Key Facts
- Start date
- 20 January 1823
- End date
- 8 March 1824
- Duration
- Approx. 14 months
- Result
- Portuguese surrender to Brazilian forces
- Province
- Cisplatina (now Uruguay)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Beginning on 20 January 1823, Brazilian Army forces under Carlos Frederico Lecor encircled Montevideo and initiated a prolonged siege. Portuguese defenders held out for over a year within the city's fortifications. A key turning point came with the naval Battle of Montevideo in 1823, in which Portuguese naval forces suffered defeat, cutting off resupply and reinforcement and accelerating the deterioration of the garrison's position.
01 / The Origins
During the Brazilian War of Independence, Portugal retained a garrison in the city of Montevideo within the Cisplatina province. The Portuguese Army under Álvaro da Costa de Sousa de Macedo refused to recognize Brazilian independence and held the city as a stronghold of continued Portuguese authority. The Brazilian imperial government, seeking to consolidate sovereignty over all former Portuguese territories, directed military forces to reduce this last significant pocket of resistance.
03 / The Outcome
On 8 March 1824, the Portuguese garrison surrendered to Brazilian forces, ending the siege. The capitulation marked the conclusion of all organized Portuguese military resistance to Brazilian independence within Brazilian territory. Cisplatina remained part of the Empire of Brazil until 1828, when it became the independent state of Uruguay following the Cisplatine War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Carlos Frederico Lecor.
Side B
1 belligerent
Álvaro da Costa de Sousa de Macedo.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.