Margarita
A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). T ...
Aragua
Aragua State ( es, Estado Aragua, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. It is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. It has plains and jungle (terrain), jungles and Caribbean beaches. The most popular are Cata a ...
), was a nineteenth-century
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n revolutionary leader and hero in the
Venezuelan War of Independence
The Venezuelan War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela, links=no, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in Latin America fought agai ...
(1811–1823). He became an important leader of eastern Venezuela and for a short while in 1835 seized power over the new state of Venezuela.
Family
His father was the captain of the "Santiago Mariño de Acuña" militias and "Lieutenant Greater Justice of the
Gulf of Paria
The Gulf of Paria ( ; es, Golfo de Paria) is a shallow (180 m at its deepest) semi-enclosed inland sea located between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. It separates the two countries ...
". His mother, Atanasia Carige Fitzgerald, of Creole and
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, where his parents resided while he was a boy. He had a sister,
Concepción Mariño
Concepción Mariño Carige Fitzgerald (1790–1854) was a heroine of the Venezuelan War of Independence.
Biography
Born in El Valle del EspÃritu Santo, Mariño was raised in a wealthy family. She was the daughter of Santiago Mariño de Acuà ...
. Due to his parents' wealth he was well educated. After his father's death in 1808, he moved to the island of
Margarita
A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). T ...
(about 250 km west of Trinidad, off the Venezuelan coast), to take possession of his inheritance.
Masonry
Mariño was also one of the greatest figures in the history of
Freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
in Venezuela, although he was apparently initiated in Trinidad. He was awarded the title of "Serenismo Gran Maestro del Gran Oriente Nacional" ('The Most Serene Grand Master of the Great National East", a title equivalent to the modern Grand Master).
Revolutionary Wars
Napoleonic Wars: War of Spanish Independence (1808–1814)
The rise of the revolutionary movement in Venezuela was strongly influenced by the confusing and rapidly changing situation in Spain. Spain was initially against France in the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, but in 1795 France declared war on Spain which concluded an alliance with France and declared war on Great Britain. The British responded by blockading Spain, whose colonies were for the first time cut off from their colonial rulers, and began to trade independently with Britain.
British support for the Venezuelan revolutionaries from Trinidad
Thomas Picton
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton (24 August 175818 June 1815) was a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, Picton was "respected for his courage and feared for his irascible t ...
, the first British Governor of Trinidad after the capitulation of the Spanish, who held office from 1797 to 1803, was a great support to the revolutionaries or "Patriots" in Venezuela. Soon after becoming governor, he issued a proclamation on 6 June 1797, based on suggestions from Britain, which stated:
:''"The object which at present I desire most particularly to bring to your attention, is the means which might best be adopted to liberate the people of the continent near to the Island of Trinidad from the oppressive and tyrannic system which supports with so much vigour the monopoly of commerce.... In order to fulfil this intention with the greater facility, it will be prudent for your Excellency to animate the inhabitants of Trinidad in keeping up the communication which they had with those of Tierra Firma previous to the reduction of that Island, under assurance that they will find there an entrepot or general magazines of every sort of every sort of goods whatsoever. To this end His Britannic Majesty has determined in Council to grant freedom to the ports of Trinidad, with a direct trade to Great Britain...."''
Ironically, the 1807 devastating defeat of the British invasions of the River Plate in South America, largely by local militias, encouraged a more independent attitude in Spain's American colonies.
Spanish power weakens, paving the way to Independence
After the
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...
(21 October 1805), Spain changed sides again, only to realign itself with France after
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
defeated
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
in 1807. However, Spain was had been severely weakened by all these wars, opening an opportunity for the revolutionaries in South America.
Following this, the Spanish king,
Ferdinand VII
, house = Bourbon-Anjou
, father = Charles IV of Spain
, mother = Maria Luisa of Parma
, birth_date = 14 October 1784
, birth_place = El Escorial, Spain
, death_date =
, death_place = Madrid, Spain
, burial_plac ...
, was deposed by Napoleon in 1808. He had been on the throne just 48 days after his father Charles IV abdicated in his favor. He was replaced by
, the elder brother of Napoleon, who ruled as king of Spain from 6 June 1808 to 11 December 1813. A "
Supreme Central Junta The Supreme Central and Governing Junta of Spain and the Indies (also known as Supreme Central Junta, the Supreme Council, and Junta of Seville; es, Junta Suprema Central y Gubernativa de España e Indias) formally was the Spanish organ (junta) t ...
