Capítulo 14: Chapter 14: End of the War in Mexico.
The Spanish Empire strikes back.- La Reconquista
"I decided to make my homeland independent, because this was the general will of the Mexican people; will funded in our natural sentiments and in the principles of justice, and will considered to be the only way our nation can prosper."
-Agustin I, Emperor of Mexico.
Even after the Congress of Vienna ended the Napoleonic Wars and both the French and British forces retreated from the Iberian Peninsula, Spain was not in condition to fight back for its colonies. King Fernando VII was reinstated into the Spanish throne, and he was furious when he discovered that the first Juntas in Latin America declared to be governing in his name before declaring independence. However, he first had things to take care of in the Madre Patria.[1]
Upon his return he found a Spain devastated by the terrible war. The Spaniards had, in his absence, gathered under different governments, the most important one being La Regencia, which promulgated the Liberal Constitution of 1812, under which Spain would be a parliamentary monarchy, with a legislative body in the form of the Cortes Generales, elected by universal, though indirect, suffrage. The Spanish leadership was also divided between the "Regular" military men and the "Guerrilleros", the former being wealthy and influential nobles and the latter being military leaders who rose to prominence during the Peninsular War.
The Regency tried to make Fernando VII sign and pledge loyalty to the Constitution, but he, taken advantage of the vast support he enjoyed with the Spanish people, who idealized him as a hero and the rightful and only king of Spain, managed to become an absolute monarch one more, in what is called the Trienio Absolutista (The absolutist three years)[2]. This was yet another sign of the reactionary triumph the Congress of Vienna was.
Spain was still in economic shambles (there was even an attempt to sell Spanish Florida to the US, but they were as bankrupted as Spain). The crown didn't even have enough money to pay its soldiers, most of which were tired of war. In the Americas the only territory Spain still controlled was Cuba and Puerto Rico. Well, almost the only, as Mexico was still under nominal Spanish control. Fernando VII saw this as his final chance of reclaiming his empire, and launched "La Reconquista".
Based in Cuba, "La Reconquista" was a campaign that mobilized several armies and various resources to fight the Mexican guerrillas. The Spanish Navy was also mobilized to raid the merchant navies of the former colonies, and reclaim control of as much territory as possible. However, the campaign started bad from the get go as an attempt to bombard Caracas resulted in the Spanish Fleet being soundly crushed by the Colombian Navy. Unbeknownst to Fernando VII, the Colombians had signed the Treaty of Georgetown, dividing British Guyana between them and the Dutch, thus gaining total control over their claimed territory of Guyana Essequibo. The major advantage was that the British also got a lend lease over the coastal area, which became a Royal Navy base. This, in turn, allowed the Colombians to contract British Naval advisors, vastly improving the quality of their ships and sailors. Another attempt to retake Santo Domingo, recently annexed by Colombia, was repealed similarly. Attempts to attack Chile or La Plata only caused more defeats.
In such a situation, the king finally agreed to sign the Truce of Caracas, thus promising to not attack any South American nation and to respect the USCA's borders should a Reconquista be successful, but in turn, the South American nations had to not give Mexico any aid, foreign brigades or try to raid Spanish fleets. La Plata, Charkas, Peru and Chile accepted and fulfilled their part of the treaty, but Colombia did not, sending a great quantity of supplies in order to allow the Guerrillas to continue. Spain realized this, but as Colombia had given access to several cities to the Royal Navy, attacking Colombia would put it at odds with the United Kingdom.
Politically, New Spain was organized and became an integral part of Spain, being not a colony anymore but rather a territory divided in provinces and under the control of The Superior Political Leader of New Spain (Jefe político superior de Nueva España). However, the lack of a congress and the fact that Spain was still under absolutism rendered it ineffective.
The situation suffered a complete turn when several military leaders, most prominently the Guerilleros, rose in Spain, demanding the king to end the absolute monarchy and sign the Constitution of 1812. France, though restored to a monarchy, still held considerable influence from the French Revolution and its ideals, so the prime minister supported the idea of another constitutional monarchy in Europe, even when king Louis XVIII was opposed to it. Finally, King Fernando VII obliged and signed the constitution, asking the Viceroy of New Spain to sign it as well.
The reaction of Mexico was immediate, as the Novo Hispanic elites feared losing their privileges while the people supported the signing of the Constitution, as long as there were Mexican representatives in the Cortes Generales. Much outrage was produced when the Viceroy refused to sign it.
