This article is about the specific polity Second Federal Republic of Mexico and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
A federal republic was established again on August 22, 1846 when interim president José Mariano Salas issued a decree restoring the 1824 constitution. During the tenure of the Federal Second Republic, Mexico suffered notable territorial losses: Yucatan and Texas seceded, and after the defeat of Mexico in the Mexican-American War the country was forced to cede present-day California, Nevada, and Utah as well as parts of present-day Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming to the United States.
Establishment
August 1846: After the Mexican-American War, interim president José Mariano Salas restored the 1824 constitution on August 22, 1846, establishing the Second Federal Republic of Mexico.
September 1846: Battle of Monterrey.
October 1846: Fifty of Flores' men took San Diego when the small American garrison of less than 20 men retreated. At Santa Barbara, the 10-man U.S. garrison also surrendered the town and escaped under pressure.
November 1846: In 1846, General Stephen W. Kearny led a 100-man force during the Mexican-American War. Los Angeles had been taken by Californios led by General José María Flores, a Mexican military officer. Kearny's force learned this information from Mexican herders in the area.
December 1846: American General Stephen Watts Kearny's army approached San Pascual.
December 1846: In 1846, a group of Californians led by William B. Ide seized Lt. Washington Bartlett, who was the acting alcalde of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco). This event was part of the Bear Flag Revolt, a movement to establish an independent California Republic during the Mexican-American War.
December 1846: The Capture of Tucson in 1846 was led by American military officer Captain Philip St. George Cooke.
December 1846: American forces under Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan occupy the town of El Paso, Texas.
December 1846: In 1846, American explorer and military officer John C. Frémont reached Santa Barbara during the Mexican-American War. He raised the American flag after the territory was taken over by the United States.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Were a series of secessions and revolts against the centralist government of Mexico in the period 1835-1846.
1.1.Caste War of Yucatán
Was a revolt of native Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula against Hispanic populations.
August 1848: Yucatán was officially reunited with Mexico.
January 1851: Yucateco forces rallied, aided by fresh guns, money, and troops from Mexico City, and pushed back the Maya from more than half of the state.
By 1850 the Maya occupied two distinct regions in the southeast. In the 1850s a stalemate developed, with the Yucatecan government in control of the northwest, and the Maya in control of the southeast, with a sparsely populated jungle frontier in between.
1.2.Mexican-American War
Was a war between the United States of America and Mexico caused by the U.S. annexion of Texas, a country that had seceded from Mexico, and by the American aim to annex California and Oregon.
1.2.1.Conquest of California
Was a revolt against Mexican authority in California, followed shortly after by an invasion by the United States.
January 1847: At Yerba Buena, the Mexican surrendered to American forces.
January 1847: U.S. major John C. Frémont arrived at San Fernando.
January 1847: Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny occupies Los Angeles, ending active resistance to American rule.
January 1847: At a deserted rancho at the north end of Cahuenga Pass, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed. This unofficial truce, which did not have the backing of the American government and had nothing to do with the Mexican government, was honored by both the Americans and Californios. Fighting ceased, and the United States acquired "Alta California".
1.2.2.New Mexico campaign (Mexican-American War)
Was the U.S. occupation of New Mexico during the Mexican-American War.
1.2.2.1.Taos Revolt
Was a popular insurrection in January 1847 by Hispano and Puebloan allies against the United States' occupation of present-day northern New Mexico during the Mexican-American War.
October 1847: American capture of Guaymas, Sonora, on October 19, 1847.
1.2.3.Northeastern Mexico
Was the invasion of northeastern Mexico by the United States of America during the Mexican-American War.
February 1847: Battle of Buena Vista.
1.2.4.Pacific Coast campaign
Was the invasion of the Pacific coast of Mexico by the United States of America during the Mexican-American War.
March 1847: In 1847, Commodore John D. Sloat ordered Captain John B. Montgomery to seize San Jose del Cabo and San Lucas in Baja California. This was part of the broader US military occupation of California during the Mexican-American War.
April 1847: American seize La Paz.
November 1847: American Bluejackets and marines landed to occupy Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
January 1848: A landing party from the bark USS Whiton"' under Lieutenant Frederick Chatard, captured the coastal fort of San Blas.
1.2.5.Northwestern Mexico
Was the invasion of northwestern Mexico by the United States of America during the Mexican-American War.
