100 Leaders Your first name. Summary Simón Bolívar, the “Liberator,” was a military and political leader who freed much of South America from Spanish rule. Bolívar recognized that a country could not be free and prosper under a colonial system. Although not always successful in military campaigns, Bolívar fought the Spanish and eventually liberated five countries. Bolívar was less successful in getting people to adopt his vision of a united South America, but he is still hailed as the man who freed much of South America from Spanish rule. "The executive is commander in chief of the army and navy; he makes peace and declares war; but Parliament annually determines what sums are to be paid to these military forces…Give Venezuela such an executive power in the person of a president chosen by the people or their representatives, and you will have taken a great step toward national happiness." Bolivar’s Message to the Congress at Angostura, 1819, Modern History Sourcebook Biography Simón Bolívar is nicknamed the “Liberator” because of his role in liberating what would become Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from control by Spain.

Born into a wealthy family in Venezuela, Bolívar was educated in Spain. Bolívar met Napoleon and was present at the coronation of Napoleon as emperor and but felt Napoleon had betrayed the principles of the French Revolution. When Bolívar returned to Venezuela in 1807, he joined the movement to overthrow the Spanish. In 1810, Venezuela’s independence movement declared independence from Spain, and a new government was created. However, the movement was defeated by Spain, and Bolívar was forced to flee to Cartagena, Colombia. In 1813, fighting once again broke out between the rebels and the Spanish. This time Bolívar and his troops successfully defeated the Spanish. Bolívar then went to New Granada (present-day Colombia) and took command of military forces. In May 1814, he captured the capital, Bogotá. Bolívar believed that South America should have a parliamentary government modeled after England but with a president for life. By 1821, Bolívar had successfully liberated Venezuela, Ecuador, and New Granada and found the Republic of Gran Colombia.

In 1822, Bolívar met the Argentinian general, José de San Martin and the two agreed to liberate Peru together. Bolívar conquered the part of Peru known as Alto Peru and this was renamed Bolivia in Bolívar’s honor. Bolívar found it increasingly difficult to govern the newly liberated territories. Many of his generals did not have the same vision for a united South America and conflicts soon arose. He declared himself dictator of Gran Colombia in 1828 and survived an assassination attempt that year. He resigned as president in 1830 and died that same year. Although not politically successful in uniting South America, Bolívar is still hailed as the man who freed five countries from the colonial rule of Spain. What Made Simón Bolívar A leader? Despite having many advantages of wealth, Simón Bolívar was committed to providing political freedom to people. Bolívar successfully waged a number of military campaigns throughout South America, defeating the Spanish on numerous occasions. After hundreds of years of domination by Spain, Bolívar was instrumental in moving South America closer to democratic governments. Discover More About Simón Bolívar Keywords Arana, Marie. Bolivar: American Liberator.

New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013. Lynch, John. Simon Bolivar: A Life. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006. Williamson, Edwin. The Penguin History of Latin America. New York: Penguin, 2010 Simon Bolivar: The Liberator Simón Bolívar: The Liberator Simon Bolivarï¿½s Background Simón José Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolívar was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela. His wealthy parents, don Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte and doña Maria de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco, died while he was still a boy. His father when Simón was two, and his mother when he was nine. Simón inherited a fortune and was left in the care of his uncle, don Carlos Palacios. Simón received an excellent education from tutors, and he became familiar with the works of the Enlightenment as well as those of classical Greece and Rome. At the age of fifteen, his uncle sent him to Spain to continue his education, as was customary for wealthy creoles at the time.

Simon left for Spain in 1799 with his friend, Esteban Escobar. On the way, he stopped in Mexico City where he met with the viceroy of New Spain whom he impressed and alarmed with his confident argument for Spanish American independence. Bolívar arrived in Madrid in June 1799 and stayed with his uncle, Esteban Palacios. In Spain, Bolívar met Maria Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alaysa whom he married soon afterwards in 1802. A year later, Bolívar returned to Venezuela and took his new bride with him. Shortly after arriving, Maria Teresa became sick with yellow fever and died. Her death greatly affected Bolívar and he vowed never to marry again, a vow that he kept for the rest of his life. After losing his wife, Bolívar returned to Spain in 1804 to attempt to overcome his grief. While in Europe he witnessed the proclamation of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor of France and later the coronation of Napoleon as King of Italy and Milan. Bolívar lost respect for Napoleon whom he considered to have betrayed the republican ideals.

The trip failed to cheer him up until he accidentally met up with his old tutor and friend, Simón Rodríguez, who was living in exile because of his radical notions. The two traveled through Europe together, and they talked of South Americaï¿½s future and their patriotic yearnings. It was during this trip that, while in Italy, Bolívar made his famous vow atop Mount Aventin of Rome to never rest until South America was free from Spanish rule. In 1807, Bolívar returned to Venezuela after a brief visit to the United States. Latin America Begins its Fight for Independence As the 18th century came to a close, the relationships between the Spanish and Portuguese monarchies and their respective colonies in the Americas had become strained by modernizing reforms, rebellion, and wars in Europe. The liberalization of the trade monopoly had created prosperity in most of the colonies, but the people living in those colonies did not benefit much from the prosperity. Instead, the money went to the Iberian monarchies and the wealthy Spanish landowners. Creoles in Latin America were also frustrated by their subordination to the Spaniards.

