Manuel Piar, Venezuela's Pardo Hero:
General Manuel Carlos Piar (1777-1817) was an important leader of the independence from Spain movement in northern South America. A skilled naval commander as well as a charismatic leader of men, Piar won several important engagements against the Spanish between 1810 and 1817. After opposing Simon Bolivar, Piar was arrested in 1817 before being tried and executed under orders from Bolivar himself.
Early life of Manuel Piar:
Piar was born in Curacao: his father was a Spanish sailor and his mother a mulatto, or of mixed African-European descent. His mixed race would haunt him his whole career: by 1817 he believed that it had limited how far he would go as a soldier. At a young age, Piar moved to Venezuela with his mother. An extremely intelligent young man, he did not attend school but taught himself many materials and languages.
Piar and Venezuela's Pardos:
As a mixture of black and European, Piar was part of the class known as “pardos,” or “browns.” The pardos held a status one step up from blacks: they were free and many became skilled laborers, but held no positions of influence. In Venezuela, they were a powerful group, far outnumbering creole whites. During the battle for independence, Piar was able to recruit many pardos into his army. A Spanish officer once remarked that Piar was the rebel officer who frightened the Spanish the most: he could have ignited a race war had he wanted which might have turned Venezuela into the next Haiti.
Early Military Career
Starting off as a simple militiaman, Piar served in two revolutions before the age of 35. In Curacao, he helped kick out the British and restore Dutch rule, and in 1807 he went to Haiti to serve in the revolution there. In Haiti, his leadership skills were appreciated and he commanded a warship. He soon became well-known as a skilled military leader and commander. He naturally sympathized with independence movements, and in 1810 he joined the emerging Venezuelan Independence movement.
Piar During the First Venezuelan Republic
During the First Venezuelan Republic (1810-1812), he was made a second lieutenant and served on a ship in the port of Puerto Cabello. He was skilled enough to temporarily cut off Spanish shipping to the area in spite of limited resources. Like the rest of the leadership, he was forced briefly into exile in Trinidad in 1812 when the republic collapsed. But by 1813 he was back in Venezuela, fighting for independence alongside Santiago Meriño, Francisco Bermudez and others.
Manuel Piar and Simon Bolívar
Although they had much in common, Piar and Simón Bolívar never got along. In 1814, as the Second Venezuelan Republic collapsed, Bolívar sought refuge on Margarita Island, then controlled by Piar: Piar declared Bolívar an outlaw and ordered him arrested briefly. Although Piar later recognized Bolívar’s overall leadership, the Liberator never forgot the affront. In early 1817, Bolívar requested reinforcements from Piar as Spanish forces closed in on him, but Piar refused, preferring to see Bolívar taken out so that he could lead the struggle. Bolívar survived, but he knew he could not trust Piar after that.
Piar the Warlord:
Venezuela was a very chaotic place from 1813 to 1817. It was ruled by different warlords, some of whom, like Piar, fought for independence, and some of whom, like Tomas Boves, fought for Spain. Piar's power base was in Eastern Venezuela, and he occasionally allied himself with other leaders like Meriño or Bolivar, but he would just as often fight for his own interests. Bolívar was the most powerful of the warlords, but the others did not answer to him in anything resembling a chain of command. By 1817 Piar was ignoring most of the other warlords and fighting to free “his” area: the Venezuelan northeast and Guyana.
The Battle of San Felix:
On April 11, 1817, Piar recorded his greatest military victory at the Battle of San Felix. Piar’s rag-tag force of 500 riflemen, 800 spearmen, 500 archers and 400 horsemen met Spanish General La Torre and his force of 1600 well-trained and armed infantry, 200 cavalry and a handful of cannons. Piar’s force was largely comprised of untrained pardos and Indians, yet his tactical skills resulted in a massive victory over the Spanish. Some 400 royalists were killed and another 300 taken prisoner, to less than 100 killed or wounded on the patriot side. Piar ordered the slaughter of the royalist prisoners after the battle.
