South America · Successor states and civil wars
Peru-Bolivian Confederation
1836–1839
The Peru–Bolivian Confederation was an ambitious short-lived union of three states, created by the Bolivian marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz (1792–1865), one of the ablest statesmen of the era. Santa Cruz, the president of Bolivia, intervened in a Peruvian civil war and defeated Felipe Santiago Salaverry at the Battle of Socabaya (7 February 1836); Salaverry was captured and executed at Arequipa.
- Existed
- 1836–1839
- Shown on the map
- 1836–1839
- Peak area
- 3.2M km²
- Region
- South America
Overview
The Peru–Bolivian Confederation was an ambitious short-lived union of three states, created by the Bolivian marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz (1792–1865), one of the ablest statesmen of the era. Santa Cruz, the president of Bolivia, intervened in a Peruvian civil war and defeated Felipe Santiago Salaverry at the Battle of Socabaya (7 February 1836); Salaverry was captured and executed at Arequipa. Santa Cruz then assumed the title of "Supreme Protector" (Supremo Protector) on 28 October 1836, an office designed to be lifelong.
History
The Confederation was structured as three constituent states: North Peru (under Luis José de Orbegoso), South Peru (under Ramón Herrera), and Bolivia (under José Miguel de Velasco), with Santa Cruz as overall Protector. It was recognized by Britain, France, and the United States, but its creation alarmed its neighbors. Chile (driven by minister Diego Portales and the rivalry between the ports of Valparaíso and Callao) and the Argentine Confederation feared a powerful new rival and went to war.
Decline and legacy
The War of the Confederation (1836–1839) was decided by Chile. A Chilean-led "United Restoration Army" (including anti–Santa Cruz Peruvian exiles allied with Agustín Gamarra), commanded by General Manuel Bulnes, invaded Peru. At the decisive Battle of Yungay (20 January 1839) in northern Peru, Bulnes's roughly 5,400 men decisively defeated Santa Cruz's Confederate army of about 6,000, which suffered several thousand casualties (sources give roughly 3,000–3,800). The battle destroyed the Confederation. Santa Cruz fled into exile, and Peru and Bolivia were restored as separate republics. Bulnes returned to Chile a national hero and later became its president.
Common questions
- What was the Peru-Bolivian Confederation?
- The Peru–Bolivian Confederation was an ambitious short-lived union of three states, created by the Bolivian marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz (1792–1865), one of the ablest statesmen of the era. Santa Cruz, the president of Bolivia, intervened in a Peruvian civil war and defeated Felipe Santiago Salaverry at the Battle of Socabaya (7 February 1836); Salaverry was captured and executed at Arequipa.
- When did the Peru-Bolivian Confederation exist?
- The Peru-Bolivian Confederation existed 1836–1839. On this map it is drawn 1836–1839.
- How large was the Peru-Bolivian Confederation?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Peru-Bolivian Confederation covered about 3.2 million 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 Peru-Bolivian Confederation?
- The Confederation was structured as three constituent states: North Peru (under Luis José de Orbegoso), South Peru (under Ramón Herrera), and Bolivia (under José Miguel de Velasco), with Santa Cruz as overall Protector. It was recognized by Britain, France, and the United States, but its creation alarmed its neighbors.
- How did the Peru-Bolivian Confederation end?
- The War of the Confederation (1836–1839) was decided by Chile. A Chilean-led "United Restoration Army" (including anti–Santa Cruz Peruvian exiles allied with Agustín Gamarra), commanded by General Manuel Bulnes, invaded Peru.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. It names English Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica and the World History Encyclopedia as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by academic and museum sources and, for recent events, by reputable news outlets. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Peru–Bolivian Confederation en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru%E2%80%93Bolivian_Confederation
This entry was last updated .
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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