Santiago Mariño
Encyclopedia
Santiago Mariño was a nineteenth-century Venezuela
n revolutionary leader and hero in the Venezuelan War of Independence
(1811–1823). He became an important leader of eastern Venezuela and for a short while in 1835 seized power over the new state of Venezueala.
". His mother, Atanasia Carige Fitzgerald, of Creole
and Irish
descent, was from the island of Trinidad
, where his parents resided while he was a boy. Due to his parents' wealth he was well educated. After his father's death in 1808, he moved to the island of Margarita
(about 250 km west of Trinidad, off the Venezuelan coast), to take possession of his inheritance.
in Venezuela, although he was apparently initiated in Trinidad. He was awarded the title of "Serenismo Gran Maestro del Gran Oriente Nacional" ('The Most Serene Grand Master of the Great National East", a title equivalent to the modern Grand Master).
The rise of the revolutionary movement in Venezuela was strongly influenced by the confusing and rapidly changing situation in Spain. Spain was initially against France in the Napoleonic Wars
, but in 1795 France declared war on Spain which concluded an alliance with France and declared war on Great Britain. The British responded by blockading Spain, whose her colonies were, for the first time cut off from their colonial rulers, and began to trade independently with Britain.
, the first British Governor of Trinidad after the capitulation of the Spanish, who held office from 1797–1803, was a great support to the revolutionaries or "Patriots" led by Mariño in Venezuela. Soon after becoming Governor, he issued a Proclamation on 6 June 1797, based on suggestions from Britain, which stated:
Ironically, the 1807 devastating defeat of the British invasions of the River Plate
in South America, largely by local militias, encouraged a more independent attitude in Spain's American colonies.
(21 October 1805), Spain changed sides again, only to realign itself with France after Napoleon defeated Prussia
in 1807. However, Spain was had been severely weakened by all these wars, opening an opportunity for the revolutionaries in South America.
Following this, the Spanish king, Ferdinand VII, was deposed by Napoleon in 1808. He had been on the throne just 48 days after his father Charles IV
abdicated in his favor. He was replaced by Joseph Bonaparte
, the elder brother of Napoleon, who ruled as king of Spain from 6 June 1808 to 11 December 1813. A "Supreme Central Junta
" was formed to govern in the name of Ferdinand, marking the beginning of Spain's War of Independence from French domination.
Joseph Bonaparte and his brother, Napoleon, led a long and bitter war against the British forces under the Duke of Wellington
, culminating in Napoleon being forced to allow the reinstatement of Ferdinand VII on 11 December 1813, who ruled Spain until his death in 1833.
of Caracas
reformed itself as a Junta, soon to be followed by the provincial centres such as Barcelona
, Cumaná
, Mérida
, and Trujillo
. They saw themselves as allied with the Junta of Seville which ruled in the name of the king. Simón Bolívar
saw the setting up of the Junta as a step toward outright independence.
Ports were opened to international trade, particularly with Britain which received preferential treatment, paying 25% less tax than other nations. The young Bolívar went to London to seek support if Venezuela was attacked and to pressure the Spanish grants special privileged. This was difficult to do as Britain and Spain were allies, but he was given promises of future trade concessions. Spain viewed these developments with alarm and, in 1810, declared the popular party rebels, the province was treated as enemy territory and its ports were blockaded.
The Royalists held Guyana and the Orinoco Delta, while the rebel Patriots held the coasts from Maturín
to Cape la Peña.
In late 1812 Mariño joined Colonel Manuel Villapol who marched to Guayana
. Excelling in combat, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Some months later he was appointed Commander of Guiria, bravely defending that centre of the Royalists' assault, and was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
The Venezuelan War of Independence
occurred while the Spanish were preoccupied with that of New Granada in Spain. On 17 December 1819 the Congress of Angostura
established Gran Colombia
's independence from Spain. After several more years of war, which killed half of Venezuela's white population, the country achieved independence from Spain in 1821 under the leadership of its most famous son, Simón Bolívar. Venezuela, along with the modern countries of Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, forming part of the Republic of Gran Colombia until 1830, when Venezuela separated, and became a sovereign country.
