Simon Bolivar was a prominent military leader of Venezuela who is best known for spearheading a massive liberation movement uniting six nations against the Spanish. Hailed as a revolutionary and known for his political acumen, Simon Bolivar is one of the most important historical figures of all times. Here are some Simon Bolivar major accomplishments.
1. Simon Bolivar was born to a wealthy family.
He went to an elite school and had the fortune to tour Europe. He went to Milicias de Veraguas, the military academy, when he was fourteen and he honed his strategic mind during the years there. While touring Europe, he had witnessed Napoleon’s coronation in Paris. While he was in awe of the ceremony and he did manage to learn the European way of life, he was quaintly affected by all that he experienced and instead of wanting the niceties for himself, he wanted liberation for his native land.
2. Hoped for a liberated Venezuela.
From the early 1800s, the first two decades were daunting and he had to deal with multiple setbacks. The Supreme Junta of Caracas in 1810 ruled against the Spanish and paved the way for a republic. However, the colonial administrators responded and the progress was thwarted. While Simon Bolivar became a colonel through the initial fight for a republic, he lost the fort of San Felipe in 1812 and later abandoned the post along with the ammunition stores. The Spanish managed to stem the tide but Bolivar sprung up with another movement. During his time in New Granada, where he was serving as a military commander, he stirred up a storm with his manifestos. He sought independence and propagated a political system where the rich or the elite would play a pivotal role. In 1813, Bolivar led another campaign against the Spanish and managed to invade many colonial strongholds. This marked the start of the second republic campaign and Bolivar was referred to as the liberator for the first time. He is still fondly remembered as ‘El Libertador’.
3. Forced to flee.
The second wave was short lived as well and Bolivar had to flee Venezuela again. Over the next few years, Bolivar emerged victorious in Angostura and at the Battle of Boyaca. That resulted in the liberation of Colombia. He combined the independence movement of Venezuela with that of then New Granada. Bolivar continued to succeed at battles, most notably that of Carabobo and Pinchincha. Finally, he came up with a massive independence struggle for Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia (including Panama), Peru and Bolivia. Bolivia is named after Simon Bolivar.