Insubordination
After San Felix, Bolívar visited Piar near Angostura and brought him back in line, but Piar always felt that it was he, not Bolívar, who should be leading the fight. When ordered to move on Guyana, Piar disobeyed and resigned his commission, claiming that he going to recruit soldiers in the interior of the country. In actuality, he had decided to take on Bolívar as well as the Spanish: he knew the pardos and blacks would flock to his cause. Correctly guessing Piar's intentions, Bolívar ordered his arrest. On July 27 1817, Piar was arrested and dragged back to Angostura tied on the back of a horse like a criminal.
Execution and Legacy of Manuel Piar
Piar was accused of desertion, sedition, insubordination and conspiracy. On October 16, 1817, Piar was taken against a wall and shot: he reportedly met his end bravely and gracefully. Bolívar was in town but did not attend.
The execution of Piar was a mixed benefit for Bolívar. On the plus side, it removed one of the greatest threats to his authority and one that he had personally clashed with on several occasions. Furthermore, it put the other warlords on notice that Bolívar was in charge and that they had better fall in line or meet a similar fate.
The execution of Piar was a costly one for the independence movement, however. Piar was an outstanding general and tactician, and his ability to recruit and keep pardo troops was unmatched. The only ones happier than Bolívar to see Piar go were undoubtedly the Spanish. The execution of this talented ally is a stain on the record of Bolívar, the Great Liberator, perhaps second only in abhorrence to his turning over of Fransisco de Miranda to Spanish authorities in 1812.
Bolívar may have averted a bloodbath, however. Piar had become convinced that those of African descent would never hold power in Venezuela unless they took it for themselves: he himself was the perfect example. When he was arrested, Piar may have been trying to begin a race war, in which pardos and blacks would fight against all whites, whether they were Spanish or Creoles. Given the number of pardos and blacks in Venezuela, any uprising based on racial lines would likely have resulted in a Haiti-style massacre. Piar was no stranger to to-the-death warfare: the massacre of the prisoners after San Felix was hardly an exception, and he once ordered the slaughter of two dozen peaceful priests and monks at an isolated mission.
In spite of his ruthlessness and insubordination to the Great Liberator, history has been kind to Piar. He is considered one of the heroes of Venezuelan independence, and his race, once such a hurdle to his advancement, is now celebrated. Many Venezuelans of color regard him as "their" liberator. He has been symbolically interred in the Venezuelan Pantheon of heroes and an airport and a major, multi-million dollar dam have been named after him.
The execution of Piar was a mixed benefit for Bolívar. On the plus side, it removed one of the greatest threats to his authority and one that he had personally clashed with on several occasions. Furthermore, it put the other warlords on notice that Bolívar was in charge and that they had better fall in line or meet a similar fate.
The execution of Piar was a costly one for the independence movement, however. Piar was an outstanding general and tactician, and his ability to recruit and keep pardo troops was unmatched. The only ones happier than Bolívar to see Piar go were undoubtedly the Spanish. The execution of this talented ally is a stain on the record of Bolívar, the Great Liberator, perhaps second only in abhorrence to his turning over of Fransisco de Miranda to Spanish authorities in 1812.
Bolívar may have averted a bloodbath, however. Piar had become convinced that those of African descent would never hold power in Venezuela unless they took it for themselves: he himself was the perfect example. When he was arrested, Piar may have been trying to begin a race war, in which pardos and blacks would fight against all whites, whether they were Spanish or Creoles. Given the number of pardos and blacks in Venezuela, any uprising based on racial lines would likely have resulted in a Haiti-style massacre. Piar was no stranger to to-the-death warfare: the massacre of the prisoners after San Felix was hardly an exception, and he once ordered the slaughter of two dozen peaceful priests and monks at an isolated mission.
In spite of his ruthlessness and insubordination to the Great Liberator, history has been kind to Piar. He is considered one of the heroes of Venezuelan independence, and his race, once such a hurdle to his advancement, is now celebrated. Many Venezuelans of color regard him as "their" liberator. He has been symbolically interred in the Venezuelan Pantheon of heroes and an airport and a major, multi-million dollar dam have been named after him.