After the Battle of San Mateo
, the Republic collapsed, and Francisco de Miranda
capitulated to Monteverde
, signing an armistice
on 25 July 1812. Mariño's Venezuelan Patriots who survived either fled or were imprisoned. Mariño himself retired to a property owned by his sister, in Trinidad.
off the coast of Trinidad. Among this small group which were the future Generals José Francisco Bermúdez
, Ascue and Manuel Piar
. With that handful of revolutionaries with a few muskets, they crossed the Gulf of Paria in canoes, and landed on the coast of Venezuela on the 11 January 1813.
Just prior to Mariño's force leaving, the Governor of Trinidad, General Munro, intent on proving Trinidad's neutrality, sent a detachment of the 1st West India Regiment to tiny island to investigate claims that a military force was gathering there and to disperse it peacefully, if possible. They returned to report they had discovered nothing, but Munro issued a Proclamation stating that the Government of Trinidad was strictly neutral, and officially banished Mariño from Trinidad (after he had left) and seized the property of all those involved with the affair.
The tiny invasion force captured Guiria, a small town on the gulf coast of Venezuela. Fortunately for them, the main body of 500 Royalist troops had recently moved inland, leaving only the local militia which was quickly overcome.
News of the victory spread quickly and Mariño was soon leading a force of 5,000 men armed and equipped with supplies captured at Guiria. They then marched against Maturín
on the Rio Guarapiche. Apparently, Bolívar was pleased that the Royalists would now have to fight on two fronts but he wanted to liberate Caracas
before Mariño was able to do so.
joined the army of United Provinces of New Granada
. After winning a series of battles, Bolívar received the approval of the "New Granadan Congress" to lead a liberating force into Venezuela in what became known as the Admirable Campaign
. At the same time, Santiago Mariño invaded from the east in an independently organized campaign. Both forces quickly defeated the royalist troops in various battles, such as Alto de los Godos
. Bolívar entered Caracas
on 6 August 1813, proclaiming the restoration of the Venezuelan republic, which was not fully recognized by Mariño based in Cumaná
, although the two leaders did cooperate militarily. There was a struggle between the two men for the leadership. Mariño named himself "Chief of the Independent Army" conquered eastern Venezuela and set up a separate political entity in the east. But Bolívar insisted that it was essential to have one central government uniting Venezuela and New Granada to ensure its viability - his first proposal of a greater Colombia.
In February and March 1814, Mariño and his forces fought alongside Bolívar. They regrouped at Valencia and Bolívar handed over command to Mariño, "as a sure sign of his high opinion of his person and services, and also in this way to ensure the adhesion of the eastern officers to the common cause of Venezuela." However, they both had to retreat from central Venezuela to the port of Carúpano, where they were arrested by their own officers, Ripas, Piar and Bermúdez, but managed to escape with difficulty. Mariño and Bermúdez later accused Bolívar of being a traitor and published a proclamation in Guiria on 23 August 1816 deposing Bolívar and naming Mariño as supreme chief with Bermúdez as second in command. Bolívar had to flee to Haiti.
Bolívar returned from Haiti to Barcelona calling on all to join together, but first Bermúdez and Valdéz rebelled against Mariño, and then Mariño against Bolívar. In 1816 Bolívar used the island of Margarita as his base of operations and, in 1817, the Spanish General Pablo Morillo
was driven off the island.
. Finally Bolívar managed to win Mariño over by appointing him General-in-Chief of the Army of the East with control over the plains of Barcelona, while Bermúdez and Cedeño were given the rest of the eastern districts and Páez was yet to be pacified.
Mariño was a member of the Venezuelan Congress in 1819 and was Chief of Staff during the second Battle of Carabobo
, which, on 24 June 1821, finally secured Venezuelan independence.
, General Santiago Mariño and José Tadeo Monagas
were invested as the principal authorities of the "State of the East", until the installation of the first Congress to be convened later. After that, President José Antonio Páez
stopped this separatist attempt, negotiating with the Monagas brothers, convincing them to submit to central authority.
On the 8th of July, 1835, there was a violent and bloody military coup, known as the "Revolución de las Reformas", headed by Mariño, which had the objectives of establishing military control, the religion of the State, to vindicate the name of Simón Bolivar as Liberator, and to reconstruct Great Colombia. On 9 July 1835 President Vargas and Vice-president Andrés Narvarte were expelled to the Island of Saint Thomas
, and Mariño briefly took the power of the country. However, José Antonio Páez and his forces entered Caracas on 28 July to find it abandoned by the Reformists, and reinstated Vargas, putting an early end to Mariño's military rule. Mariño was forced into exile in 1836, fleeing to Curaçao
, Jamaica
, Haiti
, and finally Colombia
.
