Editing History of Paraguay (section)

==Independence of 1811==
{{main|Independence of Paraguay}}
[[File:Paraguay campaña 05.jpg|thumbnail|right|Belgrano's campaign against Paraguay]]
[[File:Guillermo Da Re - 14 y 15 de Mayo de 1811.jpg|thumb|[[Pedro Juan Caballero (politician)|Pedro Juan Caballero]] demands shared power from governor Velasco on the night of May 14, 1811.]]
[[File:Yegros, Francia y Caballero.jpg|thumb|right|Independence leaders Caballero, Yegros, Francia]]

The [[French Revolution]], the rise of [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]], and the subsequent wars in Europe weakened Spain's ability to maintain contact with and defend and control its colonies. [[British invasions of the River Plate]] of 1806–7 were repulsed by the local colonial troops and volunteer militias without help from Spain.

Among the many [[causes of the May Revolution]] were Napoleon's [[Peninsular War|invasion of Spain]] in 1808, the capture of the Spanish king, [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]], and Napoleon's attempt to put his brother [[Joseph Bonaparte]] on the Spanish throne, which severed the major remaining links between the [[Metropolis#Metropolis as a mainland area|metropolis]] and the [[colonies]] as Joseph had no supporters in Spanish America. Without a king, the entire colonial system lost its legitimacy, and colonies revolted. The Buenos Aires [[open cabildo]] deposed the Spanish viceroy on 25 May 1810, vowing to rule in the name of Ferdinand VII. The [[May Revolution]] led to the creation of the [[United Provinces of the Río de la Plata]] which wanted to bring Province of Paraguay under its control. This ''[[porteño]]'' action had [[unforeseen consequence]]s for the histories of Argentina and Paraguay. News of the revolutionary events in Buenos Aires stunned [[Royalist (Spanish American Independence)|royalist]] citizens of Asunción. Discontent with the [[Spanish monarchy]] was put aside because of the much bigger rivalry with the city of Buenos Aires.

The ''porteños'' bungled their effort to extend control over Paraguay by choosing [[José Espínola y Peña]] as their spokesman in Asunción. Espínola was "perhaps the most hated Paraguayan of his era", in the words of historian John Hoyt Williams. Espínola's reception in Asunción was less than cordial, partly because he was closely linked to the ex-governor Lázaro de Rivera, who had arbitrarily executed hundreds of citizens until he was forced from office in 1805. Barely escaping arrest in Paraguay, Espínola fled back to Buenos Aires and lied about the extent of ''porteño'' popularity in Paraguay, causing the Buenos Aires [[Primera Junta]] to make a disastrous decision to launch the [[Paraguay campaign]] and send 1,100 troops under General [[Manuel Belgrano]] to subdue Asunción. Led by royalists, Paraguayan troops reinforced by local militias soundly thrashed the ''porteños'' at [[Battle of Paraguarí]] and [[Battle of Tacuarí]]. Officers from both sides openly fraternized during the campaign and from these contacts Paraguayans learned that Spanish dominance in South America was ending, and that they now held the real power.

The actions of the last Spanish governor Bernardo de Velasco only further agitated local politicians and military officers. Believing that Paraguayan officers posed a threat to his rule, Governor Velasco dispersed and disarmed local forces and sent most of the soldiers home without paying them for their eight months of service. Velasco previously had lost face when, believing that Belgrano had won at Paraguarí, he fled the battlefield and caused a panic in Asunción. The last straw were Velasco's negotiations with Brazilian Portuguese during which he asked for military and financial help. This move ignited a military uprising in Asunción on 14 May 1811 and formation of a power-sharing junta. On 17 May a public proclamation informed people that a ruling junta, consisting of Governor Velasco, Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia and Army captain Juan Valeriano de Zeballos, had been created.