(Sources: Harvey, Robert. Liberators: Latin Amedrica's Struggle for Indeppendence Woodstock: The Overlook Press, 200).
Philippus Lodovicus (Pedro Luis) Brión (Curacao 6 juli 1782-Curacao 27 september 1821 was een Curacaos militair en patriot, die in de Venezolaanse onafhankelijkheidsoorlog aan de zijde van de opstandelingen vocht. Aan het einde van zijn carrière was hij was admiraal in de marine van Venezuela en Groot-Colombia
Afkomst
Zijn ouders waren de handelaar Pedro Luis Brión en zijn vrouw María Detrox, die beiden uit de zuidelijke (Oostenrijkse) Nederlanden afkomstig waren. Het gezin verhuisde naar Curacao in 1777.
In 1794 zouden ze hun zoon naar Nederland om zijn studie af te maken.
Slag bij Bergen
Na de verovering van Nederland door de Fransen nam Brión dienst in het leger van de Bataafse republiek om de Britse invasie van Noord-Holland te helpen afslaan. Hij nam deel aan de veldslagen bij Slag bij Bergen en Castricum.. Na door de Britten gevangengenomen te zijn werd hij in het kader van een gevangen ruil weer vrijgelaten na het bestand van Alkmaar.
Curaçao
Na zijn terugkeer naar Curaçao was Brión betrokken bij de revolutionaire beweging op het eiland. Toen het eiland werd bezet door de Britten vluchtte hij naar de Verenigde Staten om economie en scheepvaartkunde te studeren. In 1803 keerde hij terug naar zijn geboorte-eiland toen dat door de Britten weer werd overgedragen aan de Nederlanders. Tussen 1803 en 1807 was Brión werkzaam als zakenman. Bij een aantal gelegenheden wist hij te voorkomen dat de Britten het eiland weer veroverden. Toen dat in 1807 toch gebeurde vluchtte Brión naar het Deense eiland Saint Thomas waar hij zijn werkzaamheden als reder voortzette.
Venezolaanse onafhankelijkheidsoorlog
In 1813 werd hij betrokken bij de Venezolaanse onafhankelijkheidsoorlog en een jaar later werd hij door Simon Bolivar benoemd tot de commandant van een fregat. In 1815 kocht hij in Engeland, het schip Dardo dat met 24 kanonnen was uitgerust. Met behulp van dit schip ondersteunde hij de opstandelingen bij Cartagena de Indias.Na zijn promotie door Bolivar organiseerde hij verschillende expedities langs de kust van Venezuela. Op 2 mei 1816 versloeg Brión de Spanjaarden in de zeeslag bij Los Frailes. Op de dag van zijn overwinning werd bij benoemd tot admiraal door Bolivar. Door hun overwinning hadden de opstandelingen Isla Margaritha onder controle gekregen en daarmee de Venezolaanse kust tot aan Guayana. In 1817 richtte Brión de Venezolaanse Admiraliteit en het korps mariniers op.
Op 3 augustus 1817 zeilde hij met een eskader de rivier de Orinoco op. In de slag van Cabrián versloeg dit eskader een Spaanse vloot van 28 schepen. 14 Spaanse schepen werden buitgemaakt en 1500 zeelieden gevangengenomen. Op 5 november 1817 was Guyana bevrijd en werd Brión tot president van de regeringsraad benoemd. In oktober 1817 was hij voorzitter van de krijgsraad die Manuel Carlos Piar ter dood veroordeelde.
In 1819 leidde Brión een expeditie van 22 schepen naar de kust van het vice-koninkrijk van Granada het tegenwoordige Columbia Samen met een leger onder leiding van generaal Mariano Motilla werden een aantal havensteden aan de mondingen van de Magdalena en de plaatsen Barrangquila en Santa Martabevrijd. Na een meningsverschil met Motilla over hoe de veldtocht verder zou moeten worden geleid, trok Brión zijn vloot terug naar Maracaibo in mei 1821.
