Chile–United Kingdom relations
British–Chile relations are foreign relations between the United Kingdom and Chile. The two countries maintain strong cultural ties as Chilean culture was heavily anglicised after Independence.
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Both countries have neighbouring territories in the South Atlantic and Pacific, with the Falkland Islands overseas territory of the UK within proximity to Chile's Tierra del Fuego Province and Cabo de Hornos commune, and the Pitcairn Islands in proximity to Easter Island.
History
The UK played an important role in Chile's history. According to William Edmundson in his book A History of the British Presence in Chile, 2009, Chile had the same head of state as England in the 16th century, Queen Mary I. When she married Philip II, he was still a prince, so the King of Spain, Carlos V made him and Mary the King and Queen of Chile, as well as of England, Ireland, Naples and Jerusalem. Mary became Queen of Chile and England from her marriage in 1554 to her husband's coronation as King of Spain in 1556, when Chile became part of the possessions of the Spanish king.
Throughout the colonial period, British vessels harassed the Spanish authorities in Chile by plundering Spanish ships. British forces and the Mapuche both allied themselves to depose the Spanish hold in the country. Britain assisted the Chileans fight for independence in the 1810s, led by Lord Cochrane. The British Admiral Lord Cochrane was the Chilean Navy's first commander who fought in the Chilean War of Independence and five Chilean Navy ships have been named in his honour.
In the early 1910s, Britain sold a super-dreadnought battleship Almirante Latorre to Chile. Although retained by the Royal Navy through the war, the ship was delivered after WWI and served as the Chilean Navy's flagship for many decades thereafter. In the modern era Chilean Navy and the Royal Navy maintain a close relationship with one ex-British Type 22 frigate and three Type 23 frigates in Chilean service.
During the Falklands War in 1982, with the still pending Beagle conflict, Chile and Colombia became the only Latin American countries to abstain from voting in the TIAR (as did the United States and Trinidad and Tobago). Chile provided the UK with limited, but significant information.[1][2] The Chilean position is described in detail by Sir Lawrence Freedman in his book The Official History of the Falklands Campaign.[3]
Resident diplomatic missions
References
- "Chile admits helping UK in Falklands". The Age. 2005-06-27. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
- "Chile 'helped UK over Falklands'". BBC NEWS. 2005-06-25. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
- Freedman, L. (2004). The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 1: The Origins of the Falklands War. Government Official History Series. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-135-77589-6. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
Further reading
External links
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