Treaty of Alliance among the Argentine Confederation, Brazil, and Uruguay
treaty with Uruguay aimed at the other state.
Brazil violated this alliance by invading Uruguay to back the Colorado
Party and oust the Blanco Party from power. Argentina did not react
to this move. However, Paraguay’s leader, Francisco Solano Lopez,
believed this move threatened the balance of power in South America
and moved against Brazil in 1865. Argentina and Uruguay joined
Brazil against Paraguay in the War of the Triple Alliance.
Alliance Text
HIS Majesty the Emperor of Brazil, His Excellency the President
of the Argentine Confederation, and His Excellency the Presi-
dent of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, being desirous of
giving effect to Articles III and IV of the Treaty concluded
between the Empire of Brazil and the Argentine Confederation,
on the 7th of March, 1856, and to § 4 of the Protocol agreed to
between the Governments of Brazil and of the Oriental Repub-
lic of the Uruguay, on the 3rd of September 1857, defining with
greater clearness, and definitively fixing the international posi-
tion of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, in its relations
with the signatary powers to the preliminary Convention of
Peace of 27th August 1828, as well as the rights and obligations
devolving upon each from the said Convention and subsequent
agreements, thus removing all and every motive of doubt and
mistrust, and contributing to the consolidation of the good
relations which happily exist among the three nations, have
resolved, for such just and laudable ends, to arrange and settle a
Treaty which may, and shall, be considered definitive.
For which purpose they have appointed as follows : His
Majesty the Emperor of Brazil, his Excellency Don José Maria
da Silva Paranhos, of his Council, Dignatary of the Imperial
Order of the Southern Cross, Commander of the Order of the
Rose, Grand Cross of the Russian Order of St. Anne, first class,
&c., &c. ; and his Excellency Señor Paulino José Soares de
Souza, Visconde do Uruguay, of his Council, Councillor of
State, Senator of the Empire, Officer of the Imperial Order of
the Southern Cross, Grand Cross of the Imperial Austrian
Order of the Iron Crown, of the Royal Neapolitan Order of St.
Januarius, of the Royal Order of the Dannebrog of Denmark,
and of the Royal Military Order of Christ, of Portugal, &c., &c.
His Excellency the President of the Argentine Confederation,
his Excellency Dr. D. Luiz José de la Peña, his Envoy Extraordi-
nary and Minister Plenipotentiary on special mission to His
Majesty the Emperor ;
His Excellency the President of the Oriental Republic of the
Uruguay, his Excellency Senor D. Andres Lamas, his Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, on special mission
to His Majesty the Emperor of Brazil, Grand Cross of the Order
of Christ of Brazil, Advocate in the Courts of the Republic,
Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of History of Spain,
of the Institute of the Order of Brazilian Advocates, of the His-
torical and Geographical Institutes of France, of Brazil, &c.
Who, after communicating to each other their respective full
powers, which were found in good and due form, have agreed
upon the following Articles :
ART. I. The High Contracting Parties acknowledge :- That the preliminary Convention of Peace of 27th August,
1828, in accordance with the desire manifested by the ori-
ental people of the Uruguay, constituted them a free and
independent nation, thus creating an intermediate State
between the Empire of Brazil and the United Provinces of
the Rio de la Plata, now the Argentine Confederation, in
order to remove, once for all, the then existing, and per-
haps permanent, cause of war between those two Powers,
in the question respecting the possession of the territory
which constitutes the new State, and to secure to each of
the two said Powers, Brazil and the Argentine Confedera-
tion, a peaceable, friendly, and neutral frontier. - That the incorporation of the whole or part of the terri-
tory of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay with the
Empire of Brazil, or with the Argentine Confederation,
would annihilate that creation, and the guarantees of
peace, equilibrium, and security which it comprehends,
and would restore the situation of affairs existing before
the Convention of 27th August, 1828. - That those guarantees would likewise disappear, and the
situation of affairs existing previous to the aforesaid Con-
vention would be restored, if the Oriental Republic of the
Uruguay were to place itself under the protectorate or
sovereignty of Brazil, or of the Argentine Confederation,
or were to league Itself politically with one of those Pow-
ers against the other. - That the international conditions, established by the inde-
pendence of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, would
be destroyed or disturbed by its incorporation or confed-
eration with, or subjection to, the protectorate of any
other Power, though it were not Brazil or the Argentine
Confederation. - Finally, that the territory actually possessed by the Oriental
Republic of the Uruguay could not be diminished with-
out prejudice to the strength, and even to the existence of
its nationality.
II. As a consequence of what is settled in the preceding Arti-
cle, the High Contracting Parties agree in declaring, with the
force of a perpetual stipulation among them as follows :
The inherent rights of the perfect and absolute sovereignty
and independence of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, as
they have been recognized by the Empire of Brazil, by the
Argentine Confederation, and by all nations universally, do not
admit and shall never have any other limitations than the fol-
lowing : - That the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay shall not have
the power of incorporating itself, of coalescing again, or
of confederating with the Empire of Brazil or the Argen-
tine Confederation, or with any part of their territories,
or with any other nation whatever, nor of placing itself
under the sovereignty or protection of any of them. - That the said Oriental Republic of the Uruguay shall not
have the power of diminishing, on any ground, or by any