Simon Bolivar the liberator of much of South America from Spanish colonial rule, was born in San Mateo, Venezuela in 1783. The family owned Silver and copper mines, plantations, and ranches and it was one of wealthiest families of Venezuela at the time.
At the time, Spain owned and governed almost all of Latin America, except for Brazil. No political power was given to the Creols or the people in Latin America whose ancestors had came from Spain.
As a child Simon Bolivar cared little for political issues and education. Instead he loved horseback riding and games such as racquetball. But only one book managed to capture his attention: ‘Don Quixote’ by Miguel Cervantes. The hero of that story is an adventurer, a knight who travels about the land fighting against evil to create a better world. Young Bolivar often carried the book with him, reading it again and again.
When he was nine years old Simon Rodriguez a tutor he met, changed Bolivar’s life. Rodriguez took Bolivar to the countryside and both lived among cowboys. They rode on horseback, captured and tamed wild horses, and rounded up cattle. Bolivar grew up tall, lean, but well muscled due to the hard work.
After a time one of Bolivar’s uncles took him to Spain with the hope of introducing the ancestors to him. In Spain, once he had the opportunity to play racquetball with the young prince Ferdinand, heir to the Spanish throne. Two decades later, Simon Bolivar had to challenge the might of this very same Ferdinand the king of Spain.
Simon Bolivar visited France and observed the scene there, and admired the high ideals ‘liberty, equality and fraternity’ upheld by the revolutionists. Like many other Simon too began to idolize Napoleon. Bolivar returned to Venezuela, married Maria Teresa a girl whom he knew from his childhood and settled down. After eight months of marriage Maria died of yellow fever.
It was the turning point in Bolivar’s life. He was grief-stricken. Young Bolivar tried to adjust to life in Venezuela, without Maria Teresa, but all in vain. His unhappiness was too great he decided to travel again in Europe.
He spent some time in Madrid, Spain, and then Paris, France. As Napoleon his one time hero had taken on more and more power for himself finally crowning himself as emperor, Bolivar lost faith in him altogether.
In Paris he met a scientist named Alexander Von Humboldt. Once he asked Bolivar whether a leader ever would appear, who could free Venezuela from Spanish rule. For the first time Bolivar began to wonder whether he might play such a role in life-the role of a liberator, fighting for the freedom of his people.
From Paris he moved to Rome with Simon Rodriguez. They visited the relics of the Roman Empire. Then they settled down in a small villa and studied about the American Revolution, the war that had secured independence from British rule for the North American neighbours. As Rodriguez later recalled one day, Bolivar turned to him, his eyes moist with tears and breathing heavily. “I swear before you” he said “By the god of my father and the honour of my country: I will not rest, not in body or soul, till I have broken the Chains of Spain.”
From that very moment Simon Bolivar dedicated his life to the cause of freedom. History would come to know him as the “Liberator of South America.”
In 1808 Napoleon Bonaparte dismissed the king of Spain and gave the throne to his own brother Joseph Bonaparte. The people of Spain were furious. They fought against the French army, with assistance from the British. Simon Bolivar saw this conflict as a chance to win independence. He persuaded an experienced general-named Francisco de Miranda who lived in exile in London, to return to Venezuela and lead the fight against the Spanish forces. Miranda agreed heartily.
On the 5th July 1811 Venezuela declared independence from Spain, proclaiming itself a republic. After a short while a massive earthquake struck the strongholds of the rebel forces causing devastation, heavy losses of both equipment and lives.
Bolivar managed to escape miraculously and took refuge in Carthegena, New Granada. (present Colombia) It was there he wrote his powerful essay “Cartagena Manifesto” calling for total destruction of Spanish authority. “Avenge the dead” he declared, “give life to the dying, relieve the oppressed, and bring freedom for all.”
Organizing a new army Bolivar set out on an impossible mission-to travel more than six hundred miles through territory controlled by the Spanish and recapture Caracas the capital of Venezuela.
Amazingly, city after city fell to his army of peasant volunteers and Bolivar became known as ‘El Libertador’ (The Liberator). The title became official in 1813, when he marched in triumph into Caracas, at the head of the liberating army. For Simon Bolivar, it was a moment of glory he would never forget.
At this moment a threat from within the country itself appeared before Bolivar. It was posed by the Llaneros (cowboys) headed by one Jose Tomas Boves. Boves who had been a revolutionary once, fell out with a high ranking revolutionary leader and joined the Spanish army to take revenge from the revolutionaries.
Finally Boves and his retinue captured Caracas with the help of the Spanish troops. The flag of Boves army: a black flag bordered by a white skull flew in the main square of the city. Shortly afterwards, Boves was killed by an angry soldier.
Bolivar who had left the scene fought to rid New Granada (present Colombia) of Spanish rule. Meanwhile Ferdinand VII ascended the throne of Spain and mobilized all his energies to punish the revolutionaries in South America. “The spirit of revolution in South American colonies would be mercilessly crushed,” he announced.
Bolivar who was in Jamaica then issued his famous ‘Jamaica Letter’ calling for continued defiance of the Spaniards and spelling out his dreams for the future of South America. With supplies and money provided by Alexander Petion, the head of the black Republic of Haiti, Simon Bolivar rushed to Venezuela challenging the Spanish troops.