March 1847: U.S. coloenel Doniphan occupied Chihuahua City.
1.2.6.Scott's invasion of Mexico's heartland
Was the invasion of central Mexico by the United States during the Mexican-American War that culminated with the occupation of Mexico City.
March 1847: Siege of Veracruz.
April 1847: U.S. General William J. Worth's division captured San Carlos Fortress in 1847.
May 1847: American General Winfield Scott occupied Puebla on May 15, 1847.
September 1847: Battle of Chapultepec.
September 1847: U.S. Major General Winfield Scott defeats the Mexicans and captures Mexico City in the Battle for Mexico City.
1.2.7.Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Was a peace treaty signed on February 2, 1848, in the Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo (now a neighborhood of Mexico City) between the United States and Mexico that ended the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). It gave the United States the Rio Grande as a boundary for Texas, and gave the U.S. ownership of California and a large area comprising roughly half of New Mexico, most of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah and Colorado.
May 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty signed on February 2, 1848, in the Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo between the United States and Mexico that ended the Mexican-American War. The ratifications were exchanged on May 30, and the treaty was proclaimed on July 4, 1848. t gave the United States the Rio Grande as a boundary for Texas, and gave the U.S. ownership of California and a large area comprising roughly half of New Mexico, most of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah and Colorado.
Were two French military interventions in Mexico.
2.1.Second French intervention in Mexico
Was an invasion of Mexico by the Second French Empire. It led to the creation of the Second Mexican Empire, a French protectorate, which collapsed after the withdrawal of the French troops.
2.1.1.Tripartite Alliance Invasion
Was a joint French, Spanish and British invasion of Mexico that started the Second French intervention in Mexico.
December 1861: The fleets of the Tripartite Alliance arrived at Veracruz between 8 and 17 December 1861, intending to pressure the Mexican government into settling its debts. The Spanish fleet seized San Juan de Ulúa and subsequently the capital Veracruz on 17 December.
January 1862: The European forces advanced to Orizaba, Cordoba and Tehuacán.
February 1862: The city of Campeche surrendered to the French fleet.
April 1862: The Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manuel Doblado met with the Spanish general Juan Prim (who was the nominal commander of the tripartite alliance) and explained to him the country's economic complications and persuaded him that the suspension of the debts was only going to be temporary. For the governments of Spain and Great Britain this explanation was sufficient, and along with their realisation of the French ambition to conquer Mexico, the two governments made the decision to peacefully withdraw their forces on 9 April, with the last British and Spanish troops leaving on 24 April without a shot being fired by either army.
2.1.2.French Invasion (Second French intervention in Mexico)
Was the French military campaign to occupy Mexico during the Second French intervention in Mexico.
October 1862: The French occupied the port of Tampico.
December 1862: Unopposed by Mexican forces, the French took control of Xalapa.
March 1863: General Forey was a French military leader who led the French Army in the siege of Puebla in 1863. The siege was part of the French intervention in Mexico, where French forces sought to establish a monarchy under Emperor Maximilian I.
May 1863: Puebla surrendered to the French during the Battle of Puebla in 1863. The French forces were led by General Charles de Lorencez, while the Mexican defenders were commanded by General Ignacio Zaragoza. This event marked a significant moment in the French intervention in Mexico.
June 1863: French troops under Bazaine entered Mexico City.
January 1864: The French under general Bazaine occupied Guadalajara.
February 1864: In 1864, during the French intervention in Mexico, General Douay led French troops to occupy Zacatecas.
April 1864: The French, under Napoleon III, attempted to set up a client state known as the Second Mexican Empire with Emperor Maximilian I. This was in response to the Second Federal Republic of Mexico led by President Benito Juárez.
June 1864: Fall of Acapulco to Imperial forces on 3 June 1864.
July 1864: In 1864, during the French intervention in Mexico, the city of Durango was occupied by French forces.
December 1864: The defeat of republicans in the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco in November 1864 was a significant victory for the Second Mexican Empire led by Emperor Maximilian I and General Tomas Mejia. This marked a turning point in the French intervention in Mexico.
February 1865: French General Bazaine captured Oaxaca.
March 1865: The French fleet landed soldiers who captured Guaymas.
April 1865: In 1865, Republican forces led by General Nicolás Régules defeated Imperial forces commanded by General Leonardo Márquez at Tacámbaro in Michoacán during the Second French intervention in Mexico. This victory was a significant blow to the Second Mexican Empire established by Emperor Maximilian I.
