The Americas: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Continents of North and South America, Starting from the Olmecs through the Maya and Aztecs to European Colonization and Independence Movements by Captivating History

Author:Captivating History [History, Captivating]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2020-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7 – South American Wars of Independence

War of Venezuelan Independence, 1810–1823

In 1809, Vicente Emparán was appointed the captain-general of the Captaincy of Venezuela. However, the municipal council there, along with the elite people of Venezuela, preferred a junta to the traditional captaincy arrangement the Spanish overlords had set up. Europe was shaky at the time, as Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon’s brother) was ruling Spain. Emparán decided to step down in 1810, and the Supreme Junta of Caracas was then established. It declared allegiance to Ferdinand VII of Spain, who was imprisoned.

The Venezuelans in the new junta deposed all the old leaders Bonaparte had sent over. The junta gained the support of seven of the ten provinces in Venezuela, but the other provinces declared loyalty to the French under Bonaparte. In 1810, a civil war broke out between the two factions.

The congress of Caracas worked with the junta, and they found popular support for the total independence of Venezuela. Francisco de Miranda and Simón de Bolívar, who would later play an important role in other independence movements, lent their vigor to help the Venezuelans organize their new government.

The First Republic of Venezuela, 1811–1812

The Venezuela Congress moved ahead, despite opposition, and created the First Republic of Venezuela in 1811. To quell the civil opposition, troops were sent into the wayward provinces that were still loyal to France. Two of those provinces did not succumb, but the province of Valencia did. Spain then sent ships that blockaded the harbors. However, they were interrupted by an earthquake in 1812. At this point, Miranda was appointed dictator in order to keep order.

Two major battles erupted—one in La Victoria and another in San Mateo—and Miranda’s troops lost both of them. There was no other choice for him but to sign an armistice. Spanish Captain Domingo de Monteverde became the new captain-general, and he imprisoned many Venezuelans, which went against the cease-fire that had been signed.

Second Republic of Venezuela, 1813–1814

Another Venezuelan patriot, Santiago Mariño, who was incensed by the cruelty of Monteverde, invaded the northeastern territories and began freeing them in 1813. Mariño and his troops eventually based his troops at the city of Cumaná, located about 500 miles east of Caracas. Caracas was the end goal for the revolutionaries, as it was the capital of Venezuela. However, Mariño was not the only revolutionary seeking Venezuelan independence.

In 1813, Bolívar also entered Venezuela with allies. They crossed the Andes and invaded from the west. On August 6th, 1813, Bolívar entered Caracas, declaring the new republic of Venezuela. Of course, Mariño did not agree with this, and he set up his own political entity in eastern Venezuela.

Soon after the new republic was created, a man named José Tomás Boves began a rebellion. He represented the pardos, who were people of mixed descent. Boves and his followers objected to the restoration of the republic. The people saw the actions of Bolívar and Mariño as playing into the hands of the elites. Boves, on the other hand, was determined to create his own royalist state and capitalized on these feelings.

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