Captaincy General of Chile

The Captaincy General of Chile was a Spanish imperial territory in southern South America that existed from 1541 to 1818. It began with Pedro de Valdivia's conquest and the founding of Santiago, and was initially subordinate to the Viceroyalty of Peru. The jurisdiction stretched over most of modern Chile and parts of Patagonia in present-day Argentina, although Spanish control in the far south remained thin. Its capital was Santiago de Chile, where governors represented the crown and administered justice, taxation and defence. The territory was also known as the Kingdom of Chile or New Extremadura, reflecting its status in the Spanish monarchy rather than any independent kingship. Settlement depended on agriculture, mining and trade, while the frontier war with the Mapuche continued for centuries. In 1811 Chilean creoles declared independence, but royalist forces reconquered the territory in 1814. The patriot victory at Chacabuco in 1817 and at Maipú in 1818 secured independence, and the captaincy was replaced by the Republic of Chile. Its administrative and legal institutions, together with the city of Santiago, shaped the new republic.