Dood
Brión leed aan tuberculose en besloot vanwege het terminale stadium van zijn ziekte in september 1821 terug te keren naar zijn geboorte-eiland. De dag na zijn aankomst overleed hij. In eerste instantie werd hij begraven op het landgoed van zijn familie. De Plantage Rozentak. Op 10 april 1882 werden zijn overblijfselen overgebracht naar het Panteón Nacional in de hoofdstad van Venezuela, Caracas.Hierliggen naast Brión een aantal andere belangrijke personen uit de geschiedenis van Venezuela begraven, zoals Simon Bolivar.
Simon Bolivar
Simón
José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Blanco
(Spanish pronunciation: [siˈmon
boˈliβar]; July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830 ), commonly known as Simón Bolívar, was a Venezuelan
military and political leader. Together with José de San Martín, he played a
key role in Hispanic-Spanish America's successful
struggle
for independence from the Spanish Empire, and is today considered one of the
most influential politicians in Latin American history.
Following
the triumph over the Spanish Monarchy,
Bolívar participated in the foundation of the first union of independent
nations in Hispanic-America, a republic, which was named Gran Colombia
During
his lifetime, he led Colombia Venezuela Ecuador Bolivia Latin America .
Bolívar
family Birthplace of Simón Bolívar in Caracas , Venezuela
The
surname Bolívar derives from the Bolívar
aristocrats who came from a
small
village in the Basque Country, Spain
His
father came from the male line of the de Ardanza family.
Hismaternal
grandmother, however, was descended from some families from the
The
Bolívars settled in Venezuela
American
Bolívar ancestor was Simón de Bolívar (or Simon de Bolibar; the
spelling was not standardized until the nineteenth
century), who lived and
worked
with the governor of the Santo Domingo
When
the governor of Santo Domingo Venezuela
de
Bolívar came with him. As an early settler in Caracas Province Caracas
The
social position of the family is illustrated by the fact that when the Caracas
Cathedral was built in 1594, the Bolívar family had one of the first dedicated
side chapels.
The
majority of the wealth of Simón de Bolívar's descendants came from the estates.
The
most important of these estates was a sugar plantation with an encomiendathat
provided the labor needed to run the estate.
In
later centuries, slave and free black labor would have replaced
most
of the encomienda labor. Another portion of Bolívar wealth came from the
silver, gold, and more importantly, copper
mines in Venezuela Venezuela
Toward
the end of the seventeenth century, copper exploitation became so prominent in Venezuela Caracas
Bolívar's
grandfather, Juan de Bolívar y Martínez de Villegas, paid 22,000 ducats to the
monastery at Santa Maria de Montserrat in 1728 for a title of nobility that had
been granted by the king, Philip V of Spain
The
crown never issued the patent of nobility, and so the purchase became the
subject of lawsuits that were still Simón Bolívar
going
on during Bolívar's lifetime, when independence from Spain
able
to use his family's immense wealth to finance his revolutionary efforts.
Early life
An
18th century portrait of Juan Vicente
Bolívar
y Ponte, father of Simón Bolívar.
Although
some people believe he was actually born in the Bolívar residence
located
in San Mateo in Aragua State, which belonged to the Caracas
province
by 1783, it is officially claimed that Simón Bolívar was born in
Caracas,
Captaincy General of Venezuela (now the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela),
on July 24, 1783 and he was baptized as Simón José Antonio de
la
Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios. His mother was Doña María de la
Concepción
Palacios y Blanco and his father was Coronel Don Juan Vicente
Bolívar
y Ponte. He had two older sisters and a brother: María Antonia,
Juana,
and Juan Vicente. Another sister, María del Carmen, died at birth.
[6]
The
circumstances of Bolívar's parents forced them to entrust the baby Simón
Bolívar
to the care of Doña Ines Manceba de Miyares and the family's slave
la
negra Hipolita. A couple of years later Bolívar returned to the love and
care
of his parents, but this traumatic experience would have a severe effect
on
Bolívar's life. By his third birthday, his father Juan Vicente had died.
Bolívar
by José Gil de Castro in 1825.
Bolívar's
father died when Bolívar was two and a half years old.
Bolívar's
mother, Maria Concepción de Palacios y Blanco, died when he was
approaching
nine years of age.
