Chilean Civil War of 1829 - Revolution of 1829

Revolution of 1829

The liberal leader par excellence, General Ramón Freire, rode in and out of the presidency several times (1823–27, 1828, 1829, 1830) but could not sustain his authority. From May 1827 to September 1831, with the exception of brief interventions by Freire, the presidency was occupied by General Francisco Antonio Pinto, Freire's former vice president. The conservative side was under the military leadership of General José Joaquín Prieto and the political guidance of Diego Portales, while the liberal side was under the command of Ramón Freire and Francisco de la Lastra. Presidente Pinto promptly resigned on July 14, not on the elected vice president but on his brother, the president of the senate Francisco Ramón Vicuña.

On December 7, 1829 the conservative troops under General Prieto approached Santiago from the South. The conservative army decided to halt the march for a while and camped a few miles outside the city. The government under President Vicuña immediately collapsed and they fled first to Valparaíso and then northward to Coquimbo. On December 14, 1829, General Prieto and his troops met the liberal army under Francisco de la Lastra and defeated them at the Battle of Ochagavía. Meanwhile, President Vicuña and his ministers where captured and imprisoned by the victorious conservative troops.

Chile was without a leader for a few weeks (from December 7 to 24, 1829). After the Battle of Ochagavía, General Freire agreed to a cease-fire with Prieto. A Government Junta was organized and took control, in order to avoid the continuance of hostilities, under a neutral José Tomás Ovalle who was acceptable to both sides. This junta ruled the country from December 24, 1829 to February 18, 1830. Power was retained by Ramón Freire who organized a liberal convention with the intention of calling for new general elections and the formation of a new Congress. At the same time, the conservatives who were in control of Santiago also called for their own convention, where an agreement was reached which nominated Francisco Ruiz-Tagle as acting president.

Immediately that Ruiz-Tagle took over as president, the principal leaders of the liberal side (Manuel Borgoño, Francisco de la Lastra and Juan Gregorio de las Heras) were eliminated from the army rosters. This guaranteed the restart of the hostilities. President Ruiz-Tagle and all the cabinet resigned on April 1, and José Tomás Ovalle, as vice president assumed power. The last engagement happened at the Battle of Lircay, near Talca, on April 17, 1830. The liberals were totally routed, and their leader, General Ramón Freire, was exiled first to Peru and then to Tahiti. Later in life he was allowed to return to Chile, but he never participated in politics again.

Due to the chaotic situation nobody wanted to participate in the government, so President Ovalle named Diego Portales as his universal minister. Portales took over the running of the government bringing with him the political ideas that were to shape Chile for the rest of the century. After the defeat at the Battle of Lircay, the liberal side finally decided to negotiate and signed the Treaty of Cuz-Cuz, that brought an end to the anarchy and their political dominance and ushered 30 years of conservative governments.