View source for Upper Peru

{{Short description|Spanish colonial state in central South America (1821-25); present-day Bolivia}}{{Expand Spanish|topic=hist}}{{distinguish|History of Bolivia (1809–1920)#Creating Bolivia: Bolívar, Sucre, and Santa Cruz{{!}}State of Upper Peru|Republic of Upper Peru}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Upper Peru
| native_name            = ''Alto Perú''
| common_name            = Upper Peru
| era                    = 
| status                 = 
| status_text            = 
| empire                 = 
| government_type        = [[Absolute monarchy]]<br>(1821–1825)|
| event_start            = [[Cortes of Cádiz]]
| date_start             = 28 July
| year_start             = 1821
| event_end              = Independence from Spain as [[Bolivia]]
| date_end               = 6 August
| year_end               = 1825
| year_exile_start       = 
| year_exile_end         = 
| event1                 = 
| date_event1            = 
| event2                 = 
| date_event2            = 
| event3                 = 
| date_event3            = 
| event4                 = 
| date_event4            = 
| event_pre              = 
| date_pre               = 
| event_post             = 
| date_post              = |
| p1                     = Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
| flag_p1                = Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
| p2                     = 
| flag_p2                = 
| p3                     = 
| flag_p3                = 
| s1                     = History of Bolivia (1809–1920)#Creating Bolivia: Bolívar, Sucre, and Santa Cruz{{!}}Upper Peru
| flag_s1                = Civil flag of Bolivia (1825-1826).svg
| image_flag             = Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
| flag_type              = Flag
| image_coat             = Lesser Royal Coat of Arms of Spain (1700-1868 and 1834-1930) Pillars of Hercules Variant.svg
| image_map              = Alto Perú mapa.png
| image_map_caption      = Territories of Upper Peru, 1821–1825
| capital                = [[La Paz]]
| national_motto         = ''[[Plus ultra (motto)|Plus Ultra]]''<br />"Further Beyond"
| national_anthem        = ''[[Marcha Real]]''<br />"Royal March"<br />(1813–1822; 1823–1873)<br />{{center|[[File:Himno Nacional de España.ogg]]}}<br />
----''[[Himno de Riego]]''<br />"Anthem of Riego"<br />(1822–1823)
| common_languages       = Spanish
| religion               = [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]
| currency               = [[Spanish dollar]]
| leader1                = [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]]
| year_leader1           = 1821–1825
| leader2                = 
| year_leader2           = 
| leader3                = 
| year_leader3           = 
| title_leader           = [[List of Spanish monarchs|King/Queen]]
| representative1        = [[José de la Serna e Hinojosa]]
| year_representative1   = 1821–1824
| representative2        = [[Pío de Tristán]]
| year_representative2   = 1824–1825
| title_representative   = [[List of Viceroys of Peru|Viceroy]]
| deputy1                = 
| year_deputy1           = 
| deputy2                = 
| year_deputy2           = 
| title_deputy           = |
| legislature            = 
| house1                 = 
| house2                 = |
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 
| footnote_a             = 
| footnote_b             = 
| footnotes              = 
}}

'''Upper Peru''' ({{Langx|es|Alto Perú}}; {{Langx|pt|Alto Peru}}) is a name for the land that was governed by the [[Real Audiencia of Charcas]].<ref>Barnadas, Josep M. (1989). ''Es muy sencillo: Llámenle Charcas''. La Paz: Juventud. p. 59-63
</ref> The name originated in [[Buenos Aires]]<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=2xJFAAAAYAAJ&q=Dalence,+bosquejo+estadistico+de+bolivia «J.M. Dalence, Bosquejo estadístico de Bolivia, Sucre 1851, p. 2»]. Consulted on 2 September 2011.</ref> towards the end of the 18th century<ref>[http://shial.colmex.mx/textos/EstherAyllon.pdf «Esther Aillón Soria, De Charcas/Alto Perú a la República de Bolivar, Bolivia. Trayectorias de la identidad boliviana, p. 7»] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111213205629/http://shial.colmex.mx/textos/EstherAyllon.pdf |date=13 December 2011 }}. Consulted on 2 September 2011.</ref> after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]] to the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]] in 1776.<ref>Crespo Rodas, Alberto (1981). ''El ejército de San Martín y las guerrillas del Alto Perú''. La Paz. p. 379
</ref> It comprised the [[Governorate|governorships]] of [[Potosí]], La Paz, [[Cochabamba]], [[Chiquitania|Chiquitos]], [[Moxos Province|Moxos]] and [[Charcas Province|Charcas]] (since renamed [[Sucre]]).