The anti-clerical regalism of reformers in both Portugal and Spain had eroded the traditional basis of the legitimacy of the Iberian Catholic monarchies, while in the ideas of the Enlightenment, potential alternatives to royal sovereignty could be found. The elite class in Latin America was faced with a decision between independence and continuing to live under monarchal rule. To make the decision, they had to weigh the benefits of political freedom against the risks of internal disorder and race war from which the monarchy could provide protection. Napoleonï¿½s invasion of Spain in 1808 was the event that finally triggered the struggle for Latin Americaï¿½s independence from Spain. Napoleon invited Charles IV, the king of Spain, and his son and heir to the throne, Ferdinand, to Bayonne, France. Once there, Napoleon had them detained, and he delivered the crown of Spain to his own brother, Joseph. The people of Spain were not happy about this, and, starting in Madrid, they rose up in rebellion against the French troops. Juntas sprang up in various towns, and in the absence of the desired monarch, these councils assumed provisional sovereignty, eventually placing them under the authority of a Supreme Junta at Seville.

The installation of Joseph Bonaparte as king of Spain also produced crisis in the Americas. The Spanish colonies there were, strictly speaking, kingdoms in their own right, constitutionally distinct from Spain but sharing a common monarch. When the monarchy in Spain suddenly lost its legitimacy when Bonaparte took over, it became unclear who had authority over the Americas. One option was for the creoles to set up juntas in the same manner as in Spain and assume provisional sovereignty. This would be the first time in history the creoles could legitimately exercise power in America without either deferring to a viceroy or being disloyal to the king. This option was favored by the creoles who wanted to eventually move towards autonomy from Spain, but there were many creoles that would have preferred to stay loyal to the Spanish throne. As the fighting continued in the Iberian peninsula, the course to be taken by the creoles in Spanish America remained unclear. Then in 1810, as Spanish resistance to Napoleon was about to collapse completely, creole patriots in Venezuela, New Granada, Argentina, and Chile rebelled and formed juntas similar to those formed in Spain.

Simón Bolívar as Liberator Simon Bolívar returned to Venezuela from Spain in 1808. Soon afterwards, he joined and became a leader of the Patriotic Society of Caracas that was responsible for numerous revolts that ultimately resulted in independence. That occurred in April, 1810, when the colonial governor was deposed and a junta independent of Cádiz was established. Two months later, Bolívar was promoted to the rank of colonel in the militia and appointed head of a diplomatic mission to London. This mission to London marked the beginning of Bolivarï¿½s twenty years career as a public servant on behalf of freedom and independence. Bolívar returned from London in June, 1811, and spoke to the Patriotic Society in favor of independence. On July 5, 1811, the Patriotic Society of Caracas declared independence and founded the first republic of Venezuela. The constitution for the new republic provided for a federal structure, the legal equality of citizens of all races, and the abolition of clerical and military privileges.

Yet, in reality, it did little for non-whites: most were excluded from voting by a property qualification, slavery was retained, and the llaneros, the free-ranging horsemen of the plains, were alienated by policies designed to bring the llanos (plains) under private ownership. In March, 1812, a small Spanish force arrived from Puerto Rico, and the non-whites and royalists helped them combat the republican army. Within a few months the republican army had surrendered. Bolívar escaped to New Granada and avoided prison. In New Granada, Bolívar enlisted the help of the United Provinces of New Granada for a renewed campaign against the royalists of Venezuela. In 1813, Bolívar reentered Venezuela and declared a ï¿½war to the deathï¿½ against the authority of Spain. He did this with the intent of forcing undecided creoles to choose between independence and submission to unyielding colonialism. He reached Caracas in August and declared a second republic, assuming the role of military dictator.

The Second Republic collapsed within a few months, however, because Bolívar had failed to win the support of the non-whites, many of whom were instead recruited to fight with those loyal to the king. After the defeat, Bolívar returned to New Granada, where he stayed shortly before going to Jamaica in 1815. In 1814, Joseph Bonaparte had been removed from the Spanish throne, and Ferdinand VII had retaken his place there. In 1815, a Spanish army of 10,000 men was sent to the Indies with the intent of pacifying the area, and by 1816, both Venezuela and New Granada were back under royalist control. Now that the Spanish king had regained the throne from the French, the choice of the creoles was more difficult. Any opposition to the colonial administration could no longer be construed as anything but treason. The leaders of the radical minority realized that in order to gain the support of the majority of the creoles, they had to make their revolutionary ideas more appealing to their desires. It seemed that this would somehow require a monarchical solution.

Bolívar, an unwavering republican, even gave his independence program a marked conservative slant. After witnessing the anarchy in New Granada, he had determined that republicanism in South America could not follow the North American model. Bolívar believed that the South American societies had been kept in a condition of political immaturity through ï¿½Spanish tyrannyï¿½, and, therefore, were unqualified to handle an electoral democracy. In his Jamaica Letter of September 6, 1815 he discussed his ideas for American independence, and he stated that South America should ï¿½not adopt the best system of government, but the one that is most likely to succeed.ï¿½ Bolívar, along with José de San Martín, decided that instead of direct confrontation with royalist armies, seizing vulnerable territories and setting up an independent government there would be a more fruitful endeavor. By 1817, Bolívar and San Martín were each ready to undertake new campaigns for independence: San Martín in the south, and Bolívar in the north. The Wars of Independence In 1817 Simón Bolívar had returned to Venezuela to again fight for its independence.