He
then was placed in the custody of a severe
instructor,
Miguel José Sanz, but this relationship did not work out and he
was
sent back to his home.
In
an effort to give Bolívar the best education possible, he received private
lessons from the renowned professors
Andrés Bello, Guillermo Pelgrón, Jose Antonion Negrete, Fernando Vides,
Father Andújar, and the most influential of all, Don Simón Rodríguez, formerly
known
as Simón Carreño. Don Simón Rodriguez was later to become
Bolívar's
friend and mentor, and he instilled in the young man the ideas of
liberty,
enlightenment, and freedom.
In
the meantime, all the love, affection, and attention given to Bolívar was
from
his nanny, Hipólita. Hipólita gave the young Bolívar all the affection he
needed
and indulged him in all his wishes and desires.
His
instructor Don Simón understood the young Bolívar's personality and
inclinations, and tried from the very beginning to be an empathetic friend.
They
took long walks through the countryside and climbed mountains.
Don
Simón taught Bolívar how to swim and ride horses, and, in the process, taught
him about liberty, human rights, politics, history, and
sociology.
Military career
When
Bolívar was fourteen, his private instructor and mentor Simón Rodríguez had to
abandon the country, as he
was
accused of being involved in a conspiracy against the Spanish government in Caracas
military
academy of the Milicias de Veraguas, which his father had directed as colonel
years earlier. Through these
years
of military training, he developed his fervent passion for armaments and
military strategy, which he later
would
employ on the battlefields of the wars of independence.
A
few years later, while in Paris
the
coronation of Napoleon in Notre Dame, and this majestic event left a profound
impression upon him. From that moment he wished that he could emulate similar
triumphant glory for the people of his native land.
El Libertador Bolívar at the age of
21
Bolívar
returned to Venezuela
In
1813 he was given a military command in Tunja, New Granada (modern
day
Colombia), under the direction of the Congress of United Provinces of
New
Granada, which had formed out of the juntas established in 1810.
This
was the beginning of the famous
Admirable Campaign.
He
entered Mérida on May 23, where he was proclaimed as El Libertador.
That
event was followed by the occupation of Trujillo
Six
days later, on June 15, he dictated his famous Decree of War to the Death.
proclaiming
the restoration of the Venezuelan republic.
Due
to the rebellion of José Tomás Boves in 1814 and the fall of the republic, he
returned to New Granada , where he then commanded a force for the United
Provinces and
entered
Bogotá in 1814, recapturing the city from the dissenting republican
forces
of Cundinamarca. He intended to march into Cartagena and enlist the
aid
of local forces in order to capture Royalist Santa Marta.
In
1815, after a number of political and military disputes
with
the government of Cartagena, however, Bolívar fled to Jamaica, where he was
denied support and an attempt was
made on his life, after which he fled to Haiti, where he was granted sanctuary
and protection.
He befriended Alexandre
Pétion, the leader of the newly independent country, and petitioned him for
aid.
Bolívar
and Francisco de Paula Santander
In
1817, with Haitian soldiers and vital material support (on the condition that
he
abolish slavery), Bolívar landed in Venezuela and captured Angostura
(now Ciudad Bolívar). At
that time, Venezuela
Spain,
however, and Bolívar decided that he would first fight for the
independence
of New Granada (which was a vice royalty), intending later to
consolidate
the independence of Venezuela and other less politically
important
Spanish territories.
The
campaign for the independence of New Granada was consolidated with
the
victory at the Battle of Boyacá in 1819.
From
this newly consolidated base of power, Bolívar launched outright independence
campaigns in Venezuela Ecuador
victories
at the Battle of Carabobo in 1821 and the Battle of Pichincha in
1822.
On September 7, 1821 the Gran Colombia (a state covering much of
modern Colombia,
Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, northern Peru, and
northwest
of Brazil) was created, with Bolívar as president and Francisco de
Paula
Santander as vice president.
On
July 26 and 27 of 1822, Bolívar held the Guayaquil Peru
Thereafter,
Bolívar took over the task of fully liberating Peru
The
Peruvian congress named him dictator of Peru February 10, 1824 , which allowed Bolívar to reorganize completely the
political and military administration. Assisted by Antonio José de Sucre,
Bolívar decisively defeated the Spanish cavalry at the Battle of Junín on August 6, 1824 .
on
December 9, 1824.
