Uruguay's Path to Independence from Spain

Uruguay's independence was a multi-decade process (1810s–1828) involving regional wars and diplomacy:

1. 1776–1810: Part of Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata (Buenos Aires).
2. 1806–07: British invasions repelled; local militias (led by José Gervasio Artigas) gain confidence.
3. 1810: May Revolution in Buenos Aires; Montevideo stays loyalist—split emerges.
4. 1811: Artigas leads Oriental (Uruguayan) revolt; forms autonomous government.
5. 1811–1820: Artigas fights Spanish, Portuguese, and Buenos Aires centralists; becomes "Protector of the Free Peoples."
6. 1815: Congress of the Free Peoples declares independence from Spain.
7. 1821: Brazil (formerly Portugal) annexes Uruguay as Cisplatina Province.
8. 1825: Treinta y Tres Orientales (Juan Antonio Lavalleja) invade from Argentina, sparking Cisplatine War.
9. 1828: Treaty of Montevideo (UK-mediated) recognizes Uruguay as independent buffer state between Argentina and Brazil.

Full sovereignty achieved in 1828; first constitution 1830.