| Summary: | This article examines the character of the Spanish American military and its responses to the crisis of the Spanish monarchy in 1808-1810, and argues that military men, especially officers, were often crucial in sustaining or subverting Spanish rule in the opening phase of the crisis. To understand the position of the military, it focuses on three main areas of analysis: first, the extent to which the character of Spanish armed forces in the colonies was altered by Bourbon military reforms; second, the reaction of the reformed colonial forces to the crisis of the monarchy; third, the extent of variation, and the reasons for differences, in military responses in the major cities of Spanish America.
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