Austrian Sources on Spanish-American Independence

Abstract

Research on Spanish American independence doesn’t take into account archives from European countries considered outside of the orbit of the Spanish monarchy. One example is the Austrian State Archive, which has a rich documentation for the analysis of the subject, based on the correspondence of the diplomatic representatives of the Austrian Empire stationed in Spain and Brazil. The reports sent to Vienna between 1808 and 1824 from these territories open a new perspective in research: while the former allow the analysis of the independence movement from within the Spanish crown itself, the latter do so from the geographically closest place to the events, reporting on the Portuguese position regarding to the independence of the Spanish colonies, an aspect little dealt with until now by historiography.