Founding of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata
In 1776 Charles III created the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, separating it from the Viceroyalty of Peru and making Buenos Aires the capital of a vast territory encompassing modern Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The creation reflected both the Bourbon reorganisation of colonial government and strategic concern about British and Portuguese encroachment in the south Atlantic. Buenos Aires grew rapidly as a legal commercial port after the Comercio Libre decree of 1778, developing a self-confident Creole merchant class that would drive independence a generation later.
- Year: 1776 CE
- Category: Political