May 1865: In 1865, during the Second French intervention in Mexico, Republican forces led by General Nicolás Régules defeated Imperial forces at Tacámbaro in Michoacán. This victory was a significant blow to Emperor Maximilian I's regime.
June 1865: In April and May the republicans had many forces in the states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua. Most towns along the Rio Grande were also occupied by republicans.
2.1.3.French withdrawal (Second French intervention in Mexico)
Was the withdrawal of French forces from Mexico at the end of the Second French intervention in Mexico.
March 1866: In 1866, choosing Franco-American relations over his Mexican monarchy ambitions, Napoleon III announced the withdrawal of French forces beginning 31 May. The Republicans won a series of crippling victories taking immediate advantage of the end of French military support to the Imperial troops, occupying Chihuahua on 25 March.
July 1866: The Republicans took Guadalajara on 8 July.
July 1866: The French evacuated Monterrey on 26 July.
August 1866: The Second Federal Republic of Mexico captured Matamoros, Tampico and Acapulco in July.
August 1866: Saltillo was occupied by the Republicans on 5 August.
October 1866: State of Sonora conquered by Second Federal Republic of Mexico.
October 1866: The Republicans, led by General Porfirio Díaz, defeated the imperial troops of Emperor Maximilian I in the Battle of Miahuatlán in Oaxaca in 1866. This victory was a significant moment in the struggle between the Second Federal Republic of Mexico and the French-backed Second Mexican Empire.
November 1866: Ramón Corona was a Mexican general who played a key role in the French intervention in Mexico. The French forces, led by Emperor Maximilian, agreed to withdraw from Mazatlán as part of the terms negotiated with Ramón Corona in 1866.
December 1866: The whole of Oaxaca was occupied in November by the Republic of Mexico.
February 1867: In January 1867, the Republicans led by President Benito Juárez occupied the states of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, and Guanajuato during the Second French intervention in Mexico. This marked a significant advance for the Second Federal Republic of Mexico in their fight against the French-backed Imperial forces.
March 1867: Maximilian I of Mexico withdrew to Querétaro. The Republicans began a siege of the city on 9 March.
April 1867: Mexico City conquered by Second Federal Republic of Mexico.
October 1853: William Walker set out with 45 men to invade and conquer the Mexican territories of Baja California and Sonora. He succeeded in capturing La Paz, the capital of sparsely populated Baja California, and declared a Republic of Baja California, soon renamed Republic of Sonora.
May 1854: In 1854, the Republic of Sonora was reconquered by the Second Federal Republic of Mexico.
June 1854: Antonio López de Santa Anna signed a treaty with James Gadsden, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, which involved the sale of an area of 76,845 square kilometres from the states of Sonora and Chihuahua to the United States for $10 million. This treaty became known as the Gadsden Purchase.
June 1867: Maximilian I, an Austrian archduke, was installed as Emperor of Mexico by French forces in 1864. However, he was captured and executed by firing squad in 1867 after the French withdrew their support for his regime. This marked the end of the Second Federal Republic of Mexico and the restoration of the Republic.
Disestablishment
February 1867: In January 1867, the Republicans led by President Benito Juárez occupied the states of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, and Guanajuato during the Second French intervention in Mexico. This marked a significant advance for the Second Federal Republic of Mexico in their fight against the French-backed Imperial forces.
March 1867: Maximilian I of Mexico withdrew to Querétaro. The Republicans began a siege of the city on 9 March.
April 1867: Mexico City conquered by Second Federal Republic of Mexico.
June 1867: Maximilian I, an Austrian archduke, was installed as Emperor of Mexico by French forces in 1864. However, he was captured and executed by firing squad in 1867 after the French withdrew their support for his regime. This marked the end of the Second Federal Republic of Mexico and the restoration of the Republic.
Selected Sources
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.363
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.364
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.365
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.367
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.370
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.373
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.375
Fredriksen, J.C. (2010): Chronology of American Military History - Volume 1, Facts On File, p.376
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848). National Archives. Retrieved on 3 April 2024 on https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo
Tucker, S.C. (2011) Battles that changed History - An Encyclopedia of World Conflict, ABC-CLIO, p.316
Second Federal Republic of Mexico
