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The Story of

Chile

1546 – 2020

Country in South America

  1. Arauco War

    1546–1609

    The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía region of Chile. The conflict began at first as a reaction by the Mapuche to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force the natives into servitude.

  2. Battle of Mataquito

    30 April 1557

    The Battle of Mataquito was fought in the Arauco War on April 30, 1557, between the forces of the Spanish governor, Francisco de Villagra, and Mapuche headed by their toqui Lautaro. It was a surprise attack, carried out at dawn, on Lautaro's fortified camp between a wooded mountain and the shore of the Mataquito River.

  3. Battle of Millarapue

    30 November 1557

    The Battle of Millarapue that occurred November 30, 1557 was intended by the Toqui Caupolicán as a Mapuche ambush of the Spanish army of García Hurtado de Mendoza that resulted in a Spanish victory when the ambush failed.

  4. 1575 Valdivia earthquake

    16 December 1575

    The 1575 Valdivia earthquake occurred at 14:30 local time on December 16. It had an estimated magnitude of 8.5 of on the surface-wave magnitude scale and an estimated magnitude of 9.0+ on the Moment magnitude scale and led to the flood of Valdivia, Chile.

  5. 1730 Valparaíso earthquake

    1730

    The 1730 Valparaíso earthquake occurred at 04:45 local time (08:45 UTC) on July 8. It had an estimated magnitude of 9.1–9.3 and triggered a major tsunami with an estimated magnitude of Mt 8.75, that inundated the lower parts of Valparaíso.

  6. Battle of Tacuarí

    9 March 1811

    The Battle of Tacuarí (9 March 1811) was a battle in Southern Paraguay between forces sent by the Junta of Buenos Aires under the command of General Manuel Belgrano, and Paraguayan troops under Colonel Manuel Atanasio Cabañas, at the service of the Council of Regency.

  7. Chilean War of Independence

    1812

    The Chilean War of Independence (Spanish: Guerra de la Independencia de Chile, 'War of Independence of Chile') was a military and political event that allowed the emancipation of Chile from the Spanish Monarchy, ending the colonial period and initiating the formation of an independent republic. It developed in the context of the Spanish American Wars of independence, a military and political process that began after the formation of self-government juntas in the Spanish-American colonies, in response to the capture of King Ferdinand VII of Spain by Napoleonic forces in 1808.

  8. Battle of Rancagua

    2 October 1814

    The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins. This put an end to the Chilean Patria Vieja and it was the decisive step of the Spanish military Reconquest of Chile.

  9. Battle of Chacabuco

    12 February 1817

    The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, took place on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes, from the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and led by Captain–General José de San Martín, defeated a Spanish force commanded by Rafael Maroto.

  10. Battle of Maipú

    5 April 1818

    The Battle of Maipú (Spanish: Batalla de Maipú) was fought near Santiago, Chile on 5 April 1818, between South American rebels and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence. The Patriot rebels led by Argentine general José de San Martín effectively destroyed the Spanish forces commanded by General Mariano Osorio, and completed the independence of the core area of Chile from Spanish domination.

  11. Chilean Civil War of 1829-1830

    1829–1830

    The Chilean Civil War of 1829–1830 (Spanish: Guerra Civil de 1829–1830), or the First Chilean Civil War, was a civil war in Chile fought between conservative Pelucones and liberal Pipiolos forces over the constitutional regime in force. This conflict ended with the defeat of the liberal forces and the approval of a new constitution in 1833, that was in force until 1925.

  12. 1834 Concepción earthquake

    1835

    The 1835 Concepción earthquake was an earthquake that occurred near the neighboring cities of Concepción and Talcahuano in Chile on 20 February at 11:30 local time (15:30 UTC), and had an estimated magnitude of about 8.5 Mw. The earthquake triggered a tsunami which caused the destruction of Talcahuano.

  13. War of the Confederation

    1836 – 15 August 1839

    The War of the Confederation (Spanish: Guerra de la Confederación) was a military confrontation waged by the United Restoration Army, the alliance of the land and naval forces of Chile and the Restoration Army of Peru, formed in 1836 by Peruvian soldiers opposed to the confederation, and the Argentine Confederation against the Peru–Bolivian Confederation between 1836 and 1839. As a result of the Salaverry-Santa Cruz War, the Peru–Bolivian Confederation was created by General Andrés de Santa Cruz, which caused a power struggle in southern South America, with Chile and the Argentine…

  14. 1851 Chilean Revolution

    31 December 1851

    The Revolution of 1851 was an attempt by Chilean liberals to overthrow the conservative government of president Manuel Montt and repeal the Chilean Constitution of 1833. After various battles and sieges, by late December 1851 government forces had subdued the revolutionaries.

  15. occupation of Araucanía

    1861–1883

    The Occupation of Araucanía or Pacification of Araucanía (1861–1883) was a series of military campaigns, agreements and penetrations by the Chilean military and settlers into Mapuche territory which led to the incorporation of Araucanía into Chilean national territory. Pacification of Araucanía was the expression used by the Chilean authorities for this process.

  16. Church of the Company Fire

    8 December 1863

    The Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús Fire (8 December 1863) was a mass casualty event in Santiago, Chile. It is the deadliest fire known to have occurred in the city, one of the deadliest single-building fires in world history and one of the deadliest-ever fires within a religious site.

  17. Battle of Papudo

    26 November 1865

    The Naval Battle of Papudo was a naval engagement fought between Spanish and Chilean forces on November 26, 1865, during the Chincha Islands War. It was fought 55 miles (48 nmi; 89 km) north of Valparaíso, Chile, near the coastal town of Papudo.

  18. Tratado de 1874 entre Bolivia y Chile

    1874

    The Boundary Treaty of 1874 between Chile and Bolivia, also called the Treaty of Sucre, was signed in Sucre on August 6, 1874, by the Bolivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariano Baptista and the Chilean plenipotentiary minister Carlos Walker Martínez. It superseded the Boundary Treaty of 1866 between Chile and Bolivia, establishing the border between both countries at the 24° South parallel from the Pacific Ocean to the eastern border of Chile.

  19. Battle of Topeter

    23 March 1879

    The Battle of Topáter, or Battle of Calama, was fought on March 23, 1879, between Chile and Bolivia. It was the first battle of the War of the Pacific.

  20. War of the Pacific

    5 April 1879 – 4 April 1884

    The War of the Pacific (Spanish: Guerra del Pacífico), also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Chilean claims on coastal Bolivian territory in the Atacama Desert, the war ended with victory for Chile, which gained a significant amount of resource-rich territory from Peru and Bolivia.