to launch a long-prepared general
uprising. Over the next few years the Mapuche Revolt sees much of
Spanish
Chile destroyed by the natives. |
1598 - 1599 |
Pedro de Viscarra |
Interim governor. |
1599 - 1600 |
Francisco de Quinonez |
Began to stabilise Mapuche Revolt but still suffered heavy
losses. |
1600 - 1601 |
Alonso Garcia Ramon |
Interim governor. |
1601 - 1605 |
Alonso de Rivera / Ribera |
Interim governor. |
1605 - 1610 |
Alonso Garcia Ramon |
Second term of office. Died 1610. |
1606 |
A force of around 500 Spaniards under Garcia Ramon defeat a Mapuche army of
around 6,000 at the Battle of Boroa. Fort San Ignacio de la Redencion is
constructed near Boroa but is soon abandoned after most of its garrison is
ambushed. |
1610 |
The illness and death of Garcia Ramon encourages the Mapuche to rise up
again and take advantage of his replacement. |
1610 - 1611 |
Luis Merlo de la Fuente Ruiz de Beteta |
|
1611 - 1612 |
Juan Jara Quemada |
Interim governor. |
1612 - 1617 |
Alonso de Rivera / Ribera |
Former interim governor. Died 1617. |
1617 - 1618 |
Fernando Talaverano Gallegos |
|
1618 - 1620 |
Lope de Ulloa y Lemos |
|
1620 - 1621 |
Cristobal de la Cerda y Sotomayor |
|
1621 - 1624 |
Pedro Osores de Ulloa |
|
1624 - 1628 |
Luis Fernandez de Cordoba |
|
1629 - 1639 |
Francisco Lasso de la Vega |
|
1639 - 1646 |
Francisco Lopez de Zuniga |
|
1646 - 1649 |
Martin de Mujica |
|
1649 - 1650 |
Alonso de Figueroa y Cordoba |
|
1650 - 1655 |
Antonio de Acuna y Cabrera |
|
1655 - 1658 |
Pedro Porter Casanate |
|
1658 - 1663 |
Diego Gonzalez Montero |
|
1663 - 1668 |
Francisco de Meneses |
|
1668 - 1672 |
Diego Davila Coello y Pacheco |
|
1672 - 1682 |
Juan Henriquez |
|
1682 |
Antonio de Isasa |
Granted the post but died before he could take office. |
1682 |
Marcos Garcia de Rabanal |
Granted the post but died before he could take office. |
1682 - 1692 |
Jose de Garro |
|
1692 - 1700 |
Tomas Marin de Poveda |
|
1700 - 1709 |
Francisco Ibanez de Peralta |
|
1709 - 1717 |
Juan Andres de Ustariz |
|
1717 - 1737 |
Gabriel Cano y Aponte |
|
1737 - 1744 |
Jose Antonio Manso de Velasco |
Became viceroy of Peru
(1745). |
1745 - 1755 |
Domingo Ortiz de Rosas |
|
1755 - 1761 |
Manuel de Amat y Junyent |
|
1761 - 1768 |
Antonio Guill y Gonzaga |
|
1768 |
Juan de Balmaceda y Censano |
Interim governor. |
1768 - 1773 |
Francisco Javier de Morales y Castejon |
|
1773 - 1780 |
Agustin de Jauregui y Aldecoa |
First captain-general (from 1776). Became viceroy of Peru
(1780). |
1776 |
The southern territories of Peru
are incorporated into the new viceroyalty of
Rio de la
Plata, and this
includes Chile, although it loses some provinces in the administrative
reshuffle. |
1780 - 1783? |
Tomas Alvarez de Acevedo |
|
1783? - 1787 |
Ambrosio de Benavides |
|
1788 - 1796 |
Ambrosio O'Higgins |
Became viceroy of Peru
(1796). |
1789 |
Under Irish-born
Captain-General Ambrosio O'Higgins the captaincy general becomes autonomous and is withdrawn from the control
of the viceroyalty of
Rio de la Plata.
