May Revolution
The May Revolution was a direct reaction to Spain's Peninsular War. In 1808, King Ferdinand VII of Spain abdicated in favor of Napoleon, who granted the throne to his brother, Joseph Bonaparte. A Supreme Central Junta led resistance to Joseph's government and the French occupation of Spain, but eventually suffered a series of reversals that resulted in the Spanish loss of the northern half of the country. On February 1, 1810, French troops took Seville and gained control of most of Andalusia. The Supreme Junta retreated to Cadiz and dissolved itself, and the Council of Regency of Spain and the Indies replaced it. News of these events arrived in Buenos Aires on May 18, brought by British ships.
May Conspiracy
Prague and a few towns were put under a state of emergency (also called "the siege", "stav obležení"), press was put under censorship by the military and a military commission was established to investigate the conspiracy. The emergency was only lifted 4 and a half years later, on September 1, 1853. Seventy-nine young radicals were sentenced to prison, and most of them were released in general amnesty on May 8, 1857. Others fled to Britain, but had to devote their efforts to survival with little ability to further the revolution as exiles.