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Primary sourceDocument1 January 1818 (dated); proclaimed 12 February 1818

Chilean Declaration of Independence

Bernardo O'Higgins · 1 January 1818 (dated); proclaimed 12 February 1818

The 1818 document declaring Chile's independence from Spain, secured by the army San Martín led to victory at Chacabuco and Maipú.

This declaration confirmed the independence won by San Martín's army at Chacabuco and Maipú.

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Photograph of a handwritten manuscript titled Proclamación de la Independencia de Chile, displayed behind glass, with cursive Spanish text and a signature at the bottom.
Proclamación de la Independencia de Chile, manuscript, 1818. Displayed at the National Congress of Chile, Valparaíso.

About this source

What it is

This document declares the independence of Chile from Spain. Drafted in January 1818 and approved by Supreme Director Bernardo O'Higgins on 12 February 1818, it was formally proclaimed on the first anniversary of the Battle of Chacabuco. The original was later damaged, and a later copy signed again by O'Higgins and his ministers was eventually destroyed in 1973.

Why it matters

The declaration marks the legal end of Spanish rule in Chile, won on the battlefield by the army that José de San Martín led across the Andes. It shows how military victory and political proclamation worked together to create a new nation, and connects O'Higgins, San Martín, and other independence leaders.

Look closer

  • Why did Chile wait so long after achieving practical independence to make a formal declaration?
  • What does the referendum process described in the background tell you about how legitimacy was sought?
  • What is lost when an original document is destroyed and only a copy survives?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of José de San Martín and Bernardo O'Higgins on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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José de San Martín · 5 April 1818

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Testamento de San Martín

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Oil painting of a man with dark, swept-back hair and sideburns wearing a dark military uniform with gold embroidered collar and cuffs and gold epaulettes. He holds a light-colored staff and a light blue and white flag with a laurel branch at upper right.Painting

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