Venezuela (first republic)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg/30px-Flag_of_Spain_(1785-1873_and_1875-1931).svg.png){kind=small}
The First Republic of Venezuela (Primera República de Venezuela in Spanish) was founded in 1811 during the Venezuelan War of Independence from Spain. In establishing the Republic, Venezuela was notable for being the first Spanish-American colony to declare its independence.
[edit] History
On April 18, 1810, agents of the Spanish Regency Council arrived in the city of Caracas. After considerable political tumult, the local nobility announced an extraordinary open hearing of the cabildo (the municipal council), set for the morning of April 19, Maundy Thursday. On that day, an expanded municipal government of Caracas took power in the name of Ferdinand VII, calling itself The Supreme Junta to Preserve the Rights of Ferdinand VII (La Suprema Junta Conservadora de los Derechos de Fernando VII) and consequently deposed Captain General Vicente Emparán and other colonial officials.
This initiated a process that would lead to a declaration of independence from Spain on July 5, 1811. Soon after April 19, many other Venezuelan provinces also established juntas, most of which recognized the Caracas one (though a few also recognized the Regency in Spain). Still other regions never established juntas, but rather kept their established authorities and continued to recognize the government in Spain. This situation consequently led to a civil war between Venezuelans whom were in favor of the new Republic and those still loyal to the Spanish Crown. The Carcas Junta called for the convention of a congress of the Venzuelan provinces which began meeting the following year. At the same time Venezuelan emigré Francisco de Miranda had returned to his homeland taking advantage of the establishment of the Junta. He had been a persona non grata since his failed attempt at liberating Venezuela in 1806. Miranda began agitating for independence and gathered around him a group of similarly-minded individuals, who formed an association, modeled on the Jacobin Club, to pressure the Congress. Once the Republic suffered military reverses in 1812, Miranda assumed command of the army and leadership of the Republic.
[edit] Civil War
Though the Congress declared independence, the provinces of Coro, Maracaibo, and Guayana remained loyal to the Supreme Central Junta of Spain and the Cádiz Cortes that followed it. The new Republic claimed the right to govern the territory of the former Captiancy General, and the region plunged into full civil war by 1811 with fighting breaking out between royalist and republican areas. The Caracas Junta, which continued to govern Caracas Province, did not have much power in the newly declared Republic, and had a hard time getting supplies and reinforcements from the other republican provinces. The Republic was led by criollos, but was not able to appeal to the lower classes, despite attempts to do so, because of a declining economic situation. A powerful earthquake, which hit Venezuela on March 26, 1812, also a Maundy Thursday, and caused damage mostly in republican areas, also helped turn the population against the Republic. Spanish Frigate Captain-turned-General Domingo de Monteverde lead the Spanish forces into Republican territory, and a divided, embattled Republic quickly fell. On July 25, 1812, Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda capitulated to Monteverde in a treaty in which the former republican areas would recognize the Spanish Cortes, bringing an end to the First Republic.
[edit] See also
- Captaincy General of Venezuela
- Venezuelan Declaration of Independence
- Second Republic of Venezuela
- Gran Colombia
 |
This Venezuela-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
