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Birth
Simon Bolivar was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas, New Granada (present day Venezuela). He was born into a very rich family. They got their money from gold and copper mines that they owned. -
Marriage
On May 26, 1802 Bolivar married Maria Teresa in Spain. Just a year later, the young couple moved back to Venezuela. However, soon after Maria fell ill and died of yellow fever. -
Resistance Group
On April 19, 1810 Simon Bolivar’s resistance group that he had recently joined became independent. He joined the resistance movement when Napoleon named Joseph Bonaparte King of Spain and its colonies, which included Venezuela. He then went to Britain while the fight for Caracas, Venezuela and most of South America continued back home. -
Invasion of Venezuela
On May 14, 1813 Simon and his followers invaded Venezuela which marked the beginning of his "Campaña Admirable" (Admirable Campaign). This resulted in the creation of the Venezuelan Second Republic. He was hailed as El Libertador although, a civil war soon erupted in the republic and he fled to Jamaica. -
Letter from Jamiaca
In the beginning of 1815 Simon Bolivar wrote his famous “Letter from Jamaica”. In the letter he talked about his vision of a South American republic setup similar to that of England’s parliament. His idea of becoming the chief of the country who could not be removed from power was heavily critiqued by other leaders. -
Returning Home
In April 1815 Simon returned home from Jamaica. With the support of Haiti, he participated in many military battles. He was eventually able to claim multiple territories. -
Gran Columbia
1821 was the year of the creation of Gran Columbia. This state was then under the leadership of Simon Bolivar. He had fought many years for the independence Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Gran Columbia consisted of these three countries. -
Dictator of Peru
After more decisions, in 1824, Simon Bolivar was named dictator of Peru. Many Spanish Americans wanted him to be their leader. Just the next year he created Bolivia. -
The Escape
By 1828 Simon Bolivar had already succeeded in uniting much of South America as a nation free of Spanish control. However, the government was still fairly weak and despite wanting to create a union similar to the United States, he still faced lots of problems from other factions wanting to become their own nation. Temporarily, Bolivar named himself dictator of the land. In September 1828 he escaped a possible assassination attempt. -
Death
On December 17, 1830, Simon Bolivar died at the age of 47. It happened in Santa Marta, Colombia, while he was on his way to Europe. Many believe he died after a battle with tuberculosis. Although, his death was very mysterious and it may have been from arsenic poisoning or even a murder. He is honored all across South America as a great military and political leader who was a truly pivotal part of the revolutions against the Spanish Empire and the development of the Continent.
