Simón Bolívar
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Simon Bolivar’s birth, at the end of the 18th century, coincides with the end of the ancien régime in Spain, when the Illustration and its intellectuals tried, with the help of an uncertain support by a "foreign" king, Charles III, to modernize the country and his empire. Quoting the historian F. García de Gortazar, ‘all the efforts to block the chaos were not enough, they just managed to intensify the crisis. Unaware of reality, Charles IV, was living in an unreal world in the court, until his world invaded Napoleon´s imperial dreams. Then, he woke up startled, the nightmare had began.’
That
was the background, in which Simon Bolivar was born in Caracas on July 24, 1783.
Caracas was that time the capital of the general captaincy of Venezuela. Bolivar
was the fourth son of the colonel Juan Vicente Bolivar Ponte and Mrs María de
la Concepción Palacios Blanco. They were Creole living in America for some
generations and brought up according to the old style the catholic church used
to have, keeping its power on both sides of the ocean. Bolivar was also brought
up in that faith and within that social and familiar background, belonging to
the ruling class, the "mantuanos", rich landowners. The background he
lived in, influenced him from the very beginning. He was christened Simón José
Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad in the Cathedral.
He led his life with an awaken mind and also thanks to the economic facilities he got from a relative, the clergyman Juan Félix Jérez-Aristiguieta y Bolivar, who had instituted a rich patrimony in his favour called `Vínculo de Concepción" (link of conception).
The first illustrated ideas took an important role in the education of Bolivar, connected to a personal life crossed by very hard blows. When he was just two years old, he became orphan of father, and his mother died when he was nine. His grandfather, Don Feliciano took care of him, but the situation got more complex when his grandfather died. Bolivar went through an undoubtedly difficult youth, having his educator also as tutor. Once he decided to ran away to his sister`s house, but he was bound to come back against his will. His hard character, rebel against the established, sometimes also insecure, had its reason, in that difficult youth he went through.
In 1799 he travelled for the very first time to Spain, going through Colombia, Mexico and Cuba. In Madrid, Bolivar entered the illustrated world thanks to his relatives: his uncles Esteban and Pedro Palacios and a friend of the family: the Marquess of Ustariz, his intelectual counselor. Simon improved his literary and scientific knowledge (French, History, Mathematics, etc), as well as fencing and dancing. He also refined his language and enriched his spirit in the gatherings that used to take place in the Court. There he also met his wife-to-be Maria Teresa Rodriguez del Toro y Alaiza, young spanish woman with Venezuelan forbears, whom he married in 1802 in Madrid. But she died a year after in Venezuela, a new blow, that perphaps never managed to assimilate.
But before, Bolivar according to some documents, had visited Bilbao, where stayed several months. It is supposed that he visited the Errementarikua farmhouse, his forbears’ property. Nowadays it houses a Museum named after him. There are no documents that could back up this visit, but he knew about his origins, back six generations, thanks to Simon de Bolivar "el viejo" (the old man), who had to emigrate to America in the middle of the 16th century.bound by the primogeniture. He was not the elder son, who was the only one to inherit the properties of the family. After Santo Domingo, Simon "el viejo" arrived in Caracas, giving origin to the family tree in Venezuela.
After the death of his wife, Bolivar came back to Europe, passing through Cadiz and Madrid towards the new Europe that was coming up. He arrived in Paris (Napoleonic time) in 1804. He kept a close relationship to politicians, military men, diplomats, scientists, businessmen. He had first hand news about the politic and military happenings that would give origin to the modernity, leaving apart the ancien régime all over Europe and finally in America. Bolivar could also live far from that inquisitorial religion, he had some affairs with women, particularly with Fanny Du Villars, who opened him not only the doors of her lounge, but also those of the city and society.
The
world of the Illustration, the militarism and the break with the past that was
represented by Napoleon, the Romanticism as poetical spirit, and the rationality
in his direct treatment with intellectuals and scientists as Von Humbolt and
Bonpland. True or leyend, it has somehow sense the supposed commitment he
assumed on a day in August 1805, when he travelled to Rome with his Venezuelan
private tutor, he had met in Paris, Simon Rodriguez. It is said, he swore on the
top of Mount Sacro to dedicate his life in order to free Spanish America, under
Spanish control.
His coming back to Venezuela would mean the last of his learning stages. After passing through Prussia, he embarks in Hamburg towards the United States, where he met the experiece of Independence and the use by the people of the so called: "rational freedom". He arrived in Venezuela around the middle of 1807.