Mariño returned to Venezuela in 1848 and became Army Chief under President José Tadeo Monagas
to confront his former leader, General José Antonio Páez, also President of Venezuela.
Mariño unsuccessfully bid for the presidency of Venezuela several times in the 1830s and 40s. In 1848 he led the forces supporting President Monagas which overthrew Páez at the 'Batalla de Los Araguatos' on the 10 March 1848. Páez was imprisoned, and eventually exiled.
Mariño died in the town of La Victoria on 4 September (or, according to one source, 20 November), 1854.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n revolutionary leader and hero in the Venezuelan War of Independence
Venezuelan War of Independence
-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
(1811–1823). He became an important leader of eastern Venezuela and for a short while in 1835 seized power over the new state of Venezueala.
Family
His father was the captain of the "Santiago Mariño de Acuña" militias and "Lieutenant Greater Justice of the Gulf of PariaGulf of Paria
The Gulf of Paria is a shallow inland sea between the island of Trinidad and the east coast of Venezuela. This sheltered body of water is considered to be one of the best natural harbours on the Atlantic coast of the Americas...
". His mother, Atanasia Carige Fitzgerald, of Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
descent, was from the island of Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, where his parents resided while he was a boy. Due to his parents' wealth he was well educated. After his father's death in 1808, he moved to the island of Margarita
Margarita
The margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with orange-flavoured liqueur and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States...
(about 250 km west of Trinidad, off the Venezuelan coast), to take possession of his inheritance.
Masonry
Mariño was also one of the greatest figures in the history of FreemasonryFreemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
in Venezuela, although he was apparently initiated in Trinidad. He was awarded the title of "Serenismo Gran Maestro del Gran Oriente Nacional" ('The Most Serene Grand Master of the Great National East", a title equivalent to the modern Grand Master).
Napoleonic Wars: War of Spanish Independence (1808–1814)
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, but in 1795 France declared war on Spain which concluded an alliance with France and declared war on Great Britain. The British responded by blockading Spain, whose her colonies were, for the first time cut off from their colonial rulers, and began to trade independently with Britain.
British support for the Venezuelan revolutionaries from Trinidad
Thomas PictonThomas Picton
Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB was a Welsh British Army officer who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
, the first British Governor of Trinidad after the capitulation of the Spanish, who held office from 1797–1803, was a great support to the revolutionaries or "Patriots" led by Mariño in Venezuela. Soon after becoming Governor, he issued a Proclamation on 6 June 1797, based on suggestions from Britain, which stated:
- "The object which at present I desire most particularly to bring to your attention, is the means which might best be adopted to liberate the people of the continent near to the Island of Trinidad from the oppressive and tyrannic system which supports with so much vigour the monopoly of commerce.... In order to fulfil this intention with the greater facility, it will be prudent for your Excellency to animate the inhabitants of Trinidad in keeping up the communication which they had with those of Tierra Firma previous to the reduction of that Island, under assurance that they will find there an entrepot or general magazines of every sort of every sort of goods whatsoever. To this end His Britannic Majesty has determined in Council to grant freedom to the ports of Trinidad, with a direct trade to Great Britain...."
Ironically, the 1807 devastating defeat of the British invasions of the River Plate
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
in South America, largely by local militias, encouraged a more independent attitude in Spain's American colonies.
Spanish power weakens, paving the way to Independence
After the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
(21 October 1805), Spain changed sides again, only to realign itself with France after Napoleon defeated Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1807. However, Spain was had been severely weakened by all these wars, opening an opportunity for the revolutionaries in South America.
Following this, the Spanish king, Ferdinand VII, was deposed by Napoleon in 1808. He had been on the throne just 48 days after his father Charles IV
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
abdicated in his favor. He was replaced by Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
, the elder brother of Napoleon, who ruled as king of Spain from 6 June 1808 to 11 December 1813. A "Supreme Central Junta
Junta (Peninsular War)
In the Napoleonic era, junta was the name chosen by several local administrations formed in Spain during the Peninsular War as a patriotic alternative to the official administration toppled by the French invaders...
" was formed to govern in the name of Ferdinand, marking the beginning of Spain's War of Independence from French domination.
