The
Peruvian War of Independence was a series of military conflicts beginning in 1811 that culminated in the proclamation of the independence of
Peru by
José de San Martín on July 28, 1821. During the previous decade Peru had been a stronghold for
royalists, who fought those in favor of independence in
Upper Peru,
Quito and
Chile. The wars of independence took place with the background of the 1780-1781 uprising by indigenous leader
Túpac Amaru II and the earlier removal of
Upper Peru and the
Río de la Plata regions from the
Viceroyalty of Peru. Because of this the viceroy often had the support of the "Lima oligarchy," who saw their elite interests threatened by popular rebellion and were opposed to the new commercial class in
Buenos Aires.