1783-1830. South American nationalist, leader
of revolutionary armies, known as the
Liberator. He fought the Spanish colonial
forces in several uprisings and eventually
liberated his native Venezuela 1821, Colombia
and Ecuador 1822, Peru 1824, and Bolivia (a
new state named after him, formerly Upper
Peru) 1825. Born in Venezuela, Bolivar joined
the nationalists working for Venezuelan
independence, and was sent to Britain in 1810
as the representative of their government.
Forced to flee to Colombia in 1812, he joined
the revolutionaries there, and invaded
Venezuela in 1811. A bloody civil war
followed and in 1814 Bolivar had to withdraw
to Colombia, and eventually to the West
Indies, from where he raided the
Spanish-American coasts. In 1817 he returned
to Venezuela to set up a provisional
government, crossed into Colombia 1819, where
he defeated the Spaniards, and returning to
Angostura proclaimed the republic of
Colombia, consisting of Venezuela, New
Granada (present-day Colombia), and Quito
(Ecuador), with himself as president. The
independence of Venezuela was finally secured
in 1821, and 1822 Bolivar (along with Antonio
Sucre) liberated Ecuador. He was invited to
lead the Peruvian struggle in 1823; and,
final victory having been won by Sucre at
Ayacucho in 1824, he turned his attention to
framing a constitution.