Valdivian Fort System

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It has been suggested that Corral Bay Forts be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Niebla Fort's former headquarter (now a museum), during a representation of the capture of Valdivia

The main fort in Corral

The Valdivian fort system was a series of fortifications at Corral Bay, Valdivia and Cruces River established to protect the city of Valdivia, Chile. During the period of Spanish colonization, it was the biggest system of fortification in the Americas. It was also a major supply source for Spanish ships that crossed the Strait of Magellan.

The three largest forts in this system were the forts of Corral Bay that comprised of:

San Sebastián de la Cruz fort in Corral (1645),
Niebla and
Isla Mancera.

Some other fortifications were built to defend the city from the Mapuches such as:

San Luis de Alba Fort
Los Torreones

[edit] History

Valdivia was founded in 1552 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia. Its original name was Santa María la Blanca de Valdivia. Some years later in 1598 the Spaniards suffered several reversals in the War of Arauco, and the defenceless city was abandoned. In 1643 the Dutch arrived at the ruins and settled in the zone, planning to use Valdivia as a base for attacks on the Spanish empire. After some conflicts with the Mapuche indians of the zone, the Dutch had to leave Valdivia.

General view of the fort in Corral

It was then when Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Leiva, Marquis of Mancera ordered the re-population of Valdivia and the construction of several forts. The main forts where built at Corral Bay, but some other forts where built to protect the city from the Mapuches.

Then the city came to be called The key of the south sea (Llave del Mar del Sur in Spanish).

The forts where reinforced several times, and new additions were made until the late 18th century.

At the time of Chilean independence Valdivia remained a Spanish stronghold, and was perceived as threat to Chile's independence by Lord Thomas Cochrane, admiral of the Chilean navy who captured the forts in 1820 without facing the batteries by using a surprise land assault.

Valdivia surrendered when the news about the fall of Corral Fort came.