Fearful Vassals: Urban Elite Loyalty in the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, 1776–1810 by Peter Blanchard

Reviewed by: Fearful Vassals: Urban Elite Loyalty in the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, 1776–1810 by Peter Blanchard Evan C. Rothera Blanchard, Peter. Fearful Vassals: Urban Elite Loyalty in the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, 1776–1810. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020. Fearful Vassals examines loyalty in the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata by focusing on elites in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Córdoba who "played a vital role in the viceroyalty's affairs, getting involved in local decision-making to ensure that their interests and their goals were protected" (4). Rather than mouthing sentiments about independence and revolution, elites demonstrated "a firm commitment to the Spanish king and to Spanish rule" (4). Elite loyalty to Spain and the king was rooted in their fears about perceived threats to their wealth and lifestyles. Over the course of nine chapters, Peter Blanchard, currently [End Page 227] professor emeritus of history at the University of Toronto, develops his fascinating analysis. The creation of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata offered elites "opportunities that helped develop a growing sense of commitment to the region" (15) and Spanish officials formed strategic alliances with elites. Far from undermining urban elite loyalty, the Bourbon Reforms "created a distinct new homeland with opportunities for the urban elites who were determined to take advantage of them" (42). Elites strictly controlled entry into their ranks and frequently turned to Spain "in the belief that Spain would provide support for the standards they had set and that it would act to reaffirm their privileged position in the viceroyalty" (44). Indeed, the king became an essential mediator in disputes among members of the elite who, in turn, had a vested interest in retaining the king as the ultimate distant authority. Perceived threats from the population of African descent and the local indigenous population also worried elites. These fears gave them additional reasons to support continued ties with Spain. Like other places in the Americas, many people saw slaves as a threat, but they did not want to end the slave trade or slavery itself. Loyalty to Spain thus seemed necessary to protect and expand slavery, especially because many considered slavery essential to the economic growth of the viceroyalty. Without Spain, "this essential aspect of colonial life and the associated economic returns would be seriously compromised" (132). Indigenous people also worried the elite. Again, unsurprisingly, they looked to Spain for military support. People of African descent and indigenous people represented, to members of the elite, threats as well as arguments in favor of maintaining ties with Spain. Urban elites also worried about the actions of foreign nations and foreign nationals and looked to Spain for assistance and protection. In sum, challenges and uncertainties strengthened, rather than undermined, ties with Spain to the point that many people in the viceroyalty saw Spain "as the only possible protector" (164). The British invasions were a major milestone on the road to separation. People's reactions revealed "the depths of loyalty of the viceroyalty's population" (169), and even groups that the elites feared, such as people of African descent and indigenous people, "provided support or showed a willingness to fight to maintain Spanish rule" (169). That said, despite the outpouring of loyalty among all sectors of the viceroyalty's population, the aftermath of the British invasions foreshadowed important transformations. As Blanchard notes, "The status of the viceroy was substantially weakened and along with it royal authority and [End Page 228] all the intricate mechanisms for ensuring elite control" (193). Still, the British invasions had nevertheless stimulated loyalty to the king and to Spain even though Spain provided very little assistance against the British. What caused elite loyalty, which derived much of its strength from being anchored in fears, to eventually crumble? Most notably, Napoleon's invasion of Spain forced elites "to confront new and even greater questions of how to maintain their control, now without any real possibility of aid from Spain" (195). Some people had tumbled onto the idea, after the British invasions, that residents of the viceroyalty could manage their own affairs. Napoleon's invasion only reinforced this notion and helped undermine...

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