Editing South America (section)

===Independence from Spain and Portugal===
{{Main|Spanish American wars of independence|Independence of Brazil}}

The European [[Peninsular War]] (1807–14), a theater of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], changed the political situation of the Spanish and Portuguese colonies. First, Napoleon invaded Portugal, but the [[House of Braganza]] avoided capture by [[Transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil|escaping to Brazil]]. Napoleon captured King [[Ferdinand VII]] of Spain, and appointed his own brother instead. This appointment provoked popular resistance, which created [[Junta (Peninsular War)|Juntas]] to rule in the name of the captured king.

[[File:Coroaçao pedro I 001.jpg|thumb|Coronation of [[Pedro I of Brazil|Pedro I]] as 1st [[Emperor of Brazil]]]]

Many cities in the Spanish colonies, however, considered themselves equally authorized to appoint local Juntas like those of Spain. This began the [[Spanish American wars of independence]] between the patriots, who promoted such autonomy, and the [[Royalist (Spanish American Revolution)|royalists]], who supported Spanish authority over the Americas. The Juntas, in both Spain and the Americas, promoted the ideas of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]]. Five years after the beginning of the war, Ferdinand VII returned to the throne and began the [[Absolutist Restoration]], as the royalists got the upper hand in the conflict.

The independence of South America was secured by [[Simón Bolívar]] (Venezuela) and [[José de San Martín]] (Argentina), the two most important ''[[Libertadores]]''. Bolívar led a great uprising in the north, then led his army south towards [[Lima]], the capital of the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]]. Meanwhile, San Martín led an army across the Andes Mountains, along with Chilean expatriates, and liberated Chile. He organized a fleet to reach Peru by sea, and sought the military support of various rebels from the Viceroyalty of Peru. In 1822 the two men met at the [[Guayaquil Conference]] in Ecuador, where they failed to agree on governance strategies for the liberated nations.<ref name=guay/> Two years later Bolívar's forces beat the Spanish at the [[Battle of Ayacucho]], securing the independence of Peru and the rest of South America.<ref name=guay>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Guayaquil-Conference|title=Guayaquil Conference &#124; Latin America, Ecuador, Independence &#124; Britannica|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=19 July 2024}}</ref>

In the [[United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves|Portuguese Kingdom of Brazil]], [[Dom Pedro I]] (also Pedro IV of Portugal), son of the Portuguese King [[Dom João VI]], proclaimed the independent [[Kingdom of Brazil]] in 1822, which later became the [[Empire of Brazil]]. Despite the Portuguese loyalties of garrisons in [[Bahia]], [[Cisplatina]] and [[Pará]], independence was diplomatically accepted by Portugal in 1825, on condition of a high compensation paid by Brazil mediated by the United Kingdom.