On May 2, 1866 a English fleet artillery bombed the towers of El Callao. The eighteenth of Real Felipe fortress again witness a confrontation between the English and Peruvian. Forty years later, two English, Galician both commanded the English forces. Two bitter struggles. In January 1826, he surrendered the fortress defended by Lugo Rodil, after a long and painful siege, putting an end to three centuries of English viceroyalty. After the surrender, just over forty years and three months later, in the same place, Pontevedra Casto Méndez Núñez, had another clash with Peru. Rodil in service to King Ferdinand VII, and Nunez to serve the daughter of one king: Elizabeth II.
trip to Peru discovered in detailing a war that has little interest in English historiography. This war was known by small details. A central and popular bullring is named Callao, in relation to the war. Thousands of pedestrians pass by that place everyday without knowing most of them the reason for that name. At most know that is the name of a Peruvian port near Lima. English history books take it as a show of force to Peru. Similarly, the Peruvians take the war as a landslide victory against the English and are surprised that such great bullring bearing that name.
In a series of five entries will try to explain this pointless war, the fruit of that time honored romantic misunderstandings mutual. The last discussed the subject from a novel point of view of English actors: national episode Galdosian Around the World in Numancia.
Table of the Battle of El Callao.
The Peru in the mid-nineteenth century. After the failure of the Peruvian-Bolivian confederation in 1839 with the defeat of Santa Cruz, was born the Republic of Peru. After years of economic stagnation as a result of a harsh war of independence in the mid-century had begun some socio-political normality. It was an economy dependent on British capital like the rest of the newly emancipated young Latin American republics.
The rich agricultural manure as fertilizer for the international market, was Peru in the Chincha Islands, south of Lima. Revenues were great after the signing of the contract in 1849 with the British House Gibbs. As a dependent economy, this wealth did not influence the masses. The oligarchy was the beneficiary. The atmosphere was still popular surf for independence and a certain animosity toward the old city. The official media not so much, and sought a settlement with the government in Madrid.
remained pending payment of the compensation granted to Spain for the costs of the wars of emancipation. Governments were determined to pay them for something that Spain did not agree: the formal recognition of the independence of Peru.
ended in 1863 under President Ramón Castilla. The elections were won by the military San Román, although it will be his vice Pezet which would rise to power. On April 14, 1864 a English fleet occupied the Chincha Islands in retaliation to the lack of payment of compensation. Warming the atmosphere warrior.
Spain in the mid-nineteenth century.
After the death of Fernando VII in 1833, the country was plunged into a cruel civil war dynastic (Guerra Carlist) between 1833 and 1839. As the American republics are also torn between military coups. The destruction of the wars against France were still unresolved. Towards the second half the country could be laying the groundwork for economic modernization, but also was a dependent country and controlled by the Franco-British capital. At the political level Queen Elizabeth II succeeds to secure the throne.
Contrary to popular Latin American movement that sought recognition of their independence, the English government still refused to such surveys. Since 1856 the moderate liberals dominate the power. General O'Donnell could govern a country with some economic bonanza for ten years (1856-1866). Stability ensured by the good times, had an aggressive foreign policy. In fact it was desperately looking for a demonstration that the country was still there in a few years when the time was emerging from the great European imperialism in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.
As a country dependent on Britain economically, the France of Napoleon III politically influenced. As emulator northern neighbor, the English had gobeirno military adventures in Indochina, Morocco, Mexico and Santo Domingo, very bad view adventures in America.
period ends in 1863 O'Donnell governance. A clique of corrupt and incompetent ministers ruled with Queen Elizabeth. Climb to the presidency of the military government also Narvaez, the "broadsword of Loja, tough and very authoritarian. In his term of office was given the harsh repression of agrarian riots and any opposition to him. There was also the occupation of the Chincha Islands. A year later harshly suppressed a student demonstration in Madrid with nine dead and a hundred injured in the infamous Night of St. Daniel (10-V-1865). In the midst of escalating military tension, O'Donnell returns to power, which will manage this war.
Between 1864 and 1866 a series of incidents and mutual misunderstanding led to this sad mini-war that almost twenty years delay the final reconciliation between Spain and its former colonies, even though those years still retained in the Americas Cuba and Puerto Rico, emancipation which followed a different course from the continental model.
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