Joseph Bonaparte and his brother, Napoleon, led a long and bitter war against the British forces under the Duke of Wellington
Duke of Wellington
The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the noted Irish-born career British Army officer and statesman, and...
, culminating in Napoleon being forced to allow the reinstatement of Ferdinand VII on 11 December 1813, who ruled Spain until his death in 1833.
First Republic
On 19 April 1810 the city council or cabildoCabildo (council)
For a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...
of Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
reformed itself as a Junta, soon to be followed by the provincial centres such as Barcelona
Barcelona, Anzoátegui
Barcelona is the capital of Anzoátegui State, Venezuela and was founded in 1671. Together with Puerto La Cruz, Lecheria and Guanta, Barcelona forms one of the most important urban areas of Venezuela with a population of approximately 950,000.-History:...
, Cumaná
Cumaná
Cumaná is the capital of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located 402 km east of Caracas. It was the first settlement founded by Europeans in the mainland America, in 1501 by Franciscan friars, but due to successful attacks by the indigenous people, it had to be refounded several times...
, Mérida
Mérida, Mérida
Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida, Venezuela, is the capital of the municipality of Libertador and the state of Mérida, and is one of the principal cities of the Venezuelan Andes...
, and Trujillo
Trujillo, Trujillo
Trujillo is the capital city of Trujillo State in Venezuela. About 40,000 people live in this city.Founded by one the "Conquistadores de America", Diego García de Paredes, son of Diego Garcia de Paredes , , Spanish soldier and duellist, native of Trujillo in Extremadura, Spain. This city is...
. They saw themselves as allied with the Junta of Seville which ruled in the name of the king. Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
saw the setting up of the Junta as a step toward outright independence.
Ports were opened to international trade, particularly with Britain which received preferential treatment, paying 25% less tax than other nations. The young Bolívar went to London to seek support if Venezuela was attacked and to pressure the Spanish grants special privileged. This was difficult to do as Britain and Spain were allies, but he was given promises of future trade concessions. Spain viewed these developments with alarm and, in 1810, declared the popular party rebels, the province was treated as enemy territory and its ports were blockaded.
The Royalists held Guyana and the Orinoco Delta, while the rebel Patriots held the coasts from Maturín
Maturín
Maturín is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Monagas and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of Maturín has a population of 401,384 inhabitants...
to Cape la Peña.
In late 1812 Mariño joined Colonel Manuel Villapol who marched to Guayana
Guayana Region
The Guayana Region is an administrative region of Venezuela.The region has a population of 1,383,297 inhabitants and a territory of 458,344 km². It borders the independent nation of Guyana which forms part of The Guyanas...
. Excelling in combat, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Some months later he was appointed Commander of Guiria, bravely defending that centre of the Royalists' assault, and was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
The Venezuelan War of Independence
Venezuelan War of Independence
-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
occurred while the Spanish were preoccupied with that of New Granada in Spain. On 17 December 1819 the Congress of Angostura
Congress of Angostura
The Congress of Angostura was summoned by Simón Bolívar and took place in Angostura during the wars of Independence of Colombia and Venezuela. It met from February 15, 1819, to July 31, 1821, when the Congress of Cúcuta began its sessions.It consisted of twenty-six delegates, representing...
established Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia is a name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. This short-lived republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. The...
's independence from Spain. After several more years of war, which killed half of Venezuela's white population, the country achieved independence from Spain in 1821 under the leadership of its most famous son, Simón Bolívar. Venezuela, along with the modern countries of Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, forming part of the Republic of Gran Colombia until 1830, when Venezuela separated, and became a sovereign country.
After the Battle of San Mateo
Battle of San Mateo
The Battle of La Victoria occurred on 20 and 29 June 1812, in La Victoria, Venezuela. Both Spanish assaults on the city by captain Domingo de Monteverde against the forces of Francisco de Miranda were repulsed by the Venezuelan forces entrenched in the city and Monterverde fell back to San Mateo...
, the Republic collapsed, and Francisco de Miranda
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda Ravelo y Rodríguez de Espinoza , commonly known as Francisco de Miranda , was a Venezuelan revolutionary...
capitulated to Monteverde
Monteverde
Monteverde, Costa Rica is a small town in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Located in the Cordillera de Tilarán, roughly a four hour drive from the Central Valley of Costa Rica, Monteverde is considered a major ecotourism destination in Costa Rica...
