May Revolution

La Revolución de Mayo (the May Revolution) was a series of political and social events in Buenos Aires that installed the first local government not designated by the Spanish Crown in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, which contains present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Although the events took place only in Buenos Aires, one of the consequences was that the head of the Viceroyalty, Viceroy Cisneros, was ousted from office. Involved in these acts were mostly middle-high to high-class inhabitants of Buenos Aires (most Spanish or of Spanish descent). There was no violence involved; the term "revolution" has been loosely applied by Argentine tradition to highlight the governmental change and the undisputed fact that after the "revolution" Buenos Aires was no longer subservient to decisions taken in Madrid.

On May 13, 1810, the arrival of a British frigate in Montevideo confirmed the rumors circulating in Buenos Aires: Napoleon I of France had invaded Spain, capturing and overthrowing King Ferdinand VII, who was replaced by Napoleon's older brother Joseph Bonaparte. This meant that the power of the Crown was transferred to the Regency Council in Cádiz, which was besieged by French troops. The situation was clear: with the authority of the viceregency gone, there was a power vacuum.

On May 25, 1810 the First Junta was created in Buenos Aires, removing viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros from power. On July 9, 1816 Argentina declared its independence from the Spanish Crown.

Today, el Día de la Revolución de Mayo (May Revolution Day) on May 25 is an annual holiday in Argentina to commemorate these significant events in the history of Argentina. This and other events of the week leading up to that day are referred to as la Semana de Mayo (May Week).

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Source: Wikipedia


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