# Great Siege of Montevideo begins (16 February 1843)

URL: https://allhistories.com/uruguay/timeline/1843-great-siege-of-montevideo-begins
Location: Montevideo, Uruguay
Themes: main-event

In February 1843 the army of Manuel Oribe began to besiege Montevideo, which was defended by a Colorado government with foreign legions. Sources give both 16 November 1843 and 16 February 1843 for its start. The siege lasted until 1851. Oribe governed the rest of the country from the Cerrito de la Victoria camp. Inside the walls the Government of the Defence under Joaquin Suarez claimed to be the only legitimate authority. The city had about 30,000 inhabitants, of whom only a third were Uruguayan, and the defence relied on French, Italian and Basque volunteers and on freed slaves. Britain and France reinforced the port by sea in 1845 and 1846. The siege became a European cause and inspired Alexandre Dumas to write a novel, The New Troy. It deepened the Blanco and Colorado split, with Cerrito and the Defence acting as two rival governments. The long ordeal also gave Montevideo a cosmopolitan population that shaped the capital for generations.

## Why it matters
It was the central episode of the Guerra Grande and made Montevideo a cosmopolitan, besieged symbol.

Ruler at the Time: [Manuel Oribe (Government of the Cerrito)](https://allhistories.com/uruguay/rulers/manuel-oribe-government-of-the-cerrito)

## Sources
- [Great Siege of Montevideo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Siege_of_Montevideo)
- [9.htm](https://countrystudies.us/uruguay/9.htm)
- [History of Uruguay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Uruguay)