Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar was born on the 24th of July 1783 in Caracas, the capital of the Captaincy General of Venezuela. He entered a world of immense privilege as the fourth and youngest child of a wealthy family of American-born Spaniards known as criollos. His father Juan Vicente died of tuberculosis on the 19th of January 1786 when Simón was only three years old. The boy lost his mother María de la Concepción Palacios to the same disease on the 6th of July 1792 at the age of nine. Colonial custom dictated that these orphaned children be raised separately from each other by African house slaves rather than by distant relatives. Simón himself was raised by a slave named Francisco Rodríguez whom he viewed as both a motherly and fatherly figure. This upbringing created a childhood described by historian John Lynch as "at once privileged and deprived." The early deaths of his parents left him under the guardianship of uncles who cared more for his inheritance than for his well-being. One uncle Carlos Palacios loathed the boy and showed no interest in him beyond his wealth.
Bolívar traveled to Europe between 1803 and 1805 on what became known as a Grand Tour. He moved through Paris where Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor of the French on the 18th of May 1804. The journey took him through the Savoy Alps and down the Po Valley to Venice before arriving in Rome. On the 18th of August 1805 Bolívar climbed the Mons Sacer with two companions including his tutor Simón Rodríguez. This hill was the place where Roman plebs had seceded from the Senate in the 4th century BC. Standing there Bolívar swore an oath to end Spanish rule in the Americas. He declared that he would dedicate his life to liberating his homeland from colonial oppression. This moment marked a turning point in his personal history and set the course for his future military campaigns. The oath was taken at age twenty-two after years of education in Madrid and exposure to Enlightenment philosophy. His time in Paris allowed him to meet naturalists Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland who discussed independence with him.
Military action began in 1810 when Bolívar served as a militia officer in the Venezuelan War of Independence. He fought against Royalist forces during the first and second Venezuelan republics and the United Provinces of New Granada. A powerful earthquake devastated Republican Venezuela on the 26th of March 1812 causing public support to collapse. By April 1813 Bolívar launched the Admirable Campaign issuing the Decree of War to the Death which ordered the execution of all Spaniards not aiding his forces. Within six months he pushed to Caracas entering the city on the 6th of August 1813. He earned the title El Libertador or The Liberator from citizens of Mérida on the 23rd of May 1814. After initial failures he found refuge in Jamaica arriving there on the 14th of May 1815. From exile he wrote the Jamaica Letter outlining his vision for the Americas. In Haiti he met President Alexandre Pétion who provided money and military supplies after Bolívar pledged to abolish slavery. This alliance enabled him to return to Venezuela and establish a third republic in Angostura by 1817. He crossed the Andes with over 2,000 soldiers in June 1819 liberating New Granada at the Battle of Boyacá on the 7th of August.
Bolívar's political beliefs evolved from liberal republican ideals toward centralized authoritarianism. He advocated for a government modeled on the British system with a strong executive leader. His writings including the Cartagena Manifesto and Angostura Address revealed a deep distrust of federalism in Spanish America. He believed that years of slavery had left the population unprepared for democratic self-rule. Bolívar argued that without political virtues a democratic system would bring ruin to the region. He sought to create a federation of Latin American republics each governed by a powerful constitution. Yet he also ordered the arrest and execution of his former general Manuel Piar due to racial tensions and fears of rebellion. Bolívar intended to be a president for life acting as a benevolent dictator to prevent racial conflict. By 1830 he declared to Juan José Flores that all who served the Revolution had plowed the sea. His disillusionment grew as internal rebellions fractured the unity he had fought so hard to achieve.
Internal conflicts tore apart Gran Colombia during Bolívar's final years. The Republic of Colombia merged Venezuela New Granada Ecuador and Panama under his presidency but fractures emerged quickly. Simón Bolívar resigned the presidency of Colombia after facing multiple revolts and political opposition. He died of tuberculosis on the 17th of December 1830 at the age of forty-seven in Santa Marta. Before his death he traveled from Bogotá to Cartagena seeking exile in England. His health deteriorated rapidly and no ship was available to take him away. He moved to the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino near Santa Marta where he passed away. The fragmentation of Gran Colombia demonstrated the limits of projecting power across South America. Bolivarian ideals of a federated Latin America remained unfulfilled by the time of his death. Internal rebellions led by figures like José María Obando and Juan José Flores further weakened his position. The end of the war resulted in a stalemate that left Bolívar deeply disappointed with the outcome of his life's work.
Simón Bolívar's body was interred in the Cathedral of Caracas on the 20th of December 1830. His heart remained in Santa Marta while his remains were later moved to the National Pantheon of Venezuela in October 1876. Conspiracy theories regarding his death have persisted into modern times. In January 2008 President Hugo Chávez established a commission to investigate claims that Bolívar had been poisoned. The commission exhumed his remains on the 16th of July 2010 but results made public on the 26th of July 2011 proved inconclusive. Vice Minister Elías Jaua announced that the investigation could not prove the poisoning claim. Despite these controversies Bolívar remains an essential personality of Latin America. Currencies in Venezuela and Bolivia are named after him as the bolívar and boliviano respectively. He is known colloquially as El Libertador or the Liberator of America. Public monuments street names and literature honor his memory across the continent. UNESCO created the International Simón Bolívar Prize in 1978 to reward activities aligned with his ideals. The Archive of the Liberator Simón Bolívar was inscribed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Register in 1997.
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Common questions
When and where was Simón Bolívar born?
Simón Bolívar was born on the 24th of July 1783 in Caracas, which served as the capital of the Captaincy General of Venezuela. He entered a world of immense privilege as the fourth and youngest child of a wealthy family of American-born Spaniards known as criollos.
What oath did Simón Bolívar take during his Grand Tour to Europe?
On the 18th of August 1805 Simón Bolívar climbed the Mons Sacer with two companions including his tutor Simón Rodríguez. Standing there he swore an oath to end Spanish rule in the Americas and declared that he would dedicate his life to liberating his homeland from colonial oppression.
How did Simón Bolívar die and when did this occur?
Simón Bolívar died of tuberculosis on the 17th of December 1830 at the age of forty-seven in Santa Marta. His health deteriorated rapidly while traveling from Bogotá to Cartagena seeking exile in England before he moved to the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino near Santa Marta where he passed away.
Did Hugo Chávez investigate claims about the death of Simón Bolívar?
In January 2008 President Hugo Chávez established a commission to investigate claims that Simón Bolívar had been poisoned. The commission exhumed his remains on the 16th of July 2010 but results made public on the 26th of July 2011 proved inconclusive as Vice Minister Elías Jaua announced that the investigation could not prove the poisoning claim.
Which currencies are named after Simón Bolívar today?
Currencies in Venezuela and Bolivia are named after him as the bolívar and boliviano respectively. He is known colloquially as El Libertador or the Liberator of America and public monuments street names and literature honor his memory across the continent.