Junta (Peninsular War)
In the Napoleonic era, junta (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxunta] ⓘ) was the name chosen by several local administrations formed in Spain during the Peninsular War as a patriotic alternative to the official administration toppled by the French invaders. The juntas were usually formed by adding prominent members of society, such as prelates, to the already-existing ayuntamientos (municipal councils). The juntas of the capitals of the traditional peninsular kingdoms of Spain styled themselves "Supreme Juntas", to differentiate themselves from, and claim authority over, provincial juntas. Juntas were also formed in Spanish America during this period in reaction to the developments in Spain.
The juntas were not necessarily revolutionary, least of all anti-monarchy or democratically elected. By way of example, the junta in Murcia comprised the bishop, an archdeacon, two priors, seven members of the old city council, two magistrates, five prominent local aristocrats, including the Conde de Floridablanca (Charles III's prime minister) and five high-ranking officers (either retired or still serving). Likewise, the junta of Ciudad Rodrigo, a strategic town near the border with Portugal, comprised "nine serving officers, including the pre-war governor and the commanders of all the units that had made up the garrison; five retired officers, of whom two were brigadiers" and, among others, the bishop, and seventeen members of the clergy.[1]
Supreme Central Junta, 1808–1810
Realizing that unity was needed to coordinate efforts against the French and to deal with British aid, several supreme juntas—
Spanish America
The term was also used in Spanish America to describe the first autonomist governments established in 1809, 1810, and 1811 in reaction to the developments in Spain. By the time the delegates were to be chosen for the Cádiz Cortes, some of the American provinces had successfully established their juntas, which did not recognize the authority of either the supreme central one or the regency. Therefore, they did not send representatives to Cádiz, but rather the juntas continued to govern on their own or called for congresses to set up permanent governments. This development resulted in the Spanish American wars of independence.
See also
- Revolution of April 19, 1810
- First Republic of Venezuela
- Junta Grande of Río de la Plata
- Junta Suprema de Caracas
- List of Government Juntas of Chile
- Patria Boba (Colombia)
- Primera Junta (Buenos Aires)
References
- ISBN 978-1-4039-6231-7. At Google Books. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ^ Documents of the Junta Era at the Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (in Spanish).
Bibliography
- Robertson, William Spence. "The Juntas of 1808 and the Spanish Colonies". English Historical Review (1916) 31#124 pp. 573–585. JSTOR 551442.
- (in Spanish) Artola, Miguel. La España de Fernando VII. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1999. ISBN 84-239-9742-1.
- Lovett, Gabriel. Napoleon and the Birth of Modern Spain. New York: New York University Press, 1965.