Fight for liberation

While in Rome on a tour of Europe in the early 1800's, Bolivar vowed to liberate Venezuela. On his return to Venezuela, Bolivar joined the group of patriots that seized Caracas in 1810 and proclaimed an independent government. He went to Great Britain in search of aid but could get only a promise of British neutrality. Then he returned to Venezuela and took command of a patriot army. He recaptured Caracas in 1813 from the Spaniards, who had regained control of Venezuela after the surrender of Venezuelan dictator Francisco de Miranda. Bolivar became dictator of the country.

The Spaniards forced Bolivar to retreat from Venezuela to the territory that later became Colombia. He took command of a Colombian force and captured Bogota in 1814. But he lacked men and supplies, and new defeats led him to flee to Jamaica. In Haiti, he gathered a force that landed in Venezuela in 1816, and captured Angostura (now Ciudad Bolivar). He then became the dictator there.

Excerpt adapted from the "Simon Bolivar" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999