On
August 6, 1825, at the Congress of Upper Peru, the "Republic of
Bolivia" was created. Bolívar is thus one of the few men to have a country
named after him.
In
1826, internal divisions had sparked dissent throughout the nation, and
regional uprisings erupted in Venezuela
fragility
and appeared to be on the verge of collapse.
To
preserve the union, an amnesty was declared and an arrangement was
reached
with the Venezuelan rebels, but this increased the political
dissent
in neighboring New Granada. In an attempt to keep the
nation
together as a single entity, Bolívar called for a
constitutional
convention at Ocaña during April 1828.
August
1824 Bolívar's dream had been to engender an American
Revolution-style
federation among all the newly independent republics, with a government set up
solely to recognize and uphold the rights of the individual. This dream had
succumbed to the pressures of particular interests throughout the region, which
rejected that model and had little or no allegiance to liberal principles.
For
this reason, and to prevent a break-up, Bolívar sought to implement a more
centralist model of government in Gran Colombia, including some or all of the
elements of the Bolivian constitution he had written, which included a lifetime
presidency with the ability to select a successor (although theoretically, this
presidency was held in check by an intricate system of balances). This move was
considered controversial in New Granada and was one of the
reasons the deliberations in favor of such a constitution met with strong
opposition at the Convention of Ocaña, which met from April 9 to June 10, 1828 . The convention almost ended up drafting a document
which would have implemented a radically federalist form of government, which would
have greatly reduced the powers of a central administration. Unhappy with what
would be the ensuing result, pro-Bolívar delegates withdrew from the
convention, leaving it moribund.
After
the failure of this congress to write a new constitution, Bolívar proclaimed
himself dictator on August 27, 1828 through the Decree of
Dictatorship. He considered this as a temporary measure, as a means to
reestablish his authority and save the
republic, although it increased dissatisfaction and anger among his political
opponents. An assassination attempt on September
25, 1828 failed, thanks to the help of his lover, Manuela Sáenz. Bolívar
afterward described Manuela as Libertadora del Libertador (the liberator of the liberator). Although
Bolívar emerged safely from the attempt,
this nevertheless greatly affected him. Dissent continued, and uprisings
occurred inSimón Bolívar 6 New Granada, Venezuela, and Ecuador
Death
Bolívar's
death by Venezuelan painter Antonio Herrera
Toro
Saying, "all who served the Revolution have plowed the sea", Bolívar
finally resigned his presidency on April
27, 1830 , intending to leave the country for exile in Europe , possibly in France Europe , but he died before setting sail.
On
December 17, 1830 , at the age of
forty-seven, Simón Bolívar died after a painful battle with tuberculosis in the
Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta Colombia Colombia
Shortly
before her own death in 1856, Sáenz augmented this collection by giving O'Leary
her own letters from Bolívar. Simón Bolívar Memorial Monument
Marta
(Colombia
His
remains were buried in the cathedral of Santa Marta. Twelve years later, in
1842, at the request of President José Antonio Páez, they were moved from Santa Marta Caracas Santa Marta
In
2010, symbolic remains of Bolívar's lover, Manuela Sáenz, were interred
by
his side during a national ceremony reuniting them and
honoring
her role in the liberations.
On
January 2008, President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez set up a Commission to
investigate theories indicating that Bolívar could have been the victim of an
assassination.
On
several occasions, Chavez has claimed that Bolívar was in fact poisoned
by
"New Granade traitors".
In
April 2010, infectious diseases specialist Paul Auwaerter studied existing
records
of
Bolívar's symptoms and concluded that he may have suffered from chronic arsenic
poisoning, but considered that
both
acute poisoning and murder were unlikely.
In
July 2010, Bolívar's body was ordered to be exhumed to
advance
the investigations.
In
July 2011, international forensics experts released their report claiming there
was
no
proof of poisoning or other unnatural cause of death.
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