Venezuelan War of Independence facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Venezuelan War of Independence |
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| Part of Spanish American wars of independence | |||||||||
 La Batalla de Carabobo, Martín Tovar y Tovar |
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 Patriots
1810:  Caracas Junta1811–1816:  Venezuela Colombia
1816–1819:  Venezuela Haiti
1819–1823:  Gran Colombia |
 Royalists
 Spain
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The Venezuelan War of Independence (Spanish: Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela, 1810–1823) was a major conflict in South America. It was part of the larger Spanish American wars of independence. During this time, different groups in South America fought for freedom from the Spanish Empire. This fight was encouraged by Spain's problems during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe.
The war began on April 19, 1810. On this day, a group in Caracas, called the Supreme Caracas Junta, took power. They removed Vicente Emparan, the Spanish Governor. On July 5, 1811, seven of Venezuela's ten provinces declared their independence. This led to the creation of the First Republic of Venezuela. However, this republic fell in 1812 after a big earthquake and a battle.
Simón Bolívar, a famous leader, then led a campaign to free Venezuela again. This led to the Second Republic of Venezuela in 1813. But this republic also did not last long. Venezuela finally gained lasting independence from Spain in 1821. This happened as part of Bolívar's larger plan to free New Granada (modern-day Colombia).
On December 17, 1819, the Congress of Angostura declared Gran Colombia an independent country. This new country included Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador. Venezuela remained part of Gran Colombia until 1830. Then, Venezuela became its own independent country.
Contents
First Republic: The Start of Independence (1810–1812)
The war started because of events in Spain. In 1808, French armies invaded Spain. This caused the Spanish king to lose his throne. Most people in Spain's colonies did not accept the new French ruler, Joseph Bonaparte. This created a "power vacuum," meaning there was no clear leader in the Spanish colonies.
On April 19, 1810, the city council of Caracas, called the municipal council, took action. They successfully removed the Spanish Governor, Vicente Emparán. A new governing group, a junta, was formed in Caracas. Other Venezuelan provinces soon followed this example.
The Caracas Junta called for a meeting of Venezuelan provinces. They wanted to create a new government for the region. At first, they still said they were loyal to the Spanish King, Ferdinand VII. They argued they needed a separate government because France had invaded Spain.
However, a group pushing for full independence quickly gained support. Important figures like Francisco de Miranda and Simón Bolívar led this movement. They were inspired by new ideas about freedom and the French Revolution. On July 5, 1811, the Congress declared Venezuela's independence. This created the Republic of Venezuela.
Even before the Congress met, a civil war began. Some supported the new juntas and independence. Others, called royalists, wanted to stay part of Spain. Two provinces, Maracaibo and Guayana, and the area of Coro, remained loyal to Spain. Attempts by the Republic to control these areas failed.
By 1812, the new Republic faced many problems. It ran out of money. Spain also set up a blockade, trying to stop trade. Then, on March 26, 1812, a terrible earthquake hit areas controlled by the Republic. In this difficult time, Miranda was given special powers. But he could not stop the royalist forces led by Captain Juan Domingo de Monteverde. After the Battle of La Victoria, the Republic collapsed. Miranda surrendered to Monteverde on July 25, 1812.
Second Republic: Bolívar's Campaign (1813–1814)
After the First Republic fell, Bolívar and other supporters of independence continued to fight. They organized guerrilla movements in Venezuela. In 1813, Bolívar joined the army of the United Provinces of New Granada. He won several battles and got permission to lead an army into Venezuela. This became known as the Admirable Campaign.
At the same time, Santiago Mariño launched his own attack from the northeast. Both armies quickly defeated royalist troops. Bolívar entered Caracas on August 6, 1813. He announced the return of the Venezuelan Republic and his leadership. Mariño, based in Cumaná, did not fully accept Bolívar's supreme command. However, they did work together in battles.
During this time, a new threat emerged. In the Llanos (vast southern plains), a Spanish immigrant leader named José Tomás Boves gathered a large army. These fighters, called Llaneros, were mostly common people. They disliked the wealthy city leaders who led the independence movement. The Llanero army defeated the patriots in central Venezuela.
Boves marched towards Caracas, forcing the republicans to flee. This ended the Second Republic. Boves died in battle shortly after, but the country was back under Spanish control. A large Spanish force arrived from Europe, led by Pablo Morillo.