Starting his campaign in the west, Bolívar took the strategic town of Angostura. He established headquarters there and collected recruits and supplies. The location of Angostura on the Orinoco allowed him to receive assistance by sea as well as providing him with a route upriver into the central plains. This time in Venezuela, Bolívar gained the assistance of the llaneros, who had been conducting a guerrilla war against the royalists. To gain their cooperation, Bolívar provided certain limited incentives to the Indians and black slaves. This widened the ethnic base of the revolution, and it allowed Bolívar access to the central plains of Venezuela which proved to be very valuable in the fighting. From time to time, Bolívar tried to gain a foothold in northern Venezuela, but without success. Then he came up with a more daring plan. He would cross the vast central plains and then the Andes Mountains during the rainy season and make a surprise attack on Bogotá. Bolívar began the long march on May 26, 1819, just as the rainy season started.

The long trip across hundreds of miles of plains, swamps, and swollen rivers would prove to be at least as difficult as expected, but Bolívar would not be deterred. Many men died of hunger, disease, and exhaustion as they made their way across the plains. At the end of June, they began to climb the Andes. They were forced to cross at Pisba, 13,000 feet above sea level, because the lower passes were heavily guarded by royalist forces. None of their horses survived the mountain pass, and more than 1,000 men perished as well. But Bolívar and the rest marched on. On August 7, they encountered and routed the royalistsï¿½ main forces at Boyacá. The patriots were considerably outnumbered, but they fought valiantly and won the decisive battle. The Spaniards and loyalists fled from Bogotá after their defeat at Boyacá, and on August 10, 1819, Bolívar occupied Bogotá.

The victory at Boyacá liberated New Granada, and in December the independence of all the provinces of the viceroyalty was declared and Gran Colombia (which encompasses present-day Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador) was created with Simón Bolívar as president. In June 1821, Bolívar won the battle of Carabobo, and when Caracas fell a few days later, Venezuela was finally completely free from Spanish rule. Bolívar next went south and conquered the province of Quito. On July 27, 1822, Simon Bolívar and José de San Martín met at the city of Guayaquil. Bolívar came in as the triumphant leader of a series of resounding military victories and the head of the vast new Gran Colombia. San Martín on the other hand was struggling with his campaign in Peru and his control in Chile was uncertain. Bolívar was in a far superior position, so after their secret discussions, San Martin left South America altogether and when to Europe. Bolivarï¿½s political victory over San Martin signified the demise of monarchism as an option for a post-independence settlement.

After the meeting with San Martín, Bolívar prepared to march across the Andes to Peru to fight the final offensive against the royalists. By the middle of 1824 he launched his campaign and won an important battle at Junín, which opened the door to Lima. Patriot forces also were victorious at Ayacucho, and Spainï¿½s presence in South America was eliminated. The wars of Independence in South America were concluded. Bolívar After the Wars of Independence From the end of the wars of independence in 1824 until his death in 1830, Simon Bolívar served as president of Venezuela. During the wars and until his death, Bolívar kept the company of Manuela Saenz, a mistress. During an attempted assassination of Bolívar, she played a large role in saving his life. The newly independent countries of South America did not operate perfectly and there was much turmoil. In 1830, Bolívar resigned as president because of the disunion and opposition that he felt in South America. He died on December 17, 1830.

History of Simon Bolivar History of Simon Bolivar Simon Bolivar (1783-1830) Simon Bolivar was one of South America's greatest generals. His victories over the Spaniards won independence for Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. He is called El Liberator (The Liberator) and the "George Washington of South America." Bolivar was born in July 24, 1783, at Caracas, Venezuela. His parents died when he was a child and he inherited a fortune. As a young man, he traveled in Europe. As he returned to Venezuela, Bolivar joined the group of patriots that seized Caracas in 1810 and proclaimed independence from Spain. He went to Great Britain in search of aid, but could get only a promise of British neutrality. When he returned to Venezuela, and took command of a patriot army, he recaptured Caracas in 1813 from the Spaniards. The Spaniards forced Bolivar to retreat from Venezuela to New Granada (now Colombia), also at war with Spain. He took command of a Colombian force and captured Bogota in 1814.

The patriots, however, lacked men and supplies, and new defeats led Bolivar to flee to Jamaica. In Haiti he gathered a force that landed in Venezuela in 1816, and took Angostra (now Ciudad Bolivar). He also became dictator there. Bolivar marched into New Granada in 1819. He defeated the Spaniards in Boyar in 1819, liberating the territory of Colombia. He then returned to Angostura and led the congress that organized the original republic of Colombia (now Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela). Bolivar became its first president on December 17, 1819. Bolivar crushed the Spanish army at Carabobo in Venezuela on June 24, 1821. Next, he marched into Educador and added that territory to the new Colombian republic. After a meeting in 1822 with another great liberator, Bolivar became dictator of Peru. His army won a victory over the Spaniards at Auacucho in 1824, which needed Spanish power in South America. Upper Peru became a separate state, named Bolivia in Bolivar's honor, in 1825.