For some time, Bolivar attended his business, waiting for the right time while differents events are being carried out, either taking part in them, or conspiring. The time arrived when Ferdinand VII of Spain fell and Napoleon entered Spain. On April 19, 1810 the Revolution for the Independence was proclaimed in Caracas and Bolivar was sent by the comittee of Caracas to London together with Luis López Méndez and Andres Bello. They tried unsuccessfully to get the support of England. When they returned, the troops for Spain attacked the revolutionaries and Bolivar went under the commands of General Miranda to subdue the royalists, who finally defeated the first Republic in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, very important facts were taking place in the Metropolis such as the Napoleonic invasion and the Independence War, that ended up with the expelling of the French and the coming back of Ferdinand VII. Once peace was restored in Spain, a military repression was carried out in America. Nevertheless, the continent was too large and the supports quite diverse. Argentina became the first great territory to get its independence, whereas in the area in center America, the situation was more balanced.
Bolivar managed to flee to Cartagenas de Indias and on December 15th, 1812, he published some statements with the main ideas that would lead his actions in the following years: unity in command to fight till victory is achieved; and the union of every Spanish-American countries to obtain and consolidate the Independence and Freedom.
At once, he reorganized a small army and set off in May 1813 for the liberation of Venezuela. He entered Caracas on August 6th, that same year, and in October was named Liberator by the City council. But entering the city did not mean Peace, on the contrary, the society was divided, a part of the army and clergy, defended his rights and were faithful to the metropolis. War burst in the region and the Republic was defeated for the second time in June 1814.
Patriots
had to leave Caracas and Bolivar had to flee to New Granada, to the British
Jamaica, to Haiti, already independent. He achieved support from President
Alejandro Petion. For many years he would fight against the royalists with the
unitary aim of independence for "Great Colombia", as he called it. He
also dared to support the aim of emancipating slaves, which meant a step back in
getting important supports. During the war, Bolivar tried to organize a body of
rights and called a Congress. It gathered in Angostura on February 15, 1819. But
this attempt stood half way as he had to face many critical attitudes to his too
Utopian ideas. Nevertheless, the esential of his social and political-constitutional
thoughts was summed up there.
Halfway through 1819, the republican army, led by Bolivar, went across the Andes, defeated the royal army and entered triumphantly the city, Bogota. In December 1819, Bolivar achieved his dream to become true, when the Congress of Angostura created the Republic of Colombia. It comprised the present Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador.
In 1820, Spain went through new difficulties as the army of Riego rose up in the Peninsula. It was the right moment to negociate and achieve an armistice and a Treaty, signed in Trujillo by Bolivar and General Morillo, in Santa Ana Village on November 27th. These Treaties meant an implicit recognition of "Great Colombia" by the government of Ferdinand VII.
Bolivia started a new stage of his emancipating plan, now towards Ecuador, that achieved its Independence on May 24th 1824 after two years’ wars and joined the Republic of Great Colombia. Bolivar met Manuela Saenz in Quito, a love in his maturity, who was called "the Liberator`s liberator", because years later she saved his life. He met General San Martin in Guayaquil, the other hero in the Southamerican emancipation. He came to help him to guarantee the Independence in Peru. It would be achieved in two stages; the first one in the "highlands", named Republic of Bolivia after him; and the second one: Peru.
The
Congress of Panama met in 1926 in order to join the Spanish-American nations and
to establish a common position opposite the big powers in the world; and
opposite Spain, still wanting to carry on with the fight. But Bolivar had been
built up with hints of many different cultures, which could seem strange to
those with royal, economic and religious power. They did not agree his defence
of the natives, encouraging and spreading education, openning new ways,
developing agriculture and trade: that means, bringing to America those ideas
and the view of the world he had known in his journeys. It seemed unreal and it
took a long time to set in Latin America.
Former friends, collaborators, mates in war, rose up. In April 1826, a revolution, led by General Paez, forces Bolivar to come back to Venezuela and settle peace again. Peace was achieved by means of becoming Bolivar a dictator, which he had always rejected. The Great Colombia inherited its colonial structure with viceroyalties, captaincies, not only political but also economical, growing the tendency to become apart. Opposition got increased and Bolivar, ill and tired, resigned his presidency and decided to travel to his sources, to Europe. Both the assassination of General Sucre, who could have carried on his work; and the rejection of those who were ruling Venezuela at that time, affected him deeply.
Alone, left by most everyone, he died on December 17th, 1830 in San Pedro Alejandrino, a estate near Santa Marta.
Addresses of Interest:
Chile Catholic
University
http://www.puc.cl/sw_educ/historia/america/
http://www.puc.cl/sw_educ/historia/conquista
Colombia
University
http://www.udistrital.edu.co/colombia/sbolivar/cronolog.html
