National Sovereignty Day

National Sovereignty Day is a public holiday in Argentina, and it is celebrated on the Monday near November 20 each year. The holiday commemorates the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado, which took place on November 20, 1845. The battle was fought between the Argentine Confederation and the combined Anglo-French fleet on the waters of the Paraná River.

During the 1830s and 1840s, the Argentine Confederation required trade to pass through the custom-house; however, this conflicted with French and British economic interests in the region. French and British governments used the new steam-powered ships to avoid the custom-house, and to stop the practice, the Argentine Confederation closed the rivers.

The British and French governments decided to sail upstream with a joint armored fleet. The Argentine general set up three thick metal chains suspended from boats across the river to prevent the European fleet. At the same time, the Argentines mounted cannons on the shore of the river. The British and French fleets broke through the Argentine naval defenses and won the battle, but their ships suffered severe damage.

The battle made the British and French governments realize it would be too costly to sail Argentine rivers without authorization. The battle also changed the political stance of Chile and Brazil, which started to support the Argentine Confederation.

The following is the list of National Sovereignty Day in Argentina from 2022 to 2026.

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