, signing an armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
on 25 July 1812. Mariño's Venezuelan Patriots who survived either fled or were imprisoned. Mariño himself retired to a property owned by his sister, in Trinidad.
Mariño's invasion of Venezuela
Mariño was informed of the ill-treatment that befell Miranda and the other patriotic men, by the Royalist leader General Monteverde, who violated the terms of the armistice by imprisoning many Venezuelans. Indignant at such abuse, Mariño assembled an expeditionary force of 45 Patriots on the small island of ChacachacareChacachacare
Chacachacare is an abandoned island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago located at 10° 41' north latitude and 61° 45' west longitude. The island is 3.642 km² in area. It is one of the "Bocas Islands", which lie in the Bocas del Dragón between Trinidad and Venezuela...
off the coast of Trinidad. Among this small group which were the future Generals José Francisco Bermúdez
José Francisco Bermúdez
José Francisco Bermúdez was a Venezuelan who fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence, reaching the rank of General. He is buried in the National Pantheon of Venezuela....
, Ascue and Manuel Piar
Manuel Piar
Manuel Carlos Piar was General-in-Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence.-Heritage and early life:...
. With that handful of revolutionaries with a few muskets, they crossed the Gulf of Paria in canoes, and landed on the coast of Venezuela on the 11 January 1813.
Just prior to Mariño's force leaving, the Governor of Trinidad, General Munro, intent on proving Trinidad's neutrality, sent a detachment of the 1st West India Regiment to tiny island to investigate claims that a military force was gathering there and to disperse it peacefully, if possible. They returned to report they had discovered nothing, but Munro issued a Proclamation stating that the Government of Trinidad was strictly neutral, and officially banished Mariño from Trinidad (after he had left) and seized the property of all those involved with the affair.
The tiny invasion force captured Guiria, a small town on the gulf coast of Venezuela. Fortunately for them, the main body of 500 Royalist troops had recently moved inland, leaving only the local militia which was quickly overcome.
News of the victory spread quickly and Mariño was soon leading a force of 5,000 men armed and equipped with supplies captured at Guiria. They then marched against Maturín
Maturín
Maturín is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Monagas and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of Maturín has a population of 401,384 inhabitants...
on the Rio Guarapiche. Apparently, Bolívar was pleased that the Royalists would now have to fight on two fronts but he wanted to liberate Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
before Mariño was able to do so.
Tussles with Bolívar and other independence leaders
In 1813 Simón BolívarSimón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
joined the army of United Provinces of New Granada
United Provinces of New Granada
The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1811 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as the Patria Boba. It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada. The government was a federation with a parliamentary system, consisting of a weak executive and...
. After winning a series of battles, Bolívar received the approval of the "New Granadan Congress" to lead a liberating force into Venezuela in what became known as the Admirable Campaign
Admirable Campaign
The Admirable Campaign was a military action led by Simón Bolívar in which the provinces of Mérida, Barinas, Trujillo and Caracas were conquered by the independentists...
. At the same time, Santiago Mariño invaded from the east in an independently organized campaign. Both forces quickly defeated the royalist troops in various battles, such as Alto de los Godos
Battle of Alto de los Godos
The Battle of Alto de los Godos was a battle that took place on 25 May 1813 in Maturín, Venezuela and that resulted in a patriot victory against the forces of Spanish general Domingo de Monteverde...
. Bolívar entered Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
on 6 August 1813, proclaiming the restoration of the Venezuelan republic, which was not fully recognized by Mariño based in Cumaná
Cumaná
Cumaná is the capital of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located 402 km east of Caracas. It was the first settlement founded by Europeans in the mainland America, in 1501 by Franciscan friars, but due to successful attacks by the indigenous people, it had to be refounded several times...
, although the two leaders did cooperate militarily. There was a struggle between the two men for the leadership. Mariño named himself "Chief of the Independent Army" conquered eastern Venezuela and set up a separate political entity in the east. But Bolívar insisted that it was essential to have one central government uniting Venezuela and New Granada to ensure its viability - his first proposal of a greater Colombia.
