Montevideo
Montevideo is the capital city of Uruguay. It is also the largest city.
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History
In the 18th century, the Spanish established the city as a military fortification to consolidate control. Being on hills overlooking a natural harbor at the mouth of the Río de la Plata, it occupies a highly strategic and defensible position.
After the Junta of Seville fell in early 1810, the city became a center of conflict. Initially it was the center of Royalism; following the May Revolution, the viceroyalty moved the capital here. José Rondeau besieged the city and finally captured it in 1814.
The next year, the Union of Free Peoples (Unión de los Pueblos Libres) declared independence and began to assert control over the wider region. The Portuguese, with their royal court relocated to Brazil from 1807, invaded and annexed the city into the Cisplatina province.
The Cisplatine War led to the Treaty of Montevideo in 1828, establishing Uruguay as a state independent of both Brazil and Argentina. The city became a haven for exiled liberal revolutionaries. Over time these movements consolidated into the Colorados. This international reputation also became critical during the Civil War, as foreign legions flocked to defend the city and both the English and French navies intervened. The city was under siege for 9 years.