The Inca plan () was a proposal formulated in 1816 by Manuel Belgrano to the Congress of Tucumán, aiming to crown a Sapa Inca to lead the independent territory. After the Declaration of Independence of the United Provinces of South America (modern Argentina), the Congress discussed the form of government that should be used. Belgrano proposed that the country be ruled by a Constitutional monarchy headed by a restored Inca ruler. The proposal was supported by José de San Martín, Martín Miguel de Güemes and the northern provinces, but found strong resistance from Buenos Aires. The Congress would ultimately reject it, creating instead a Republican government.
Context
King Ferdinand VII of Spain was overthrown by French armies during the Peninsular War. The Spanish overseas colonies, like the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, found themselves with a power vacuum. At the same time, the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution were spreading, and as the captive king had overthrown his absolutist father Charles IV shortly before, it was thought that he shared the new ideas. This led to many riots and rebellions, and the Viceroyalty engaged in the Argentine War of Independence. However, Ferdinand VII was restored in the throne of Spain in 1816, and started the Absolutist Restauration. The patriots, who were so far fighting to replace the absolutist form of government with one closer to the new ideas, became fully Independentist by this point.
Contemporary to the War of Independence, the Argentine Civil War confronted Buenos Aires with provincial caudillos. Buenos Aires had been the capital of the viceroyalty and intended to keep exerting that power, but in the lack of a king and its vertical authority, the provinces felt themselves equally capable to rule themselves. Caudillos manifested the strong anti-Buenos Aires sentiment present at many provinces.
The Inca Empire had been conquered by the Spanish centuries ago, and the last sovereign Sapa Inca, Atahualpa, was executed in 1533. Nevertheless, the Inca heritage was still strong among the indigenous populations of the Upper Peru and Inca nobility was not extinct (among the Quechua people).
Development
After the return of Ferdinand VII to the Spanish throne, Manuel Belgrano and Bernardino Rivadavia were sent to Europe in a diplomatic mission, seeking support for the local governments. They failed to obtain it, but Belgrano realized that, unlike previous years, the republican form of government was not highly esteemed, and monarchies were preferred again. He also pointed out that the European superpowers looked favorably to the Revolution, until it led to anarchy.Luna, p. 132-133 This led him to propose that the provinces were led by an Inca monarch. He reasoned that if the country was ruled by a monarchy, the European powers would be more likely to recognize their independence. And by restoring the Inca monarchy the pro-independence movement would gather support from the northern provinces and the indigenous populations. The proposal included as well to designate the city of Cuzco, former capital of the Inca Empire, as the capital of the country, replacing Buenos Aires as such.Calmon (1975), p.258 The idea, however, was not a new one: as early as 1790 Francisco de Miranda had plans for an Empire where a descendant of the Inca Emperors would reign. His proposal was a constitutional monarchy with a Legislative branch divided in a lower house and an upper house - the latter with lifelong members taken from local caciques.
A possible candidate to be crowned after this proposal was Dionisio Inca Yupanqui, colonel in Spain and deputee at the Courts of Cadiz in 1812, mentioned in a mail from Chamberlain to Castlereagh." La persona que se supone tiene en vista el Congreso es un oficial del ejército español, que actualmente se encuentra en España" (Chamberlain) Galasso, p. 181-182 He had a high social position, and by representing Peru at Cadiz he was already politically notable. Another possible candidate was Juan Bautista Tupamaro, also known as Túpac Amaru. As well as his brother Túpac Amaru II, he claimed to be a descendant of the former Inca ruler Túpac Amaru."Otro candidato podría ser un hermano de Túpac Amaru, quien después de sufrir prisión en España, se había radicado en Buenos Aires". Galasso, p. 182
Belgrano's proposal was discussed again on July 12, being raised by Manuel Antonio de Acevedo, representative of the Catamarca Province. There was a strong support from the representatives of the provinces of the Upper Peru and the north west, the ones from Cuyo were divided, and the ones from Buenos Aires were against it."Esta propuesta alcanza importante apoyo entre los congresales, especialmente de los pueblos altoperuanos y de las provincias del noroeste. [...] A todo esto, resulta clara la disconformidad del grupo de representantes de Buenos Aires". Galasso, p. 180 The representatives of Buenos Aires - who disliked the idea of losing power and being governed by a distant central government in Cusco - proposed instead as a monarch the young Prince Don Sebastián.Calmon (1975), pp.257-258 Sebastián was a member of the Spanish Royal House (the Bourbons) but lived in Rio de Janeiro with his maternal grandparent, Portuguese King Dom João VI). A few years before, in 1808, British Admiral Sir Sydney Smith tried to convince Sebastián's father, Prince Don Pedro Carlos, to accept a joint regency with his future mother-in-law and aunt Dona Carlota Joaquina (herself a Spanish Bourbon and wife of João VI), under the name of the then-captive Spanish king. Carlota eagerly supported the plan hoping that she could rule the former Spanish colonies through her nephew.Macaulay (1993), p.46 Saturnino José Rodríguez Peña and Manuel Belgrano also extended this offer to Carlota from Buenos Aires.