The constitution, which he drew up for Bolivia, is one of his most important political pronouncements. --Harvey L. Johnson Biography of Simon Bolivar - Liberator of South America Biography of Simon Bolivar Simon Bolivar. Updated October 19, 2015. Simon Bolivar (1783-1830) was the greatest leader of Latin America's independence movement from Spain. A superb general and a charismatic politician, he not only drove the Spanish from northern South America but also was instrumental in the early formative years of the republics that sprang up once the Spanish had gone. His later years are marked by the collapse of his grand dream of a united South America. He is remembered as "The Liberator," the man who liberated his home from Spanish rule. Simon Bolivar's Childhood Bolivar was born in Caracas (present-day Venezuela) in 1783 to an extremely wealthy family. At that time, a handful of families owned most of the land in Venezuela, and the Bolivar family was among the wealthiest in the colony.

continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance Both of his parents died while Simon was still young: he had no memory of his father, Juan Vicente, and his mother Concepcion Palacios died when he was nine years old. Orphaned, Simon went to live with his grandfather and was raised by his uncles and his nurse Hipólita, for whom he had great affection. Young Simon was an arrogant, hyperactive lad who often had disagreements with his tutors. He was schooled at the finest schools that Caracas had to offer. From 1804 to 1807 he went to Europe, where he toured around in the manner of a wealthy New World creole. Venezuela: Ripe for Independence When Bolívar returned to Venezuela in 1807, he found a population divided between loyalty to Spain and a desire for independence. Venezuelan Francisco de Miranda had attempted to kick-start independence in 1806 with an aborted invasion of Venezuela's northern coast. When Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808 and imprisoned King Ferdinand VII, many Venezuelans felt that they no longer owed allegiance to Spain, giving the independence movement undeniable momentum.

The First Venezuelan Republic On April 19, 1810, the people of Caracas declared a provisional independence from Spain: they were still nominally loyal to King Ferdinand, but would rule Venezuela by themselves until such a time as Spain was back on its feet and Ferdinand restored. Young Simón Bolívar was an important voice during this time, advocating for full independence. Along with a small delegation, Bolívar was dispatched to England to seek the support of the British government: there he met Miranda and invited him back to Venezuela to participate in the government of the young republic. When Bolivar returned, he found civil strife between patriots and royalists. On July 5, 1811, the First Venezuelan Republic voted for full independence, dropping the farce that they were still loyal to Ferdinand VII. On March 26, 1812, a tremendous earthquake rocked Venezuela. It hit mostly rebellious cities, and Spanish priests were able to convince a superstitious population that the earthquake was divine retribution. Royalist Captain Domingo Monteverde rallied the Spanish and royalist forces and captured important ports and the city of Valencia. Miranda sued for peace.

Bolívar, disgusted, arrested Miranda and turned him over to the Spanish, but the First Republic had fallen and the Spanish regained control of Venezuela. The Admirable Campaign Bolivar, defeated, went into exile. In late 1812 he went to New Granada (now Colombia) to look for a commission as an officer in the growing Independence movement there. He was given 200 men and control of a remote outpost. He aggressively attacked all Spanish forces in the area, and his prestige and army grew. By the beginning of 1813 he was ready to lead a sizeable army into Venezuela. The royalists in Venezuela could not beat him head-on, but rather tried to surround him with a number of smaller armies. Bolívar did what everyone least expected and made a mad dash for Caracas. The gamble paid off, and on August 7, 1813, Bolivar rode victoriously into Caracas at the head of his army. This dazzling march became known as the Admirable Campaign .

Prev SimonBolivar.org The liberator of South America Simón Bolívar At the age of 23, Simón Bolívar ( July 24 ,1783 – December 17, 1830) vowed to free South America from Imperial Spain . Bolívar was a criollo or creole (born in the New World to Spanish parents) . Pressure for independence came mainly from criollos who resented the social and political dominance of the peninsulares ( those born in Spain ) and had access to education and inspired by the French and American Revolutions . As a military leader, Bolívar led his racially mixed armies to defeat the Spanish in Venezuela in 1817, in the republic of Colombia in 1819 and Peru in 1824 and after twenty years of ceaseless activity and covering thousands of miles ended three centuries of despotic, exploitive Spanish rule. All three provinces elected him president . However, despite being reviled in the countries he liberated at the end of his life he has been transformed over time into the greatest figure in South American history. Simon Bolívar (1969) starring Maximilian Schell as Bolívar .

The Revolutionary Simon Bolívar : Host Elaine Reyes speaks to Marie Arana of the Library of Congress, and author of the book "Bolivar: American Liberator," about the historical importance of Simon Bolivar: Latin America's most revered revolutionary. He was not able to realize his political dream of a confederated Spanish America as envisioned in the Congress of Panama with a common military, a mutual defense treaties, and a supranational parliamentary assembly. However, the Spanish would not return, and South Americans were free to rule themselves . It seems strange that Bolivar, who was always alluding to the heterogeneous character of the peoples of the Spanish colonies, should have failed to see the great differences between the Venezuelans, the Granadians, the Ecuadorians, and the Peruvians, and the impracticability of a federation of all these countries and their growing nationalism . The only way he could have created a South American superstate would have been through a temporary authoritarian regime until the people were more politically mature, yet was not willing to go as far as Napoleon for such a goal .

