Tejano History
Mexican War Of Independence
Tejanos |
MEXICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. The Mexican War of Independence was in reality a series of revolts that grew out of the increasing political turmoil both in Spain and Mexico at the beginning of the nineteenth century. During the French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars Spain fought both as an ally and as an enemy of France and suffered frequent interruptions in its commerce with its American colonies. Burdened with mounting war debts and facing a deepening economic crisis, Spanish rulers settled on extracting increased colonial revenues to meet European obligations. A royal decree in 1804 ordered imperial officials to confiscate certain church assets and place them at the disposal of the crown. In Mexico, as the church called in loans and mortgages and credit from that source dried up, a financial crisis emerged that was aggravated by an economic downturn caused by disruptions in overseas trade and bad harvests. Growing disaffection in New Spain received considerable reinforcement when Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808 and forced Ferdinand VII to abdicate the Spanish throne in favor of his brother Joseph.
Full article on the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas Online