Venezuelan
revolutionary and charismatic
leader (1783@ 1830) who
liberated the
South American colonies from Spanish rule. The son of a wealthy Venezuelan aristocrat of Spanish descent,
Bolivar was born to wealth and
position. His parents died when he was young and after being tutored he was
sent to Europe at the age of 16 to
complete his
education. Later in
Paris he met a former childhood
tutor, Simon Rodriguez, who exposed him to various writers (including Jean Jacques Rousseau) and their concepts on the
rights of
man to
freedom and
liberty. Back
home he joined rebels in unsuccessful uprisings against the Spanish in 1806 and later in 1811. However,
Bolivar persisted and after exile he
trained an army, and in a
series of battles, some of the most daring in
history, was
successful in driving the Spanish out of Venezuela. After a
final victory in 1824, rebel leaders formed the nation of Great Colombia consisting of present
day Venezuela,
Ecuador, Colombia and
Panama.
Bolivar was at the height of his
power. However,
Bolivar, now
president, favored and envisioned the
establishment of large political
units in
South America with strong
controlling central governments while other liberal leaders were in
disagreement. Several strong rebellious leaders emerged at
local levels who fought against
Bolivar's
authority and the
concept of a unified
South America. Racked by
sickness and nearly assassinated by his liberal
enemies in 1828 (saved only by Manuela Saenz,
Bolivar's faithful mistress) a disillusioned
Bolivar said, "We who have struggled for independence of America have
plowed the
sea."
Bolivar died in 1830, the same year in which
Ecuador and Venezuela withdrew from Great Colombia and declared themselves
independent nations.