José Gervasio Artigas Arnal is a national hero of Uruguay, sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan nationhood".
Background
Artigas was born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764. His grandparents were from Zaragoza, Buenos Aires and Tenerife (Canary Islands). His grandparents fought in the War of the Spanish Succession and moved to the Americas to escape from poverty, settling in Buenos Aires in 1716. Artigas was the son of Martín José Artigas and Francisca Antonia Arnal, who came from a wealthy family.
Education
His parents enrolled him in the Colegio de San Bernardino, to pursue religious studies, but Artigas refused to submit to the school's strict discipline.
Career
He was a gaucho, or cowboy, until 1810, when he was attracted to a patriotic cause. A revolutionary junta in Buenos Aires desired to take the region of the viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata out of the jurisdiction of Spanish control. From 1810 to 1811 Artigas commanded Uruguayan patriots in this war of independence against the Spanish. He conquered almost all of Uruguay except for the city of Montevideo.
Then Artigas became the spokesman for those who were disenchanted with the leadership of Buenos Aires and wanted more autonomy for the provinces. In 1813 Artigas-supporting delegates to a constitutional assembly in Argentina were rejected by the Buenos Aires government, and a civil war between the Artigas faction and Buenos Aires began.
The differences between the two were fundamental and thus difficult to resolve. Artigas favored a limited federalist government that would leave a great deal of power to the local government. Buenos Aires essentially favored little provincial autonomy and a strong central government located in Buenos Aires. Militarily, Artigas and Buenos Aires were well matched.
He had the support of the region that would become Uruguay and, after 1815, the support of four river provinces that made up the Liga Federal, a confederation of provinces. Buenos Aires, in addition to the population of the province and city, had the revenue of the port facilities and the allegiance of some interior provinces.
Artigas participated in the successful siege of Montevideo, which the Spanish still held, and in 1815 entered Buenos Aires in triumph. But in 1816 he faced ultimate defeat when the Portuguese, hoping to add the provinces around the Rio de la Plata to Brazil, invaded Uruguay. Buenos Aires refused to support him, and after a 4-year struggle Artigas's forces were defeated.
From then on Artigas lived in exile in Paraguay, no longer participating in Uruguay's struggle for independence. With the proclamation of Uruguayan independence in 1828, he was invited to return by his victorious followers, but he declined.
He died in Asunción on September 23, 1850.
Views
He never favored independence for Uruguay, preferring always the concept of a confederation of all provinces making up the former viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata.
Quotations:
Several royalist leaders, such as Vigodet or Pezuela, sought an alliance with Artigas against Buenos Aires, but he rejected them: "I may not be sold, nor do I want more reward for my efforts than to see my nation free from the Spanish rule"