Following the [[Bolivian War of Independence]], the region became an independent country and was renamed [[Bolivia]] in honor of [[Simón Bolívar]].

== History ==
[[File:Mapa del Virreinato del Río de la Plata en 1783.png|thumb|left|upright=1.2|The territory of Upper Peru corresponds to Audiencia del Charcas]]
By 1821, the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish colonial empire]] in Latin America [[Napoleonic_Wars#Subsidiary_wars|was falling apart]] because of the [[Peninsular War|Napoleonic occupation of Spain]], and the troops of generals [[Simón Bolívar|Bolívar]] and [[Antonio José de Sucre|Sucre]], who had already liberated [[Venezuela]], [[Colombia]] and [[Ecuador]], were already approaching the Upper Peru region.

Fearing bloodshed that the libertarian troops could cause the local population, in June 1822 the three governors of Upper Peru departments gathered in [[Cuiabá]] (Captaincy of [[Mato Grosso]], [[United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves|Brazil]]) and asked the governor to take sides with the Prince Regent (future Emperor [[Pedro I of Brazil|Pedro I]]) to occupy the territory for the [[United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves]]. It was better (thought the governors) to be occupied by a [[Monarchy|monarchical state]] than to entertain the idea of rule by a fragile and uncertain republic.

Immediately, in July of that year, the governor of [[Mato Grosso]] sent to Upper Peru the troops stationed in the captaincy and closed the borders to stop the advance of the libertarian troops. He sent to the [[Pedro I of Brazil|Prince]] the proposal of the local authorities and the dispatch order of the troops.

The letter reached [[Pedro I of Brazil|Emperor Pedro I]] only in November 1822, when [[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]] had already declared independence and, worse, [[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]] was not interested in attaching that territory, because the new country was more concerned with pacifying the [[North Region, Brazil|northern]] and [[Northeast Region, Brazil|northeastern]] provinces. Thus, the order given by the [[Pedro I of Brazil|Emperor]] was to call back the troops (leaving the way clear for the libertarians to occupy these territories) claiming that "[[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]] does not interfere in foreign affairs."

This episode is poorly documented, the curious thing is that the Generals [[Antonio José de Sucre|Antonio Jose de Sucre]] and [[Simón Bolívar]], knowing what was happening, managed to send diplomats in record time to [[Rio de Janeiro]] and these diplomats arrived even faster than the letter from the governor of [[Mato Grosso]], so the result was that when he got the letter, the [[Pedro I of Brazil|Emperor]] was already "head made" and the evacuation order was already given.<br />

== Spanish conquest of Charcas ==
Initially, the province of Charcas was under the administration of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1776 when the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata was established.

== As a Río de la Plata province ==
The Assembly of Buenos Aires advanced to the province of Charcas as part of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata and had elected representatives of the Provinces of Upper Peru for the Congress of the United Provinces of Río de la Plata.

== Counterrevolution ==
When the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata gained independence, the Viceroy Abascal incorporated Upper Peru to the Viceroyalty of Peru including the province of Charcas.

== Brazilian Intervention ==
The occupation occurred in the region Upper Peru (now [[Bolivia]]) between July and December 1822, which mobilized the Portuguese royal troops stationed in the Captaincy of [[Mato Grosso]] and occupied three of the Peru departments: [[La Paz]], [[Santa Cruz de la Sierra]] and the so-called Department Maritmo ([[Atacama border dispute|Atacama]]) {{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}.

== Colombian Occupation ==
Between 1823 and 1828 Colombian troops occupied Upper Peru with the leadership of Marshal Antonio José de Sucre, born in Cumaná, as the continuation of the Campaigns of the South. The Republic of Bolívar (based on the Upper Peru) was considered to be a satellite state of Gran Colombia.

== Claims by Argentina and Peru ==
Argentina and Peru claimed some territories of Upper Peru for historical reasons. 

== References ==
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{{reflist}}

{{Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata}} 
{{coord missing|Bolivia}}

[[Category:Colonial Bolivia]]
[[Category:Viceroyalty of Peru]]
[[Category:Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]]
[[Category:Regions of Bolivia]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where Spanish is an official language]]
[[Category:Historical regions]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of the Viceroyalty of Peru]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1825]]