Agustín de Iturbide was a Mexican military leader who helped end Spanish rule in New Spain and became Mexico’s first emperor. In World History, he shows how independence movements could turn into a fight over who would control the new nation.
Agustín de Iturbide is the Mexican general and politician who helped bring the Mexican War of Independence to a close and then became Mexico’s first emperor. In World History 1400 to Present, he shows up as the man who turned a long anti-colonial rebellion into an independent state, but also into a political struggle over what that state should look like.
What makes Iturbide stand out is that he did not begin as an independence rebel. He first fought for the Spanish crown during the early years of the war, when New Spain was already in turmoil. Later, he switched sides and became the figure who could unite groups that had very different goals. That shift matters because it shows independence was not just a straight line from rebellion to freedom. It was also a series of negotiations among conservatives, liberals, military leaders, and church supporters.
His biggest move was the Plan of Iguala, sometimes called the Plan de Iguala. This plan gave the independence movement a common platform built around three ideas: religion, independence, and equality among citizens. That combination mattered because it appealed to people who wanted to break from Spain without completely overturning the social order. It promised independence while protecting the Catholic Church and social hierarchy enough to win support from elites.
The plan led to the Treaty of Córdoba and then independence in 1821. After that, Iturbide declared himself Emperor of Mexico in 1822. He wanted a strong centralized government, but many political groups resisted his authority. His empire fell apart quickly, and he abdicated in 1823, which opened the way to the First Mexican Republic.
So, in this course, Iturbide is not just a person to memorize. He is a case study in how independence can produce a new nation and, at the same time, new arguments over power, legitimacy, and political identity. His story sits right at the transition from colonial rule in Spanish North America to the creation of modern Mexico.
Iturbide matters because he connects the end of Spanish colonial rule in Mexico to the messy birth of a nation-state. A lot of independence stories focus on the first rebellion, but his career shows the final stage of independence movements: the part where leaders have to turn revolt into government.
He also helps you see why independence did not mean agreement. The Plan of Iguala brought together people who wanted different things. Some wanted social stability, some wanted political change, and some wanted a break from Spain more than a social revolution. That makes Iturbide useful for comparing reform, revolution, and compromise in the late colonial world.
His short reign as emperor is also a reminder that independence did not automatically create democracy. Mexico had to figure out whether it would be centralized or federal, monarchical or republican, and whose interests the new government would protect. That tension shows up again in the Constitution of 1824 and in later Mexican politics.
If you are writing about Spanish North America, Iturbide is one of the clearest examples of how empire collapse often leads to unstable first governments before a more lasting political order takes shape.
Keep studying World History – 1400 to Present Unit 8
Visual cheatsheet
view galleryMexican War of Independence
Iturbide appears at the end of the Mexican War of Independence, when the fighting had already dragged on for years. Early leaders like Hidalgo and Morelos helped start the revolt, but Iturbide is the figure who helped close it out by building a coalition that could actually win independence. He belongs in the final phase of the conflict, not the opening rebellion.
Plan of Iguala
The Plan of Iguala is the policy blueprint most closely tied to Iturbide. It was his way of making independence acceptable to groups that feared chaos, especially conservative elites and the Catholic Church. If you see a question about how Mexico gained independence without a full social revolution, this plan is usually the answer.
First Mexican Empire
Iturbide’s empire is what happened after independence was won, and it shows how uncertain the new political order was. Instead of settling the future, the First Mexican Empire triggered more conflict over power and legitimacy. His rule is useful for seeing that getting rid of a colonial ruler does not automatically solve the problem of who should govern next.
Constitution of 1824
The Constitution of 1824 came after Iturbide’s abdication and reflects the rejection of his imperial model. Where Iturbide pushed for centralized monarchical authority, the constitution moved Mexico toward a republic. The connection helps you track the shift from one-man rule to a more formal political framework after independence.
A timeline question might ask you to place Iturbide after the early insurgent leaders and before the First Mexican Republic. In a short-response or essay prompt, you would use him to explain how Mexico moved from rebellion against Spain to the creation of a new government. A good answer usually mentions the Plan of Iguala, the Treaty of Córdoba, and his brief empire.
If you get a document-based or source-analysis task, look for language about compromise, religion, social order, or central authority. Those clues point to Iturbide’s attempt to unite different factions without making the revolution too radical. He is also a strong comparison point for leaders who turned independence into monarchy or centralized rule rather than immediate republican government.
Hidalgo started the Mexican independence movement with a mass uprising, while Iturbide helped finish it by building a coalition and negotiating independence. Hidalgo is tied to the beginning of the war, and Iturbide is tied to its final political settlement.
Agustín de Iturbide was the Mexican leader who helped end Spanish rule in New Spain and then became Mexico’s first emperor.
He switched from fighting for the Spanish crown to supporting independence, which shows how flexible politics could be during the collapse of empire.
The Plan of Iguala was his major contribution, because it united conservative and liberal interests around religion, independence, and equality among citizens.
His empire was short-lived, and his abdication in 1823 led to the First Mexican Republic.
In World History, Iturbide is a good example of how independence movements often end with a struggle over what kind of government replaces colonial rule.
Agustín de Iturbide was a Mexican military leader and politician who helped bring about Mexico’s independence from Spain. He is best known for the Plan of Iguala and for briefly ruling as Emperor of Mexico. In World History, he represents the shift from colonial rebellion to the creation of a new state.
He switched from supporting the Spanish crown to supporting independence because the political situation in New Spain had changed, and independence became the better path to power and stability. His change of sides also helped unite groups that had been divided for years. That coalition made independence much more likely to succeed.
The Plan of Iguala was Iturbide’s proposal for Mexican independence. It promised religion, independence, and equality among citizens, which helped bring together conservatives and liberals. It is often treated as the key political document that made independence possible in 1821.
He is seen both ways. Many Mexicans view him as a national hero because he helped achieve independence, but others criticize him because he crowned himself emperor and tried to centralize power. That mixed legacy is part of why he is such a useful historical figure to study.