Spanish Reconquest and New Strategies (1815–1816)
After France was defeated in Spain, King Ferdinand VII sent a large army to Venezuela and New Granada. This force was led by Pablo Morillo. Morillo's forces, along with those of Francisco Tomás Morales, recaptured important cities like Cartagena and Bogotá in 1816.
Morillo removed most of the local forces that had fought under Boves. This left many common people, including pardos and llaneros, without a clear side. Some of them began to join the rebellions against Spanish rule in southern Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Bolívar went to Jamaica to ask for British help, but they refused. He then went to Haiti, which was the first Latin American country to become independent. With help from the Haitian president Alexandre Pétion and a merchant named Luis Brión, Bolívar returned to Margarita Island. This island was a safe place for the republicans.
Bolívar sailed along the Venezuelan coast. He officially declared the end of slavery, though this was not immediately followed. Morales, back in Venezuela, attacked Bolívar's forces. Bolívar had to flee back to Haiti. However, other patriot leaders like Manuel Piar and Gregor MacGregor managed to escape into the country's interior. They defeated Morales in September 1816 and moved south to Guayana.
The war became more local again. Different patriot groups formed, but they struggled to agree on a single leader or plan. Bolívar tried to join forces with Piar, but they had disagreements. Bolívar then went to the Llanos and teamed up with José Antonio Páez. But an attack on central Venezuela failed, and Bolívar had to retreat.
Morillo counterattacked but was defeated by Páez at the Battle of Las Queseras del Medio. A long period of stalemate followed. The royalists controlled the populated cities in the north. The republicans controlled the vast, less populated plains in the south.
Stalemate and Turning the Tide (1816–1819)
In 1817, Bolívar and Brión tried to capture Barcelona but were pushed back by the Spanish. Meanwhile, Piar and Mariño took control of Angostura. This city was located on the Orinoco River. Bolívar went there and was chosen as the supreme leader of the independence movement.
It was around this time that Bolívar ordered a new star to be added to the Venezuelan flag. This star represented Guayana, making it eight stars in total. This change honored the provinces that first supported independence.
Once in Guayana, Bolívar had Piar arrested and executed. Piar was accused of trying to create his own force of pardos. British soldiers who had fought in the Napoleonic wars began to arrive in Venezuela. They formed the core of what became known as the British Legion.
Morillo returned to Caracas. Morales was given troops to control eastern Venezuela, which he did successfully. Francisco de Paula Santander, a leader from New Granada, met with Bolívar. They agreed to combine their forces.
In 1819, Bolívar declared the Republic of Great Colombia. This new country included Venezuela and New Granada. More volunteers arrived from Europe to join the fight. These soldiers were often called mercenaries. They hoped to find wealth in Venezuela, but this was rarely the case.
The tide began to turn for independence. In eastern Venezuela, patriot campaigns gained ground. In the Llanos, Páez defeated Morillo and Morales. This opened the way for Bolívar and Santander to invade New Granada. They defeated the Spanish at the Pantano de Vargas. The British Legion played a key role in this battle. In the Battle of Boyacá (1819), Spanish power in New Granada was largely crushed.
Consolidating Independence (1819–1823)
To break the stalemate, Bolívar invaded New Granada in 1819. He had been there before, but it had been recaptured by Morillo's forces. Bolívar won a major victory against the royalists at the Battle of Boyacá.
With New Granada now free, the republicans had a strong base. From here, they could attack Morillo's forces in Venezuela. A republican meeting, the Congress of Angostura, declared the union of New Granada and Venezuela. This created the Republic of Colombia. This united front was meant to be stronger against the Spanish.
In 1821, the Gran Colombian army won a decisive victory at the second Battle of Carabobo. After this battle, only two cities remained in royalist hands: Cumaná and Puerto Cabello. Cumaná fell soon after. Puerto Cabello resisted for a while but finally surrendered in October 1823.
Aftermath: A New Nation
In 1823, Spain sent a fleet to try and retake Venezuela. But they were defeated at the Battle of Lake Maracaibo. In the years that followed, Venezuelan forces continued to fight under Bolívar's leadership. They helped free the southern parts of New Granada and Ecuador.
Once these areas were free, Gran Colombia continued its fight against Spain in Peru and Bolivia. This completed the work of other South American patriots, like José de San Martín, who had freed the southern parts of the continent.
See also
In Spanish: Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela para niños
- Military career of Simón Bolívar
- Simón Bolívar
- Eulalia Ramos
- Spanish American wars of independence
- Latin American wars of independence
- Venezuelan Independence
