# Tomás Villalba

_Uruguayan politician (1805–1886)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/tomas-villalba
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Tomás Villalba y Albin (9 December 1805 – 12 July 1886) was a Uruguayan politician who served as interim President for five days (15 to 20 February 1865), at the end of the Uruguayan War, which had begun on 10 August 1864. The war was fought between the governing Blanco Party and the Colorado Party, with the latter supported openly by the Empire of Brazil and covertly by the Argentine president, Bartolomé Mitre. The Uruguayan War was part an almost continuous struggle between the Blanco and Colorado factions since Uruguayan independence in 1828, and was closely linked to a wider regional conflict involving Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay which culminated in the Paraguayan War (also known as the War of the Triple Alliance). The Colorado leader Venancio Flores started a rebellion in 1863 to overthrow Blanco President Bernardo Berro, who led a coalition Colorado–Blanco government. After a series of battles, the Colorados and the Brazilian army controlled most of the country, with the Blancos left in control of just the capital, Montevideo. On March 1, 1864, President Berro stepped down and was replaced by a hard-line senator, Atanasio Aguirre.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 9 December 1805 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Dolores ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769#P19))
- **Died:** 12 July 1886 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769#P570))
- **Place of death:** Montevideo ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Uruguay ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769#P27))
- **Occupation:** businessperson ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769#P106))
- **Political party:** National Party ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769#P102))
- **Positions held:** President of Uruguay (15 February 1865 – 20 February 1865) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769#P39))

## About

On 2 February 1865, the Brazilian navy began a blockade of Montevideo, but temporarily relaxed it to allow foreigners to be evacuated to Buenos Aires. The relaxation of the blockade was extended to the middle of February to allow the Uruguayan Senate to elect a new President of the Senate. Anastasio Aquirre's term ended on 15 February, whereupon the Senate elected the moderate Tomás Villalba to replace him. Villalba immediately asked for a contingent of foreign troops, from Britain, France, Italy and Spain, to land in Montevideo as a means of preventing the more radical members of the Blanco Party from attempting to overthrow Villalba. The new president reached an agreement with Flores and a peace accord was signed on 20…

## Questions

**When was Tomás Villalba born?**  
Tomás Villalba was born on 9 December 1805 in Dolores.

**What positions has Tomás Villalba held?**  
Positions held by Tomás Villalba include: President of Uruguay (1865–1865).

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Tomás Villalba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%C3%A1s_Villalba) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q887769](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q887769) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Tomás Villalba.jpg (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom%C3%A1s_Villalba.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Tomás Villalba, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Tomás Villalba.jpg, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Tomás Villalba". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/tomas-villalba. Retrieved 6 November 2026.