The Longterm Effects of the Spanish American Revolutions: The Case of the González Llorente Family

This paper explores the long-term effects of the Spanish American Revolutions by tracing the history of the González Llorente family. This family was among many who fled Spanish America during the revolutionary period. José González Llorente, the family patriarch, was one of New Granada’s most renowned royalist exiles. Facing a fierce persecution, he left the mainland, first traveling to Jamaica and later to Cuba. There, his sons actively participated in discussions on colonial rule and slavery by publishing books and newspapers in the second half of the 19th century, invoking their status as sons of émigrés and reflecting on the Spanish American Revolutions as an example of the dangers of promoting autonomist or pro-independence ideas in Cuba. Thus, examining the González Llorente family’s history will provide insight into the long-term impact of political exile on pro-imperial thought, illuminating the role of second-generation émigrés on the defense of colonial rule and the connections between the Spanish American revolutions and family history.