Chile is still relatively unadvanced when compared to Peru
but that does not diminish the growing demands for independence from its
colonial settlers. |
1796 - 1799 |
Gabriel de Aviles y del Fierro |
Became viceroy of
Rio de la Plata
(1799) & Peru (1801). |
1799 - 1802 |
Joaquin del Pino |
Became viceroy of
Rio de la Plata
(1801). |
1802 - 1808 |
Luis Munoz de Guzman |
|
1808 - 1810 |
Francisco Antonio Garcia Carrasco |
|
1810 |
Mateo de Toro Zambrano y Ureta |
First count of the Conquista. |
1810 - 1812 |
Various wars of independence break out across the
Spanish
Americas, and
Peru serves as a centre for the
royalist opposition to these revolts. The viceroy, Abascal, reincorporates
the provinces of Chile, Cordoba, La Paz and Potosi (the latter two in modern
Bolivia),
and Quito (part of
New Granada).
To the east of Chile, Rio de la Plata is lost as the
United Provinces
of South America are formed.
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The Battle of El Roble was fought between the Chilean forces and
the Royalists on the River on 17 October 1813, ending with the
latter being defeated
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A provisional government of independence is also formed in
Chile, initially to reaffirm Spanish
rule in the face of the
French occupation of Spain, but it eventually sparks the Chilean War
of Independence, and Mateo de Toro Zambrano y Ureta is voted its first
president, although his early death at the age of eighty-three prevents him
playing any role in the war. The remaining captain generals of Chile fight
in opposition to the independence government. |
1812 - 1813 |
Manuel Antonio Pareja |
Died shortly after pneumonia and defeated in
battle. |
1813 |
The
Spanish
government makes its first attempt to reconquer
Chile, sending an expedition south from
Peru. Things
don't go entirely their way, with the Chilean forces under Jose Miguel
Carrera and Bernado O'Higgins managing to hold their own in a series of
small battles and sieges. |
1813 - 1814 |
Juan Francisco Sanchez |
|
1814 - 1817 |
A fresh
Spanish
attack which ignores the treaty of 1814 surprises the
Chilean forces and sweeps them into
Argentina,
where they remain for three years while the Royalists take control of Chile. |
1814 |
Gabino Gainza y Fernandez de Medrano |
Later first president of
Central America (1821). |
1814 - 1815 |
Mariano Osorio |
|
1815 - 1817 |
Francisco Marco del Pont Angel Diaz |
Defeated at the Battle of Chacabuco. |
1817 |
Bernado O'Higgins returns with
Argentine
support and manages to begin to secure Chile
for the republic with a strong victory at the Battle of Chacabuco. |
1818 |
Mariano Osorio |
|
1818 |
Mariano Osorio is victorious at the Second Battle of Cancha Rayada on 18
March 1818 while O'Higgins is injured in the arm. However, the Battle of
Maipu on 5 April is a disaster for the
Spanish,
ending any hopes of reconquering Chile. |
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Modern Chile
AD 1818 - Present Day
Located in South America, the long coastal strip of territory which forms
Chile lies between the southern Andes and the Pacific Ocean. It borders Peru
and Bolivia to the north, and
Argentina to the east.
Its capital is Santiago, located in the upper central region of the country.
