Artigas, José Gervasio

(1794-1850)

   A rebel leader who emerged as the most successful military commander in Uruguay after 1810. Artigas was part of the landowning elite in a territory claimed by both Spanish and Portuguese colonial authorities. He gained experience in the Blandegues, a militia cavalry that countered Native American raids and smugglers. He initially sided with the independence movement launched in Buenos Aires, but by 1811, he pushed Montevideo and Uruguay in a more radical direction. Promising independence, democracy, and land distribution to the poor of all races, Artigas built a large popular base. His initial victories helped caudillos, local military leaders, gain control of neighboring provinces. Isolation and a large-scale invasion of Portuguese troops from Brazil in 1816 led to a series of defeats. Fleeing north, he continued to fight as his troops dwindled in number. A final defeat at the Battle of Avalos forced him into exile in Paraguay.

   FURTHER READING:

    Steet, John. Artigas and the Emancipation of Uruguay. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959.

   DANIEL K. LEWIS