This created the perfect circumstances in Mexico for a young military man had rose to power and fame. He was Agustin de Iturbide, and, tired of years of destructive guerilla warfare, he created the Plan of Iguala, in order to bring Independence, Freedom and Catholicism to Mexico in the form of a Constitutional Monarchy, with either Fernando VII or any other Bourbon as king. In the case nobody was fit, the congress would be able to proclaim a king. His plan was accepted, as it was a middle ground between the factions: independence and constitutionalism, while conserving the old order and privileges.
The Ejercito Trigante was formed around the former royalist, with several of the Guerilla Warlords declaring loyalty to him and his cause. One of the most representative moments happened when the guerilla leader Guerrero hugged Iturbide, and proclaimed that, even when he used to oppose the patriot cause, Iturbide was now a real patriot.
The year was 1817, and the Ejercito Trigante started its campaigns. Colombian support was very important in them, as thanks to the Spanish blockade Colombia became the only way Mexico could obtain supplies. Nonetheless, it was only out of realpolitik, as a large Spanish colony threatened Colombia and Latin American immensely; reaction were mixed, as Miranda didn't like the idea of a monarchy, even a constitutional one, in the Americas.
With the Ejercito Trigante becoming stronger by the day, the Viceroy finally ceded and signed the constitution, with New Spain becoming a core territory of Spain, divided in provinces with Mexican representatives. Still, it was too late. Still, the governator of New Spain (now called Political Superior Leader) was appointed by the king. The Plan of Iguala was widely supported, and most guerilla and even royalist forces had switches sides to Iturbide.
New Spain's Political leader proved to be very unsuited for governing the territory and was destituted, with Juan O'Donojú put in his place.
O'Donojú then revealed his true self, starting negotiations with Iturbide, which finally gave results in the form of Veracruz Agreements, which declared Mexico independent from the Spanish Empire and offered the crown to Fernando VII or one of the Infants of Spain, stating that should no Spanish Royal present himself in Mexico city in a given timeframe the Mexican Congress would name a king, regardless of his social status.
The dispute was hot and controversial in Spain, but Fernando VII finally declined thanks to pressure from the Peninsulares, who didn't want to recognize the Mexicans as equals. Finally, he decided to continue the Reconquista, even when it was obvious that it was doomed to fail. The only real victory the Spaniards managed was to kill Santa Anna, one of the leaders of Mexico during the Guerrilla period and one of the most beloved generals, but it wasn't enough. The last pockets of Spanish resistance were cleared and the country finally stabilized.
In the middle of 1818, shortly after Colombia celebrated Dia de la Libertad, the Ejercito Trigante entered Mexico City and the independence of Mexico was declared. Elections were held for the National Congress, after which it had to decide who would be the King of Mexico. Between the bickering of Republicans and Bourbonist, and with the support of Monarchist, the Mexican Empire was proclaimed with Agustin I as the Mexican Emperor.
Spanish efforts to re-conquer Mexico continued, but they were only disasters. Several forces who managed to land were promptly encircled and destroyed, thus limiting Spanish efforts to only merchant raiding. Even then, the constant presence of the Royal Navy and its initiative to protect trade with the New American States, general discontent, and the fact that it seemed that the campaign was more destructive to Spain than to Mexico.
La Reconquista was a failure, and efforts to continue it were lesser each year. In 1818 and 1819 it was in full swing, screwing the Mexican Economy, but Colombian support kept it afloat; in 1820 and 1821 the Spaniards had much less success and the Mexicans started to score their first victories; by 1822 and 1823 Spain had lost the initiative and La Reconquista had all but stopped.
Mexico was finally independent, and the country started to rebuild and stabilize. As Congress Latin America continued, the Mexican people looked to the future, In what they hoped would be a new era of peace and prosperity.
Note
[1]Spain its sometimes called like that in Latin America. It's...controversial sometimes, as the image we have of the Spaniards can range from genocidal conquerors to the parents of our nations.
[2]Sexenio Absolutista (Six Absolutist Years) in OTL.
[3]Due to Napoleon not being totally defeated (the Napoleonic Wars ended with no Coalition soldier in French soil) and France being a constitutional Monarchy, they're friendlier to a Liberal Spain.
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