The one man who possibly could of formed a Commonwealth of Spanish nations was the Spanish monarch Ferdinand VII of Spain (October 14, 1784 – September, 29 1833 whom Bolívar had met and played a game of badminton with) but these hopes were dashed when he dissolved the Cortes (Spanish congress) and arrogantly abrogated the constitution in 1814 . By this act destroyed the last hope of keeping South America in at least an economic union with an allegiance to a single sovereign . Bolívar not only had to drive out the Spaniards with very insufficient means, but, when he had destroyed the old government, he was faced by the task of reconstructing an administration for peoples whose past had fitted them for nothing but despotic rule. He was perpetually reforming or reconstructing the administration, but nothing stable ever came of it. All who might have been able to help him had necessarily disappeared with the rule which they represented. The Spaniards alone were acquainted with the machinery of their government, such as it was, and, from the very nature of the case, it was impossible for them to serve on under the revolutionary government.

No misfortune, however great, seemed to daunt Bolivar in his early days. It is hardly possible to conceive any situation more desperate than his position after his defeat at La Puerta in 1814 or the earthquake of 1812 which shattered the infant First Republic and the epic march through the Andes in 1819 to Bogota . Yet he never for a moment lost hope, or the confidence of eventual success. It was only after he left Peru that despair of his countrymen, and of the future of South America, settled on his spirit like a gloomy cloud. He saw all his visions of a great confederacy melting away ; his back was hardly turned when both Peruvians and Bolivians rejected his favourite Bolivian constitution, which they had accepted when he was still amongst them to enforce his wishes. In the drafting of constitutions Bolivar displayed a curious energy, and, all things considered, it is wonderful that he, devoid as he was of legal education, should have been able to turn out two such productions as the Constitutions of Cucuta and of Bolivia, which were apparently entirely his own handiwork.

The latter was a somewhat strange piece of patchwork, made up from the British Constitution, tempered by that of the United States, and with an admixture of ancient Greek and Roman ideas. The whole thing, with its Presidency for life and its hereditary Senate, certainly smacked more of a constitutional monarchy than of a republic. As an adult his stature he was small ; he was said to be about 5 feet 6 inches, though some accounts represent him as still smaller. He had a narrow chest and a spare body, with slender limbs, and hands and feet so small as to be the envy of many women. His complexion was sallow, the skin somewhat rough. His high forehead was curiously seamed, even in his youth, by wrinkles. His hair was very black, with thick eyebrows, surmounting very black and piercing eyes. He was hospitable and fond of entertaining, though himself very simple in his food, so much so that he would often dine alone and only join a banquet towards the end, when, as a proposer of toasts, he was unsurpassed. He drank with the greatest moderation, and did not smoke at all, which was particularly remarkable in a country where almost everybody else lived with a cigar between his lips.

Few men ever had greater opportunities of enriching themselves ; still fewer more honestly refused to take advantage of their opportunities. He was from a prosperous family, yet he yet lost it all following his dream of independence and only had a pension when he died . Simón Bolívar had no direct descendants, the Bolívar line lives on through his sister Juana Maria . Bolívar goes to Spain to study and learn manners and refinement in the royal court . May 26, 1802 Marries María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alaysa . Returns to Caracas in June with his wife . Jan, 1803 María dies of yellow fever . A widower at 20, Bolivar vows never to marry again. Returns to Spain. Due to growing distrust of foreigners in Spain, Bolívar leaves for France, home of his revolutionary hero Napoleon . Returns to Europe, sees Napoleon crowned emperor on Dec 2, who he becomes to regard as a tyrant . Bolívar never returns to Spain . 1805 Bolívar makes vow on Aventine Hill in Rome to dedicate his life to liberate his country.

" I will not rest in body and soul till I have broken the chains of Spain ." 1807 Bolívar returns to Venezuela and becomes well known as a revolutionary . Makes a stopover in the United States to see his dream of democracy in action . Visits Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington and leaves from Charleston . 1808 Napoleon invades Spain and makes his brother king of Spain . France claims right to rule Spanish colonies . Spanish officials take orders from new French government in Madrid . More and more people agitate for an independent government, civil war ignites . 1810 Overthrow of Spanish colonial government in Venezuela on April 19, 1810 ( Bolivar does not take an active part), junta claims loyalty to Ferdinand VII and begins to reorganize government into a representative republic like the United States . Bolívar sent to England to seek recognition and support . The British, still allied with Spain, decline . Bolívar meets famous exiled revolutionary Francisco de Miranda (1750-1816) in England and asks him to return to Venezuela with him .

He agrees and is greeted as a hero in Caracas on Dec 12, 1810 . Bolívar starts underground party called the Patriotic Society urging Venezuela's independence . Miranda placed in command of military forces . 1812 Bolívar conducts first military campaign . The First Republic of Venezuela falls when Spanish forces enter Caracas on July 28 . March 26, 1812 large earthquake strikes Venezuela, more than 10,000 killed in Caracas alone . Some see it as vengeance from God for revolting against the king . Bolivar declares " If nature is against us, we shall fight against her and force he to obey us ." Miranda appoints Bolivar commander of the fort at Puerto Cabello, an important seaport, which falls to Monteverde . Bolívar escapes but feels betrayed by Miranda, perhaps fearing Bolivar's growing popularity, who offered no aid . July 12, Miranda surrenders to Monteverde . Miranda imprisoned, Bolívar granted exile and goes to Curacao .

