Battle of Rancagua
Rancagua, O'Higgins Region, Chile
What happened
Chilean patriot forces led by Bernardo O'Higgins fought a Spanish royalist army under Mariano Osorio. Chile's first independent government was threatened by a royalist army marching on Santiago. The patriots held the town of Rancagua, which guarded the road to the capital, but they were surrounded. Fighting went on into the night, the town caught fire, and help from Santiago never came.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The defeat ended Chile's first period of self-rule, the 'Patria Vieja', and Spain took back control. Chileans remember it as the 'Disaster of Rancagua'.
What came next
Spanish forces took Santiago within days, and many patriots fled as refugees.
Did you know?
The royalists' best troops were veterans of the Napoleonic Wars known as the 'Talaveras'.
Timeline
- July 1814José Miguel Carrera takes charge of the patriot government.
- 1-2 October 1814The royalists win at Rancagua.
- October 1814Spanish forces take Santiago.