War of 1863
 | It has been suggested that Nicaraguan-Salvadoran War be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2024. |
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The War of 1863[1] (Spanish: Guerra de 1863) was a conflict fought between El Salvador and Guatemala from 13 February 1863 to 26 October 1863.
Guatemalan President Rafael Carrera sought to overthrow Salvadoran President Gerardo Barrios, citing his attacks on the Catholic Church in El Salvador during his presidency as justification. Barrios was overthrown on 26 October 1863 and was replaced by a conservative politician, Francisco Dueñas, ending the war.
Background
On 12 March 1859, General Gerardo Barrios overthrew Salvadoran President José María Peralta and declared himself President of El Salvador.[2] The coup and ascension of Barrios to power caused many conservative politicians to flee to Guatemala for safety.[1]
Barrios-Carrera rivalry
Guatemalan President Rafael Carrera was a conservative politician while Barrios was a liberal politician and both ruled as dictators of their respective countries.[1] Barrios passed anticlerical legislation in El Salvador to diminish the power and influence of the Catholic Church while Carrera made agreements with the Church to expand its influence and uphold its privileges.[1]
Carrera initially supported Barrios believing that a strong ruler in El Salvador would be in his best interests, even visiting San Salvador from December 1860 to January 1861 to improve relations.[1] However, in the following years, Barrios began attacking Carrera calling him a "savage" while Guatemalan newspapers attacked Barrios' "lameness and pomposity."[1] The Guatemalans later labeled the war as a war over religion when it was really a political and ideological war.[1] Salvadoran bishops did, however, support the Guatemalans in the conflict, as did Salvadoran conservatives.[1]
War
Battle of Coatepeque
In 1862, Carrera began plans to topple Barrios from power and instal a conservative as president.
On 22 February, the Salvadorans, led by Barrios, entrenched themselves in the town of
Siege of San Salvador
After his initial defeat, Carrera invaded El Salvador a second time on 19 June 1863.
On 30 September, he began a siege of the Salvadoran capital city, San Salvador.[5][6] Carrera ordered a cease fire from San Salvador to submit, and after a month of being sieged, the capital fell on 26 October.[5] Barrios fled the city and went east to San Miguel, after which, Dueñas was declared President of El Salvador.[2][5][7] The fall of San Salvador marked the end of the war.[5]
Aftermath
Carrera died on 14 April 1865.
See also
Notes
References
- ^ JSTOR 23916318.
- ^ a b "Presidentes de El Salvador - Capitán General Gerardo Barrios" [Presidents of El Salvador - Captain General Gerardo Barrios]. Presidente Elías Antonio Saca El Salvador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ JSTOR 60233738.
- ^ a b c Gaceta Oficial. Vol. 11. Diario Oficial de El Salvador. 19 February 1963. p. 20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k López Vallecillos, Italo (1967). Gerardo Barrios y su Tiempo. Vol. 2. pp. 377–482.
- ^ El Constitutional (7 November 1863). "El Constitutional – Periodico official del supremo gobierno" [The Constitutional – Official Periodical of the Supreme Government] (PDF) (newspaper) (in Spanish). Vol. 1, no. 1. San Salvador: El Constitucional. pp. 1–8.
- ^ "Presidentes de El Salvador - Licenciado Francisco Dueñas" [Presidents of El Salvador - Licenciado Francisco Dueñas]. Presidente Elías Antonio Saca El Salvador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2020.