In February and March 1814, Mariño and his forces fought alongside Bolívar. They regrouped at Valencia and Bolívar handed over command to Mariño, "as a sure sign of his high opinion of his person and services, and also in this way to ensure the adhesion of the eastern officers to the common cause of Venezuela." However, they both had to retreat from central Venezuela to the port of Carúpano, where they were arrested by their own officers, Ripas, Piar and Bermúdez, but managed to escape with difficulty. Mariño and Bermúdez later accused Bolívar of being a traitor and published a proclamation in Guiria on 23 August 1816 deposing Bolívar and naming Mariño as supreme chief with Bermúdez as second in command. Bolívar had to flee to Haiti.
Bolívar returned from Haiti to Barcelona calling on all to join together, but first Bermúdez and Valdéz rebelled against Mariño, and then Mariño against Bolívar. In 1816 Bolívar used the island of Margarita as his base of operations and, in 1817, the Spanish General Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, aka El Pacificador was a Spanish general....
was driven off the island.
Rapprochement with Bolívar and other leaders finally leads to Independence
Gradually more and more of the caudillos (warlords or political bosses) began to join Bolívar, but then Piar rebelled against him and was finally put to death. Conflict between Bolívar and Mariño escalated and in 1818 distracted the military campaign enough to allow the Royalists to dominate CumanáCumaná
Cumaná is the capital of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located 402 km east of Caracas. It was the first settlement founded by Europeans in the mainland America, in 1501 by Franciscan friars, but due to successful attacks by the indigenous people, it had to be refounded several times...
. Finally Bolívar managed to win Mariño over by appointing him General-in-Chief of the Army of the East with control over the plains of Barcelona, while Bermúdez and Cedeño were given the rest of the eastern districts and Páez was yet to be pacified.
Mariño was a member of the Venezuelan Congress in 1819 and was Chief of Staff during the second Battle of Carabobo
Battle of Carabobo
The Battle of Carabobo, 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by Simón Bolívar, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal Miguel de la Torre. Bolívar's decisive victory at Carabobo led to the independence of Venezuela....
, which, on 24 June 1821, finally secured Venezuelan independence.
Later activities
In May, 1831, a council of 150 residents of the city of BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, General Santiago Mariño and José Tadeo Monagas
José Tadeo Monagas
José Tadeo Monagas Burgos was President of Venezuela 1847-1851 and 1855–1858, and a hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence...
were invested as the principal authorities of the "State of the East", until the installation of the first Congress to be convened later. After that, President José Antonio Páez
José Antonio Páez
José Antonio Páez Herrera was General in Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan Wars of Independence, in addition to becoming the President of Venezuela once it was independent of the Gran Colombia...
stopped this separatist attempt, negotiating with the Monagas brothers, convincing them to submit to central authority.
On the 8th of July, 1835, there was a violent and bloody military coup, known as the "Revolución de las Reformas", headed by Mariño, which had the objectives of establishing military control, the religion of the State, to vindicate the name of Simón Bolivar as Liberator, and to reconstruct Great Colombia. On 9 July 1835 President Vargas and Vice-president Andrés Narvarte were expelled to the Island of Saint Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
, and Mariño briefly took the power of the country. However, José Antonio Páez and his forces entered Caracas on 28 July to find it abandoned by the Reformists, and reinstated Vargas, putting an early end to Mariño's military rule. Mariño was forced into exile in 1836, fleeing to Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, and finally Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Mariño returned to Venezuela in 1848 and became Army Chief under President José Tadeo Monagas
José Tadeo Monagas
José Tadeo Monagas Burgos was President of Venezuela 1847-1851 and 1855–1858, and a hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence...
to confront his former leader, General José Antonio Páez, also President of Venezuela.
Mariño unsuccessfully bid for the presidency of Venezuela several times in the 1830s and 40s. In 1848 he led the forces supporting President Monagas which overthrew Páez at the 'Batalla de Los Araguatos' on the 10 March 1848. Páez was imprisoned, and eventually exiled.
Mariño died in the town of La Victoria on 4 September (or, according to one source, 20 November), 1854.
See also
- VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
- History of VenezuelaHistory of VenezuelaThis article discusses the history of Venezuela. See also the history of South America.-Pre-Columbian period:Archeologists have discovered evidence of the earliest known inhabitants of the Venezuelan area in the form of leaf-shaped flake tools, together with chopping and plano–convex scraping...
- Venezuelan War of IndependenceVenezuelan War of Independence-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
- Second Republic of Venezuela