Despite promises of no reprisals, Monteverde arrests anyone suspected of being a rebel, members of the new republic congress sent to prison in Spain . Property of Creoles such as Bolivar's seized . Oct 1812 Bolívar journeys to Cartagena, New Granada (Columbia) and is made a colonel . Publishes Cartagena Manifesto urging the people of New Granada to unite against the Spanish . Wins victories on Magdalena River . Clears province of Santa Marta of Spanish forces . Promoted to brigadier general . Plans invasion of Venezuela . 1813 Bolivar returns from exile in New Granada and recaptures Caracas . Bolivar declares Second Republic Venezuela Aug 6 . Bolivar issues "Decree of War to the Death" (Decreto de Guerra a Muerte) allowing violence and even murder against Spanish citizens in retaliation for the Spanish Army's use of atrocities against those who supported the First Republic of Venezuela (unless they supported his forces) .Bolívar enters Caracas on August 6, 1813 to cheering crowds . given the title of "El Libertador." Monteverde retreats to Puerto Cabello .

Illaneros (people of the plains of southern Venezuela) horsemen led by the Spanish renegade José Tomás Boves (who was tortured by the First Republicans of Venezuela) threaten Bolívar . 1814 Napoleon abdicates and goes into exile on Elba on April 11. Ferdinand VII regains Spanish throne. Bolívar defeated at the Battle of La Puerta by Boves Bolivar flees to Cartagena . Boves enteres and loots Cartagena, but is killed at the Battle of Urica in Dec 1814 . 1815 Bolívar sails to Jamaica to gain British support,but is rebuffed . Ferdinand declares he will regain control of Spain's American colonies . Ferdinand sends his best general Don Pablo Morillo with an army of 10,000 to Venezuela . Spanish forces enter Cartagena in Dec, retaking New Granada .By Sept Morillo retakes most of Venezuela and had laid siege to Cartagena . Cartagena citizens send a delegation to Jamaica and Bolivar leaves Jamaica on Dec 18, 1815 .

Finding that Cartagena has fallen, Bolivar sails to Haiti with a small force . The president of Haiti aids Bolivar who offers to abolish slavery in Spanish colonial lands . Bolívar leaves Haiti on April 10, 1816 . 1816 Bolívar returns to Venezuela with expeditionary force on May 2, 1816 . Expedition fails and Bolívar returns to Haiti . Sails again for Venezuela on Dec 21, 1816 and establishes a strong position on the Orinoco River . 1819 Congress of Angosture called in Jan to draw up new constitution . Bolívar elected president of the Third republic of Venezuela on Feb 15. Large numbers of soldiers unemployed after the Napoleonic Wars recruited to join Bolivar's forces, give stability and strength to his armies . Between 1810 and 1825, 7,000 English, Scottish and Irish mercenaries sailed to Gran Colombia to fight against Spanish colonial rule under the rebel forces of Simon Bolivar.

Bolivar begins epic march through jungles and Andes mountains with 2,000 men to join up with Gen Santander of New Granada . Defeats Spanish force at Boyaca on August 7 . Venezuela and New Granada join Gran Colombia on Dec 17 . Jan 1820 Ferdinand weakened by uprisinging in Spain, forced to establish a congress (cortes) and a constitution that limited his powers . Morillo agress to an armistice . Dec 16,Morillo returns to Spain . Gen Del la Torre put in charge of Spanish forces . Bolívar calls Congress of Panama . 1828 Arguments among republics on type of government, to prevent a break up of Gran Columbia Bolívar declares himself dictator on 27 August 1828 through the Decree of Dictatorship, which he hopes will be a temporary measure . Increased disaffection leads to an Assassination attempt on Bolívar in Bogota by mutinous officers on Sept 25 . Bolívar's mistress Doña Manuela Sáenz helps him escape . Uprisings occurred in New Granada, Venezuela, and Ecuador during the next two years .

1830 Gran Columbia dissolves as Ecuador and Venezuela secede. Bolívar resigns presidency of April 27 declaring "All who served the Revolution have plowed the sea ." Bolívar leaves Bogota on May 8, intending to go to exile in Europe . Bolívar dies of tuberculosis near Santa Marta, Columbia at the age of 47 . Buried in the cathedral of Santa Marta. 1842 Bolívar's remains moved to Caracas,where a monument was set up for his interment in the National Pantheon of Venezuela . National Pantheon of Venezuela Simon Bolivar: The Great Liberator Simon Bolivar: The Great Liberator Oath | Revolutionary | Jamaica | President | Analysis Simon Bolivar was born in Caracas, Venezuela, 24 July 1783. 1 His wealthy parents died when he was young, leaving him a considerable fortune. He was raised by an uncle and his tutor was a revolutionary named Simon Rodriguez. Rodriguez was thrown out of Venezuela after being accused of trying to overthrow Spanish rule. 2 At sixteen Bolivar was sent to Spain to complete his education.

While there (1802) he married a Spanish girl who returned to Venezuela with him. Unfortunately, she soon died. 3 Bolivar returned to Europe to travel and immerse himself in a cultured life. Bolivar's Oath He travelled to Paris where he met the famous scientist Humboldt, and was a witness to the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of France (1804). He met his old tutor, Rodriguez, in Rome, here in 1805, he promised to liberate his homeland from Spanish rule. I swear before you, I swear by the God of my fathers, by my forefathers themselves, by my honour and my country, that I shall never allow my hands to be idle or my soul to rest until I have broken the shackles which bind us to Spain. 4 The Revolutionary He returned to Venezuela via the United States, where he saw republican institutions first hand. Soon after he returned he took the very generous and principled step of freeing all of the slaves on his property. He joined a group of revolutionaries which took advantage of Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808 to liberate the country. The group captured Caracas in 1810.

