The
May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in
Buenos Aires, capital of the
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. The May Revolution was a direct reaction to Spain's
Peninsular War. In 1808, King
Ferdinand VII of Spain abdicated in favor of
Napoleon, who granted the throne to his brother,
Joseph Bonaparte. Viceroy
Cisneros tried to maintain the political status quo, but a group of
criollo lawyers and military officials organized an
open cabildo on May 22 to decide the future of the Viceroyalty. Delegates denied recognition to the
Council of Regency in Spain and established a
junta to govern in place of Cisneros, since the government that had appointed him Viceroy no longer existed. To maintain a sense of continuity, Cisneros was initially appointed president of the Junta. This caused popular unrest, so he resigned under pressure on May 25. The newly formed government, the
Primera Junta, included only representatives from Buenos Aires and invited other cities of the Viceroyalty to send delegates. This resulted in the
outbreak of war between the regions that accepted the outcome of the events at Buenos Aires and those that did not. (
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