Although then-crown prince João had earlier considered establishing a court for Pedro Carlos in Buenos Aires or another Spanish viceroyalty, he now saw Carlota's ambitious plan as a threat to Portugal and Brazil and convinced his nephew to refuse the proposal.Macaulay (1993), p.45-47 Nonetheless, Carlota was adamant on leaving Rio de Janeiro to establish herself as regent (in what would later be known as Carlotism) with her younger son Miguel as her heir. In May 1809 her husband managed to destroy her project by sending away Percy Smythe, 6th Viscount Strangford, the British Admiral who supported her would take her to Buenos Aires on his fleet.Macaulay (1993), p.48 In 1810 the Buenos Aires junta, in conflict with the government of Cádiz, proposed Carlota as constitutional queen of the United Provinces (nowadays Argentina). She wanted to rule as an absolutist monarch which led to Buenos Aires to withdraw its proposal.Macaulay (1993), p.58
The discussion was extended during July, and by August 6 Tomás de Anchorena stated his rejection to the proposal. He considered that there were conflicting perspectives between the peoples at the North and at the Pampas, with the later opposing the monarchic form of government."...haciendo notar las diferencias que caracterizan los llanos y los altos del territorio y el genio, hábitos y costumbres de unos y otros habitantes..." (Anchorena) Galasso, p. 180-181 However, Anchorena would explain years later to Juan Manuel de Rosas, in a mail that was kept, that he supported the constitutional monarchy as a form of government but rejected the idea of crowning an Inca."Nadie, nadie se ocupaba del sistema Republicano Federal, porque todas las provincias estaban en tal estado de atraso, de pobreza, de ignorancia y de desunión entre sí y todas juntas profesaban tal odio a Buenos Aires que era como hablar de una quimera el discurrir sobre el establecimiento de un sistema federal... y que, siendo ruinoso e insoportable a todo estado el gobierno absoluto, debía ser el nuestro monárquico constitucional. [...] los diputados de Buenos Aires y algunos otros nos quedamos atónitos con lo ridículo y extravagante de la idea, pero viendo que el general insistía en ella, sin embargo de varias observaciones que se le hicieron de pronto, aunque con medida, porque vimos brillar el contento en los diputados cuicos del Alto Perú [...] tuvimos entonces que callar y disimular el sumo desprecio con que mirábamos tal pensamiento." (Anchorena) Galasso, p. 181
Belgrano told in a mail to Rivadavia that the project achieved complete consensus."Les hablé de monarquía constitucional con la representación soberana de los Incas: todos adoptaron la idea" (Belgrano) Galasso, p. 182 Martín Miguel de Güemes also supported it."Si estos son los sentimientos generales que nos animan, con cuánta más razón lo serán cuando, restablecida en breve la dinastía de los Incas, veamos sentado en el trono al legítimo sucesor de la corona". (Güemes) Galasso, p. 182 José de San Martín manifested his support as well, but requested that there was a single head of state and not a government body composed of many people, such as the Juntas or the triumvirates that had ruled the United Provinces a short time ago."Yo le digo a Laprida lo admirable que me parece el plan de un Inca a la cabeza, las ventajas son geométricas, pero por la patria les suplico no nos metan en una regencia de personas; en el momento que pase de una, todo se paraliza y nos lleva el Diablo" (San Martín) Galasso, p. 182-183
Incapable to force the rejection of the Inca plan, the representatives of Buenos Aires forced its delay, while promoting that the Congress was moved to Buenos Aires, which would allow a stronger influence over its development."Sin embargo, como le revela el mismo Anchorena, los poderosos intereses porteños obstaculizan el proyecto, con diversas artimañas, hasta que los congresales abandonan su tratamiento. [...] Luego, en marzo de 1817, se trasladará a Buenos Aires. Aquellos diputados a quienes Anchorena califica de "cuicos" ya no pesarán". Galasso, p. 188 Belgrano and Güemes wanted to keep it in Tucuman, and San Martín accepted the move, but conditioned that the seat of government of the Supreme Director was moved to the city of Córdoba."San Martín admite el traslado a Buenos Aires, pero propone que el Director Supremo establezca su asiento en Córdoba". Galasso, p. 188 Buenos Aires prevailed and the Congress moved to the city in March, 1817. The Inca Plan was forgotten, and the Congress enacted instead an aristocratic Constitution and a monarchy as well, but the king would not be an Inca. It would be a Frenchman, the prince of Lucca (Charles II, Duke of Parma)"El monarca, por su parte, ya no tendrá vinculación alguna con el Imperio Incaico ni con las multitudes indias de Perú y el Alto Perú, sino que sería un Borbó, ofrecido gentilmente por Fancia: el príncipe De Luca". Galasso, p. 189 The crowning of Charles was frustrated by the defeat of Buenos Aires during the battle of Cepeda, which ended the authority of the Supreme Directors and started a period of anarchy. The Prince of Lucca was a Bourbon related to the Spanish king; the French premiers Richelieu and Desolle supported the plan to disrupt British activities in the region. This plan came after Belgrano's proposal to crown Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, brother of King Ferdinand, had fallen through and King Louis XVIII of France had vetoed Rivadavia's plan to have Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans invited as king.
The Duke of Lucca was not only proposed as an Argentine monarch but the idea was to propose a marriage between him and one of the Brazilian princesses, whose dowry would include Cisplatina, then a Brazilian province. The United Provinces was at war with the Empire of Brazil over Cisplatina. The plan (both the Duke of Lucca and the marriage to a Brazilian princess) which had been approved by the United Provinces' parliament, came to nothing after the king of Spain - once again - refused to allow any member of his family as a monarch in one of his former colonies.Calmon (1975), p.259