5 Simon Bolivar went to England in an effort to get English support for Venezuelan independence. This, however, failed largely because of a British treaty obligation to Spain. Bolivar returned to Venezuela, and in 1811 was part of a constitutional convention that declared Venezuela's independence from Spain. However, in 1812 royalists gained the upper hand and Bolivar was forced to leave the country for Columbia. 6 In 1812 he issued his Columbian Manifesto which urged cooperation among the states working for independence from Spain. This manifesto helped him to garner support to reenter Venezuela at the head of a military force (1813). He again took Caracas and made himself dictator, but was again forced out of the country (this time to Jamaica) by military units loyal to Spain. 7 Bolivar in Jamaica In Jamaica Simon Bolivar produced his famous Jamaica Letter , which outlined his views on the revolutionary movement and government. An attempt to assassinate Bolivar was made by his servant, Pio, who had been bribed by Bolivar's enemies. The attempt failed when Pio attacked a different man who happened to be in Bolivar's hammock.

8 From Jamaica, Bolivar went to Haiti where he raised an army with the blessing of the Haitian President. In return, Petion asked that he free the slaves in all the countries he would liberate. In 1817 General Bolivar returned to Venezuela with a new army. He proved resourceful, relying on Haitian help, plus mercenaries from the now reduced armies of the Napoleonic Wars he began to win battles. He forged an alliance with the llanero horsemen of the plains, which provided him with an effective cavalry. 9 President Simon Bolivar In 1819 Bolivar marched to Columbia and defeated the Spanish forces at Boyar. 10 From here he formed the first Republic of Columbia - which then was comprised of the present states of Columbia, Panama, and Venezuela. He became the first president of this state in 1819. However, fighting with Spanish and loyalist forces continued until the Battle of Carabobo in 1821 allowed the Liberator to enter Caracas, Venezuela. As president of Gran Columbia, Bolivar continued to fight to rid the continent of Spanish authority. He tried to keep the areas he liberated united.

He questioned whether smaller Latin American states could fend off encroachment by other powers, especially those of Europe. However, centrifugal forces were at work and internal dissensions created many problems. In 1827 he fell out with his Vice President, Santander, and made himself dictator. Yet he was unable to bring stability to "Gran Columbia". In 1830, suffering from tuberculosis, he resigned his office and moved from the capital at Bogota to Santa Marta, near the coast. He died in December of that year. 11 Analysis Bolivar was a superb military commander, a determined man, an inspiring leader, and a political thinker. Above all he was a man of action. He swore to liberate Latin America from Spain and by force of his own personality made that happen. This was how he achieved the title, "The Liberator". His legacy is great. Many places and people were named after him. Even an American Civil War general carried his name into battle, Simon Bolivar Buckner. He is a hero to much of Latin America. A political movement was named for him. Hugo Chavez invoked his name for his Bolivarian Revolution .

Yet it is doubtful Bolivar would have seen much of himself in the Career and pronouncements of Hugo Chavez . The Chavez doctrine is to restrict freedoms and to undermine the economy of his own country. He works to denigrate all classes to the lowest level. Meanwhile Bolivar was a believer in building people up. He wanted to make Latin America strong and prosperous, and ultimately free from tyranny. In his Jamaica Letter as well as his assuming of the dictatorship in 1827 we do see Bolivar moving against his republican beliefs. However, he saw this as an expediency. He wanted to give his people time to grow, to allow the nation to become a mature republic. He failed to see that his dictatorship set a bad precedent of military praetorianism. Chavez would use this as an excuse to undermine legitimate institutions in his own country of Venezuela. Was Bolivar a success or a failure? If he failed it was not from want of trying. He wished a United Latin America. It was spinning apart even as he watched. Perhaps the forces were too great for any one man to control. Yet he did succeed in his greatest task, the liberation of his people. He must be numbered among the great men of history.

Bolï¿½var, Simon Bolï¿½var, Simï¿½n, called The Liberator (1783-1830), South American soldier and statesman, who was the principal leader in the struggle for South American independence from Spain. Bolï¿½var was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 24, 1783. Educated by private tutors in Caracas, and also in Spain, Bolï¿½var was profoundly influenced by the French political philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. Bolï¿½var fought under the command of Francisco de Miranda, who led the revolt against the Spanish in Venezuela in 1810. The rebels were defeated by the Spanish royalists, and Bolï¿½var was forced to flee the country. In 1812 he led another expedition to Venezuela. He captured Caracas in 1813 and assumed dictatorship. Royalist forces defeated him again in 1814, and he went into exile in Jamaica and later Haiti. Uniting his forces with those of Jose Antonio Pï¿½ez and European volunteers, Bolï¿½var again invaded Venezuela in 1817.

