British invasions of the River Plate
The British invasions of the River Plate were two unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colony of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, located around the Río de la Plata in South America – in present-day Argentina and Uruguay. The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, at a time when Spain was an ally of Napoleonic France. In Argentine historiography, the two successive defeats of the British expeditionary forces are known collectively as the "Reconquista" and the "Defensa", respectively.
William Beresford surrenders to Santiago de Liniers (1806)
Sir William Beresford, commander of the British troops.
71st Regiment Foot Guidon, captured by the Spanish forces during the first battle of Buenos Aires
Portrait of Don Santiago de Liniers. Naval Museum of Madrid.
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata meaning "River of the Silver", also called "Viceroyalty of the River Plate" in some scholarly writings, in southern South America, was the last to be organized and also the shortest-lived of the Viceroyalties of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. The name "Provincias del Río de la Plata" was formally adopted in 1810 during the Cortes of Cádiz to designate the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.
Image: Pedro de Cevallos
Image: Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo
Image: Virrey Loreto
Image: Pedro Melo de Portugal