republic · South America

Granadine Confederation

1858 CE – 1863 CE · capital Bogotá

Colombia's experiment with a confederation of sovereign states between 1858 and 1863, overthrown by a liberal civil war.

Origins

Pressure for federalism had grown in the Republic of New Granada, and Panama, Antioquia and other regions had become self-governing states. The constitution of 1858, under the conservative president Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, created the Granadine Confederation, a union of eight states with a weak central government in Bogotá.

Rule and society

The states had their own constitutions, armies and elections. Laws passed by Ospina's government to control state elections and armies were seen by liberals as an attack on state sovereignty. In 1860 Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, governor of the State of Cauca, rebelled and declared Cauca separate from the confederation, starting a civil war.

Decline and legacy

Mosquera captured Bogotá in July 1861 and took power, expelling the Jesuits and confiscating church lands. The Rionegro Convention of 1863 replaced the confederation with the United States of Colombia.

Lineage

Republic of New Granada 1831 CE – 1858 CEGranadine ConfederationUnited States of Colombia 1863 CE – 1886 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Granadine Confederation. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/granadine-confederation
MLA
“Granadine Confederation.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/granadine-confederation. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Granadine Confederation.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/granadine-confederation.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Granadine Confederation’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/granadine-confederation (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