He established a revolutionary government at Angostura (now Ciudad Bolï¿½var), and he was elected president of Venezuela. In 1819 Bolï¿½var's army crossed the Andes Mountains into New Granada (now Colombia), defeating the Spanish at Boyacï¿½, thus ending royalist rule there. Several months later, on December 17, 1819, the republic of Colombia, consisting of Venezuela and New Granada, was proclaimed, with Bolï¿½var as president. He countered a resurgence of royalist activity by leading his army on June 24, 1821, to an overwhelming victory near Carabobo, ensuring Venezuelan independence. Bolï¿½var, with a vision of a united Spanish America, secured independence for Quito (now Ecuador) in 1822, which then became part of Colombia. In 1824 he led the revolutionary forces of Peru in their fight for independence. Victorious, he was elected president of Peru in February 1825, and the following May he organized in southern Peru a new republic, which was named Bolivia in his honor.

To preserve the independence of the new nations Bolï¿½var initiated a series of inter-American conferences in Panama in June 1826. From that September, when he left Peru, to 1830, Bolï¿½var sought unsuccessfully to maintain the political unity of the republic of Colombia. He resigned the presidency of the republic in August 1828, then assumed dictatorial control the next month. Unable to pacify contending factions, he relinquished power on April 27, 1830. He died on December 17 of that year, a defeated, disillusioned, and hated man. Today, however, the memory of Bolï¿½var is revered throughout South America, and in Venezuela and Bolivia his birthday is a national holiday. Sim�n Bol�var (1783 - 1830) - Find A Grave Memorial Santa Marta Magdalena, Colombia Venezuelan born General. He was known as "El Libertador" (The Liberator) of northern South America, gaining the independence of Spanish colonies that became the countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

He has also been called the "George Washington of South America." Born Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar in Caracas, New Spain, in what is now Venezuela, he was the son of Don Juan Vicente Bolivar y Ponte, and Do�a Maria de la Concepcion Palacios y Blanco. When he was nine years old, both of his parents died and he was raised by his uncle, Don Carlos Palacios. As an aristocrat, he received formal schooling, and at age 15, his uncle sent him to Spain to continue his formal education. For a while, he toured Europe, and in 1802, he married Maria Teresa Rodriguez del Toro y Alaysa, from a noble family. Shortly after they returned to Caracas, Maria died of yellow fever. Stricken with grief, Bolivar vowed never to marry again; a vow that he kept. In part from his grief, Bolivar moved to France and watched Napoleon Bonaparte become Emperor of France and later, in Rome, watched Napoleon have himself crowned King of Italy. When this occurred, Bolivar thought Napoleon had betrayed the republican ideals of the French Revolution, and then vowed to liberate South America from Spanish rule.

In 1807, he returned to Venezuela after a brief stopover in the United States, which he considered an inspiration to freedom. When Napoleon installed his brother, Joseph, as King of Spain in 1808, the Spanish revolted against French rule; this revolt was carried even to the Americas, in which many Spanish colonies also revolted. That same year, Caracas formed a junta and declared itself independent of Spain. The junta sent Bolivar to England in search of military aid and political recognition. The mission was a failure in that England promised only neutrality in the colony's war for independence, and soon Spanish forces recaptured most of Venezuela. Returning to Venezuela in 1811, Bolivar took command of the defeated rebel army, and rebuilt it and retrained it. In August 1811, rebel forces under General Francisco de Miranda captured the city of Valencia, but a year later, Miranda was forced to surrender his army to Spanish forces after a series of defeats. As a member of Miranda's Army, Bolivar escaped to Cartagena, where he wrote the Cartagena Manifesto, asking for New Granada's (now Columbia) aid in defeating the Spanish.

With their rebel Army's assistance, Bolivar was able to free Venezuela from the Spanish in 1813. The next year, he invaded New Granada (Columbia) to finish off the Spanish forces holding out there, but after capturing Bogot�, he was unable to hold the city and was forced to flee to Jamaica. Two years later, he returned to Venezuela and defeated the Spanish there, then marched back into New Granada, freeing both colonies to become independent countries. At the conference at Angostura in 1819, Bolivar became the first President of Gran Columbia (an area which encompassed the modern republics of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela). When Spanish forces landed in Venezuela in 1821, he crushed the Spanish Army at the battle of Carabobo, Venezuela, and then went on to liberate greater Peru, ending all Spanish power in South America. The local leaders of Upper Peru chose to become a separate country (rather then remain part of Peru), and renamed the country Bolivia, in honor of Bolivar.

Bolivar hoped to create an American style confederation of the new South American nations, which he called Gran Colombia, and to establish close relations with the United States, but over the next seven years, each nation decided on an independent course and by 1828, he remained President only of what is now Columbia and Panama. In 1830, in ill health, he resigned as President of Colombia, and died shortly afterwards of tuberculosis. His remains were initially buried in the cathedral of Santa Marta, but in 1842, at the request of President Jose Antonio Paez, they were moved to a Memorial Monument in Caracas, Venezuela. Politically, Bolivar was an admirer of the American Revolution and a critic of the French Revolution. Although he believed in a strong central government, he was staunchly anti-slavery, despite having inherited his parents' wealth that came from slave labor. He believed that the aristocracy should control political power, including a lifelong presidency and a hereditary legislature, similar to the British parliament's House of Lords system; these beliefs would spark strong political opposition to his scheme for a Columbia Union of South America.

Today, he is mostly remembered for having finally freed South America of the last of the Spanish colonial governments. (bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson)

Question: Known as ‘The Liberator of South America’, political leader Simon Bolivar became President of which country in 1813?
Answer: Venezuela