- North America
Independence from Spain
Central America, Costa Rica included, declares independence from Spain; the province soon joins the Mexican Empire and then a regional federation.
Era: Independence and a Coffee Republic
Sources: History of Costa Rica · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Costa Rica: Independence · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- North America
Ephemeral Independence
Governor Jose Nunez de Caceres declares Santo Domingo independent of Spain, hoping to join Gran Colombia; the fragile state lasts only a matter of weeks.
Era: A Divided Island and the French Era
Sources: History of the Dominican Republic · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- North America
Independence from Spain declared
The Act of Independence of Central America, signed in Guatemala City, frees the region including the province of San Salvador from Spanish rule.
Era: Independence and the Coffee Republic
Sources: Acta de Independencia de Centro America · Library of Congress (In Custodia Legis), Central American Federation · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Central America: Independence, 1808-23 · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
Outbreak of the Greek War of Independence
Revolution against Ottoman rule erupted across the Peloponnese and beyond, beginning the war that would create an independent Greek state and inspiring philhellenes across Europe.
Era: Ottoman Rule and the War of Independence
Sources: War of Greek Independence · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire · EBSCO Research Starters
- North America
Independence from Spain
Guatemala City signs the Act of Independence of Central America, ending nearly three centuries of Spanish rule.
Era: Colony, Independence, and Federation
Sources: Central America: Independence, 1808-23 · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Guatemala: Country Guide (Hispanic Reading Room) · Library of Congress
- North America
Independence from Spain
The provinces of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, Honduras among them, declare their independence from Spain.
Era: Independence, Federation, and Morazán
Sources: A Guide to the History of Recognition: Honduras · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Honduras: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- North America
Independence consummated
The Army of the Three Guarantees enters Mexico City following the Treaty of Cordoba, ending Spanish rule.
Era: Independence and the Early Republic
Sources: Winning Independence · Lumen Learning, SUNY World History, Grito de Dolores · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- North America
Independence from Spain
Nicaragua, with the other provinces of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, declares independence from Spain in the Act of Independence of Central America.
Era: Independence, Rivalry, and the Filibuster
Sources: History of Nicaragua · Encyclopædia Britannica, Nicaragua · Encyclopædia Britannica
- North America
Independence from Spain and union
Panama declares independence from Spain and voluntarily joins Gran Colombia, remaining tied to Colombia after Gran Colombia dissolves.
Era: A Province of Colombia
Sources: Panama · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Panama: A Country Study · Library of Congress Country Studies
- South America
Independence proclaimed by San Martin
Having entered Lima, Jose de San Martin proclaims the independence of Peru and becomes its Protector, though Spanish armies still hold the highlands.
Era: Rebellion and Independence
Sources: Peru: Achievement of independence · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Jose de San Martin · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- South America
Independence and the Empire
Dom Pedro proclaims independence at the Cry of Ipiranga and is acclaimed Emperor Pedro I, founding the Empire of Brazil.
Era: Independence and the Empire of Brazil
Sources: Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Brazil · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- South America
Battle of Pichincha
Antonio Jose de Sucre defeats the royalist army on the slopes of Pichincha above Quito, securing the independence of the lands of the old Audiencia of Quito.
Era: The Light of America: Independence and the Republic
Sources: Battle of Pichincha · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- South America
Battle of Ayacucho
Antonio Jose de Sucre defeats the main royalist army and captures the viceroy at Ayacucho, sealing the independence of Peru and the new South American republics.
Era: Rebellion and Independence
Sources: Battle of Ayacucho · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Peru: Achievement of independence · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- South America
Republic of Bolivia proclaimed
A congress at Chuquisaca declares the independence of Upper Peru as a republic named Bolivia in honour of Simon Bolivar, with Sucre soon its first president.
Era: The Revolt of Tupac Katari and Independence
Sources: Simon Bolivar: Bolivia · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Antonio Jose de Sucre · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- South America
The Thirty-Three Orientals declare independence
Juan Antonio Lavalleja and the Thirty-Three Orientals, having landed that April, proclaim separation from Brazil and union with the United Provinces, reigniting the war for the province.
Era: Artigas, the Thirty-Three, and Independence
Sources: Juan Antonio Lavalleja · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Uruguay: The struggle for national identity · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- South America
Treaty of Montevideo creates Uruguay
Under British mediation, the Preliminary Peace Convention ends the Argentine-Brazilian war by establishing the contested territory as the independent buffer state of Uruguay.
Era: Artigas, the Thirty-Three, and Independence
Sources: A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Uruguay · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Uruguay: The struggle for national identity · Encyclopaedia Britannica
Independence in the 1820s
Every event in the Terralore archive tagged independence — declarations, recognitions and transfers of sovereignty, narrowed to the 1820s — 16 of them, drawn from 14 nations, running from 1821 to 1828. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.
- Events
- 16
- Nations
- 14
- Earliest
- 1821
- Latest
- 1828
- North America
- 8
- South America
- 7
- Europe
- 1
Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.