During its drive towards independence during the wars of the early nineteenth
century, Chile's rebel forces were led by Jose de San Martin and Bernardo
O'Higgins, the colourful illegitimate
Irish-Spanish son of a former
captain-general of Chile. He grew up in Chile but completed his studies in
England, and returned to Chile to become a gentleman farmer on his late
father's lands. When the country began its path towards independence, he
joined the anti-Royalist faction in an increasingly influential role. |
1810 - 1814 |
The provisional government of Chile manages the organisation and defence of
the country in the face of
Spanish
attacks from
Peru. In 1814,
the junta is disposed of by Francisco de la Lastra on 14 March 1814 and he
is overthrown by Jose Miguel Carrera on 23 July 1814, who is opposed by
Bernado O'Higgins, albeit ineffectually. |
1814 |
Francisco de la Lastra |
Leader, Chilean provisional republic. |
1814 |
Jose Miguel Carrera |
Leader, Chilean provisional republic. Executed
by O'Higgins, 1821. |
1814 - 1818 |
A fresh
Spanish
attack which ignores the treaty they had signed that very year surprises the
Chilean forces and sweeps them into
Argentina,
where they remain for three years while the Royalists take control of the
country. In 1817, O'Higgins returns with Argentine support and manages to
secure Chile for the republic with a strong victory at the Battle of Chacabuco,
a defeat at the Second Battle of Cancha Rayada in 1818, and a final victory
at the Battle of Maipu. |
1818 |
Jose de San Martin |
First supreme dictator of Chile but declined to take
power. |
1818 - 1823 |
Bernado O'Higgins |
Son of captain-general, Ambrosio O'Higgins. Second
dictator. |
1821 - 1824 |
The
Spanish
vice-regents in
Peru are defeated and agree to leave Peruvian territories by 1824,
ending the Spanish fight to retain its South American colonies. In Chile,
O'Higgins oversees a successful and productive start to the republic, but
later differences of opinion and increasing alienation of the landowners see
him removed in a coup. |
1823 |
Agustin Eyzaguirre |
President of the interim governing junta. |
1823 - 1826 |
Ramon Freire |
Dictator and former supporter of O'Higgins. Resigned. |
1826 - 1827 |
Manuel Blanco Encalada |
Admiral and self-titled 'president of the republic'. |
1827 |
Ramon Freire |
Restored by a revolution. Confirmed as president
and resigned. |
1827 |
With the establishment of a presidential style of government in 1827,
Freire's resignation allows a new president to be freely elected in the form
of Francisco Antonio Pinto, who promptly resigns just two weeks after being
elected. Nevertheless, the system remains in place for almost all of Chile's
subsequent history. |
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1836 - 1839 |
The dictator of Peru
is defeated and executed by Bolivian
forces which invade the country. The subsequent Peruvian-Bolivian
Confederation creates tension between it and Chile and this leads to the
latter declaring war on 28 December 1836. Chile's ally, the
Argentine
confederation, follows suit on 9 May 1837. Eventual defeat for Bolivia
comes in 1839. |
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1879 - 1883 |
Chile is victorious against Bolivia
and
Peru in the War of the Pacific, gaining the provinces of Arica and
Tarapaca. |
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1904 |
Peru's border with
Bolivia is ratified with the
Treaty of Polo-Bustamante which formally partitions Lake Titicaca, and also
marks the boundary with Tacna (which until then had been part of Chile). |
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1917 - 1918 |
Unlike many of its neighbours in the Americas, Chile remains neutral during
the First World War against
Germany
and the
Austro-Hungarian
empire. |
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1932 |
The resignation of the president, Juan Esteban Montero, forces the creation
of a military junta which elects General Arturo Puga Osorio to lead it. A
new president is democratically elected and governs the republic from 13
September 1932. |
1932 |
Arturo Puga Osorio |
President of the government junta, 4-16 Jun. |
1932 |
Carlos Davila |
President of the government junta, 16 Jun-8 Jul. |
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1945 |
Chile joins the Second World War as an ally of the
USA and
Great Britain on 11 April 1945 against
Japan and
Germany. |
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1973 - 1974 |
A
US-backed coup
which is led by Augusto Pinochet, commander-in-chief of the Chilean army,
deposes the democratically-elected president on 11 September 1973. The
former president, Salvador Allende, dies the same night, apparently by his
own hand. A military junta which is headed by Pinochet elects him as
'president', although in reality he is a military dictator who governs by
means of mass incarcerations and unexplained deaths and disappearances.
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Twenty-first century Santiago, nestling in the shadow of the
mountains, is one of South America's most modern cities
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1974 - 1990 |
Augusto Pinochet |
Military dictator. Died 2006. |
1982 |
After the occupation by
Argentina
of the Falkland Islands, Peru
promises support while Chile sides with
Britain. |
1990 |
Pinochet steps down voluntarily and peacefully after voting himself immunity
from prosecution. He remains commander-in-chief of the army until 1998,
while
Chile's republic is restored. |
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