ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Conspiracy of the Black Eagle (Aguila Negra) 1829

Synopsis
The conspiracy of the Black Eagle (Aguila Negra) was a failed conspiracy for the independence of Cuba, from the Spanish colonial authorities, in the late 1820s, by Cuban freemasons. The Great Legion of the Black Eagle had its roots in the homonymous Mexican society, although with a few distinct traces. In 1826, José Rubio arrived in Havana and handed a copy of the tenets of the Black Eagle to Manuel Rojo, a prominent Cuban lawyer. The colonial authorities became aware of this secret society on December 29, 1829, when the Spanish minister in the United States informed the colonial government of General Vives that a certain José Solis was connected to a society like the one related to the conspiracy of Soles and Rayos de Bolivar. The appointed prosecutor arrested and interrogated Miguel Solis Junior in January 1830, acquiring several suspicious documents and letters, which revealed plans for an armed attempt for the independence of Cuba supported by Mexico. Further investigations led to the arrest of numerous prominent Cuban figures, including the lawyer Manuel Rojo, presumable leader, on the night of 26 February. Most conspirators were convicted and sentenced to heavy fines and deportation, while some were sentenced to death. Afterward, the sentences were commuted, and by 1832 they were pardoned by amnesty. This was the last of a series of relevant conspiracies aiming for the independence of Cuba until the 1860s.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 3 years. Name in sources: Conspiración de la Gran Legión del Águila Negra. Location: La Habana, Cuba Country (current): Cuba. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Local elites. Number of participants: <50. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-colonial, Political. Leadership: Manuel Rojo. Relevance: low.

Further reading
GUERRA, Ramiro (1922). Historia Elemental de Cuba, Habana: Libreraria Cervantes. GUERRA VILABOY, Sergio (1998). “México y Cuba : primeros esfuerzos por la independencia cubana, 1820-1830”, Sotavento, 2(4): 31-55. SOUCY, Dominique (2004). "La gran legión del águila negra, un águila de dos cabezas (México-Cuba, 1823-1830)”, Tebeto: Anuario del Archivo Histórico Insular de Fuerteventura, Número Extra 5: 242-256.
Cite this entry

(2023) "Conspiracy of the Black Eagle (Aguila Negra) 1829", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. (accessed on ).