LAUSR

In 1821, the only viceroys left governing Spanish America, who had been appointed by Ferdinand VII, were forced to resign their authority by their own military chiefs. This article compares both phenomena and restores their importance and historical significance by examining their historical and historiographical characterization, as well as their contexts, institutional frameworks, arguments and the agencies involved. Taking the coups as a point of departure, the aim is to observe the political intervention capacity of the armed forces in breaking down the order of the Spanish monarchy in the Americas, and the construction of national states determined both by constitutionalism and war.