Chile By dehm88 1553 Araucanians capture and kill Valdivia. 1810 Junta in Santiago proclaims autonomy for Chile following the overthrow of the king of Spain by Napoleon. 1814 Spain regains control of Chile. 1817 Spanish defeated by Army of the Andes led by Jose de San Martin and Bernardo O'Higgins at the battles of Chacabuco and Maipu. 1818 Chile becomes independent with O'Higgins as supreme leader. 1823 O'Higgins forced to resign; civil war between liberal federalists and conservative centralists ends with conservative victory. 1891 Civil war over constitutional dispute between president and congress ends in congressional victory, with president reduced to figurehead. 1948 Communist Party banned. 2005 May - 45 young soldiers perish in a blizzard, prompting calls for an end to compulsory military service. 2006 August - Chile and China sign a free-trade deal, Beijing's first in South America.