He received assistance from the British soldiers, many of whom were jobless, and Antonio Paez. The Cowboy leader, and in 1819 crossed the Andes range and attacked the Spanish forces in New Granada. He would then attack Venezuela from the west pushing Ferdinand’s armies into the sea. On the 7th August 1819 Bolivar’s army faced the Spanish at Boyata and defeated them entirely. He entered Boyata in triumph.
Bolivar’s plan of government was to include the nations of Venezuela, New Granada (Colombia) and Ecuador which were liberated by him and his General Antonio Jose de Sucre. In 1822 Bolivar entered the city of Quito where he was greeted by wildly cheering Ecuadorians.
At Guayaquil he met the other great revolutionary hero of South America, Jose de San Martin, who liberated Argentina and Chile. Bolivar invited San Martin to join him in liberating Peru, the last Spanish stronghold in South America.
One year after the meeting at Guayaquil, Bolivar decided to act though San Martin did not extend his support. Bolivar and Sucre invaded Peru. In the battles of Junin and Ayacucho they defeated the Spanish and liberated Peru.
His achievements are as follows. The liberation of Venezuela (1821), Ecuador (1822), Peru (1824) and Upper Peru (1825). The later was named Bolivia in his honour.
With the wars of independence over, South America was free from Spanish rule forever. Bolivar became the president of Gran Colombia. (Union of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador) He boldly put forth such ideas as an ‘Andean Empire’ uniting Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia with himself as president. Like the dreams of other great men of history, Bolivar’s dreams too, were not to be realized.
On the 25th September 1828 a gang of thugs armed with guns and knives burst into the room where he was staying, with the intention of killing him. Somehow his soldiers rushed to the scene in time and his life was saved.
By this time Bolivar was suffering from chronic tuberculosis. On the 17th December 1830, at the age of forty seven Simon Bolivar passed away, clutching a copy of the book ‘Don Quixote’ in his hand.
Even today, the dream of Simon Bolivar remains alive in South America. And the figure of Bolivar towers above all other leaders of those lands.
@juanmanuellopez1 @coolguy222 @newageinv @gowealth @blessed-girl @cruis @lexymaine @alokkumar121 @aceandnotes @darlenys01 @rafique1953 @marvyinnovation @wems @ajks @alaisguineasis @amnlive @kimmysomelove42 @praditya @tommyl33 @samryan @vickykarma @brightsun @oppongk @kryp70kn1gh7 @hobo.media @theticket @royer94 @mentalhealthguru @bradley028 @nummulshrma @maxijgcomm @maikelblogo @mrblu @nancymj @petervi @mcoinz79 @missabigail @saludoalalma @mcnestler @moarafatshow @gargi @luis402 @sumon-ar-vines @naijauser @yantrax @josema.saborido @khan.dayyanz @shapescooper @aceofhearts @marcocosta @rvag5 @fusroj @cashlane @borrowedearth @michaeljn @kchitrah @mitchhunter @nataliaeline @cherlianny @unknownphoton @unclefz @gardengranny @bettyamv @ghostwriter9 @nancybriti @missladybug @shirophantomhive @rvag5 @ankitjnv @marvyinnovation @tommyl33 @gowealth @ustaadonline @daio @brightsun @mzubairch @amit1995 @starapple @treodecimo @edinhazard @maxijgcomm @wasito @mariita52 @maroni55 @nataliaeline @ajtech2596 @keithf @wesleyvanderstel @grainsofsand @mariita52 @naijauser @castleirwell @juanmanuellopez1 @coolguy222 @newageinv @gowealth @blessed-girl @cruis @lexymaine @alokkumar121 @aceandnotes @darlenys01 @rafique1953 @marvyinnovation @wems @ajks @alaisguineasis @amnlive @kimmysomelove42 @praditya @tommyl33 @samryan @vickykarma @brightsun @oppongk @kryp70kn1gh7 @hobo.media @theticket @royer94 @mentalhealthguru @bradley028 @nummulshrma @maxijgcomm @maikelblogo @mrblu @nancymj @petervi @mcoinz79 @missabigail @saludoalalma @mcnestler @moarafatshow @gargi @luis402 @sumon-ar-vines @naijauser @yantrax @josema.saborido @khan.dayyanz @shapescooper @aceofhearts @marcocosta @rvag5 @fusroj @cashlane @borrowedearth @michaeljn @kchitrah @mitchhunter @nataliaeline @cherlianny @unknownphoton @unclefz @gardengranny @bettyamv @ghostwriter9 @nancybriti @missladybug @shirophantomhive @rvag5 @ankitjnv @marvyinnovation @tommyl33 @gowealth @ustaadonline @daio @brightsun @mzubairch @amit1995 @starapple @treodecimo @edinhazard @maxijgcomm @wasito @mariita52 @maroni55 @nataliaeline @ajtech2596 @keithf @wesleyvanderstel @grainsofsand @mariita52 @naijauser @castleirwell @isabelpereira @nulifeiq @royer94 @yaleal @ushmil @nisiryan0522 @reveurgam @certain @kkins @nurseanne84 @hemi @amar @supportweku-io @whitelist