First Republic of Venezuela facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
American Confederation of Venezuela/States of Venezuela/United States of Venezuela
Confederación americana de Venezuela/Estados de Venezuela/Estados Unidos de Venezuela
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| 1811–1812 | |||||||||||||
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The First Republic of Venezuela
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| Status | Unrecognized state | ||||||||||||
| Capital | Valencia | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Spanish | ||||||||||||
| Government | Republic | ||||||||||||
| Triumvirate | |||||||||||||
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• 1811–12
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Cristóbal Mendoza, Juan Escalona, Baltazar Padrón | ||||||||||||
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• 1812
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Francisco Espejo, Fernando Rodriguez, Francisco J. Ustariz | ||||||||||||
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• 1812
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Francisco de Miranda | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Spanish American wars of independence | ||||||||||||
| 5 July 1811 | |||||||||||||
| 25 July 1812 | |||||||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | VE | ||||||||||||
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The First Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: Primera República de Venezuela) was Venezuela's very first independent government. It lasted from July 5, 1811, to July 25, 1812. This period started when Spanish rulers were removed and a local council, called the Junta Suprema de Caracas, was formed on April 19, 1810. This event kicked off the Venezuelan War of Independence. The First Republic ended when its forces surrendered to the Spanish Captain Domingo de Monteverde.
Venezuela's congress officially declared the nation's independence on July 5, 1811. Later, they wrote a constitution for the new country. This made Venezuela the first Spanish American colony to declare its freedom.
Contents
Venezuela's Path to Independence
How Europe Influenced Venezuela
Many events in Europe helped set the stage for Venezuela to declare its independence. The Napoleonic Wars in Europe made Spain much weaker. These wars also meant that Britain unofficially supported the independence movements in Spanish colonies.
In May 1808, Napoleon forced Spain's King Ferdinand VII to give up his throne. Napoleon then made his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, the new King of Spain. This started Spain's own war against French control, even before the Spanish American colonies began their fight for freedom.
In Spain, a group called the Supreme Central Junta was formed to rule in King Ferdinand's name. Many local councils across Spain supported this Junta. In Venezuela, people also tried to form their own local councils in 1809 and 1810. Some tried openly, while others secretly plotted to remove the Spanish authorities.
The Start of the Republic
On April 18, 1810, Spanish officials arrived in Caracas, Venezuela. The next day, April 19, the local city council, known as the cabildo, held a special meeting. During this meeting, an expanded city government took power. They called themselves "The Supreme Junta to Preserve the Rights of Ferdinand VII." They removed the Spanish Captain General Vicente Emparán and other colonial leaders.
This was the beginning of Venezuela's journey to independence from Spain. Soon after, many other Venezuelan provinces also formed their own local councils. Most of these councils recognized the Caracas council. However, some regions remained loyal to Spain. This led to a civil war in Venezuela between those who wanted new self-governing councils and those who stayed loyal to the Spanish Crown.
The Caracas council called for a congress of all Venezuelan provinces. This congress met the following March, and the Caracas council then stepped down. The Congress created a triumvirate (a group of three leaders) to manage the government.
Shortly after these councils were set up, Francisco de Miranda, a Venezuelan who had been living abroad, returned home. He had tried to free Venezuela in 1806 but failed. Miranda was elected to the Congress and pushed for independence. He formed a group, similar to the Jacobin Club in France, to pressure the Congress.
Independence was officially declared on July 5, 1811. The Congress formed a Confederation called the American Confederation of Venezuela. Its constitution, mainly written by lawyer Juan Germán Roscio, was approved on December 21, 1811. This constitution created a strong two-part legislature (like a parliament with two houses). However, the executive branch (the leaders) remained weak, with a triumvirate. This government didn't last long because the provinces didn't fully follow it. The provinces also wrote their own constitutions, which the Congress allowed.
Civil War and the End of the Republic
Even though the Congress declared independence, some provinces like Maracaibo, Guayana, and Coro stayed loyal to Spain. The new Confederation claimed the right to rule all the land that used to be the Captaincy General. This led to a full civil war by 1810, with fighting between areas loyal to Spain and those supporting the new republic. An attempt by Caracas to bring Coro under its control failed in November.
The Caracas council, which still governed Caracas Province, didn't have much power in the new Confederation. It struggled to get supplies and help from other provinces. The Confederation was led by criollos (people of Spanish descent born in the Americas). However, it couldn't get the support of the lower classes, partly because the economy was getting worse.
Venezuela was cut off from Spain, which meant it lost its main market for cocoa. As a result, Venezuela lost a lot of its money (called specie). It used this money to buy needed supplies from new trading partners like the British and Americans. But these partners couldn't buy all of Venezuela's farm products. The government started printing paper money to pay its debts, but this money quickly lost its value. This made many people turn against the government.
In 1812, the Confederation began to suffer serious military defeats. The government gave Miranda command of the army and leadership of the Confederation. A powerful earthquake hit Venezuela on March 26, 1812. It caused damage mostly in areas that supported the republic. Many people saw this earthquake as a sign from God, especially since it happened on the second anniversary of the Caracas council's founding. Many people, even in the republican army, began to secretly work against the Republic or simply leave.
Other provinces refused to send help to Caracas Province. Worse still, entire provinces started to switch sides and join the royalists (those loyal to Spain). On July 4, an uprising brought Barcelona over to the royalist side. Neighboring Cumaná, now cut off from the republican center, refused to accept Miranda's strong powers. By mid-July, many outer areas of Cumaná Province had also joined the royalists.
A Spanish naval captain named Domingo Monteverde, based in Coro, took advantage of this situation. He turned his small force into a large army as people joined him on his march towards Valencia. Miranda was left in charge of only a small part of central Venezuela. In these difficult times, the republican government made Miranda the generalissimo, giving him wide political powers.
By mid-July, Monteverde had taken Valencia. Miranda believed the situation was hopeless and began talking with Monteverde. On July 25, 1812, Miranda and Monteverde agreed to a surrender. This meant the former republican areas would recognize the Spanish government. The First Republic had come to an end. Monteverde's forces entered Caracas on August 1.
Provinces
- Mérida Province
- Trujillo Province
- Caracas Province
- Barinas Province
- Barcelona Province
- Cumaná Province
- Margarita Province
See also
In Spanish: Primera República de Venezuela para niños
