José Gervasio Artigas

José Gervasio Artigas (June 19 1764 - September 23 1850) was a national hero of Uruguay and is sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan independence".

His life

Artigas was born on the 19th June 1764 in Montevideo in the Spanish colony of Banda Oriental which later become the republic of Uruguay.

Related Topics:
Montevideo - Spanish - Uruguay

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He was a smuggler in his youth, and then became a soldier within the Spanish army. Later he became the leader of the resistance against Spain and participated in a popular war against the empire, which began around 1811. In 1815 he defeated the Spaniards. A year later, the Portuguese empire, supported by the centralist Buenos Aires government, invaded from Brazil.

Related Topics:
1811 - 1815 - Portuguese - Brazil

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He continued fighting against Portugal but was utterly defeated in 1820. He was then exiled to Paraguay, were he died in 1850.

Related Topics:
Portugal - 1820 - Paraguay - 1850

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