When did the Republic of Texas exist?

The Republic of Texas existed 1836–1845. On this map it is drawn 1836–1845.

How large was the Republic of Texas?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Republic of Texas covered about 375,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

North America · Independence and the new republics

Republic of Texas

1836–1845

The Republic of Texas was the independent nation that broke away from Mexico and existed for nearly a decade before joining the United States. Anglo-American settlers (the "Texians"), invited into Mexican Texas in the 1820s, rebelled after Santa Anna's Centralist government abolished the federal Constitution of 1824.

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Existed: 1836–1845
Shown on the map: 1836–1845
Peak area: 375k km²
Region: North America

Overview

History

The war produced two of the most famous episodes in North American history. At the Battle of the Alamo (23 February – 6 March 1836), Santa Anna's army annihilated the roughly 180–250 defenders of a mission-fort in San Antonio (among them Davy Crockett, James Bowie, and commander William Travis), and shortly after executed prisoners at the Goliad Massacre. These galvanized the Texians: under Sam Houston, they routed and captured Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto (21 April 1836) — a stunning 18-minute victory, fought to the cry of "Remember the Alamo!" — securing de facto independence via the (coerced) Treaties of Velasco.

Decline and legacy

The republic's capital eventually settled at Austin, and Sam Houston and Mirabeau B. Lamar served as its principal presidents. It was plagued by debt, sparse population, ongoing conflict with Mexico (which never recognized its independence) and with the Comanche, and a failed bid to expand toward Santa Fe. Torn between full independence and annexation, and courted by both the U.S. and Britain, Texas was annexed by the United States as the 28th state on 29 December 1845 — a step that directly precipitated the Mexican–American War. The "Lone Star" republic's brief independence remains central to Texan identity.

Common questions

What was the Republic of Texas?: The Republic of Texas was the independent nation that broke away from Mexico and existed for nearly a decade before joining the United States. Anglo-American settlers (the "Texians"), invited into Mexican Texas in the 1820s, rebelled after Santa Anna's Centralist government abolished the federal Constitution of 1824.
When did the Republic of Texas exist?: The Republic of Texas existed 1836–1845. On this map it is drawn 1836–1845.
How large was the Republic of Texas?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Republic of Texas covered about 375,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled the Republic of Texas?: The war produced two of the most famous episodes in North American history. At the Battle of the Alamo (23 February – 6 March 1836), Santa Anna's army annihilated the roughly 180–250 defenders of a mission-fort in San Antonio (among them Davy Crockett, James Bowie, and commander William Travis), and shortly after executed prisoners at the Goliad Massacre.
How did the Republic of Texas end?: The republic's capital eventually settled at Austin, and Sam Houston and Mirabeau B. Lamar served as its principal presidents. It was plagued by debt, sparse population, ongoing conflict with Mexico (which never recognized its independence) and with the Comanche, and a failed bid to expand toward Santa Fe.

Sources

This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory, and states that it was written from established reference works with targeted checks on current facts, rather than from a fresh multi-source research pass. It names the English Wikipedia article for each polity and its key figures as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the US National Park Service and the World History Encyclopedia. The article this entry is anchored on:

Wikipedia — Republic of Texas en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Texas

This entry was last updated 12 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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