" was formed to govern in the name of Ferdinand, marking the beginning of Spain's War of Independence from French domination.
Joseph Bonaparte and his brother, Napoleon, led a long and bitter war against the British forces under the
Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...
, culminating in Napoleon being forced to allow the reinstatement of Ferdinand VII on 11 December 1813, who ruled Spain until his death in 1833.
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
reformed itself as a Junta, soon to be followed by the provincial centres such as
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Cumaná
Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in South ...
saw the setting up of the Junta as a step toward outright independence.
Ports were opened to international trade, particularly with Britain which received preferential treatment, paying 25% less tax than other nations. The young BolÃvar went to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and Mariño to
Port of Spain
Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...
(Trinidad) to seek support if Venezuela was attacked and to pressure the Spanish grants special privileged. This was difficult to do as Britain and Spain were allies, but he was given promises of future trade concessions. Spain viewed these developments with alarm and, in 1810, declared the popular party rebels, the province was treated as enemy territory and its ports were blockaded. Sir Thomas Hislop
The Royalists held Guyana and the Orinoco Delta, while the rebel Patriots held the coasts from
MaturÃn
MaturÃn () is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Monagas and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of MaturÃn has a population of 401,384 inha ...
to Cape la Peña.
In late 1812 Mariño joined Colonel Manuel Villapol, who marched to Guayana. Excelling in combat, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Some months later he was appointed Commander of
Güiria
Güiria is the capital city of Valdez Municipality in the Venezuelan state of Sucre. Güiria was the place where the military campaign for South American independence set out to Upper Peru and also a starting point of the 1901 Venezuelan Civil W ...
, bravely defending that centre of the Royalists' assault, and was promoted to the rank of colonel.
The
Venezuelan War of Independence
The Venezuelan War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela, links=no, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in Latin America fought agai ...
occurred while the Spanish were preoccupied with that of New Granada and Spain. On 17 December 1819 the
Congress of Angostura
The Congress of Angostura was convened by Simón BolÃvar and took place in Angostura (today Ciudad BolÃvar) during the wars of Independence of Colombia and Venezuela, culminating in the proclamation of the Republic of Colombia (historiograph ...
established
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), or Greater Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 18 ...
's independence from Spain.
After the Battle of San Mateo, the Republic collapsed, and
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y RodrÃguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750 – 14 July 1816), commonly known as Francisco de Miranda (), was a Venezuelan military leader and revolutionary. Although his own plans for the independence of the Spani ...
capitulated to
Monteverde
Monteverde is the twelfth canton of the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica. It is located in the Cordillera de Tilarán mountain range. Roughly a four-hour drive from the Central Valley, Monteverde is one of the country's major ecotourism des ...
, signing an
armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
on 25 July 1812. Mariño's Venezuelan Patriots who survived either fled or were imprisoned. Mariño himself retired to a property owned by his sister, in Trinidad.Carmichael. (1961), p. 103.
Second Republic
Mariño's invasion of Venezuela
Mariño was informed of the ill-treatment that befell Miranda and the other patriotic men, by the Royalist leader General Monteverde, who violated the terms of the armistice by imprisoning many Venezuelans. Indignant at such abuse, Mariño assembled an expeditionary force of 45 Patriots on the small island of
Chacachacare
Chacachacare is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, located at 10° 41' north latitude and 61° 45' west longitude. The island is in area.
It is one of the Bocas Islands, which lie in the '' Bocas del Dragón'' (''Dragons' Mouth' ...
off the coast of Trinidad. Among this small group were the future Generals
Manuel Piar
Manuel Carlos MarÃa Francisco Piar Gómez (April 28, 1774 – October 16, 1817) was General-in-Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence.
Heritage and early life
The son of Fernando Alonso Piar y Lottyn, a Span ...
. With that handful of revolutionaries with a few muskets, they crossed the Gulf of Paria in canoes, and landed on the coast of Venezuela on 11 January 1813.
Just prior to Mariño's force leaving, the Governor of Trinidad, General Hector William Munro intent on proving Trinidad's neutrality, sent a detachment of the 1st West India Regiment to the tiny island of
Chacachacare
Chacachacare is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, located at 10° 41' north latitude and 61° 45' west longitude. The island is in area.
It is one of the Bocas Islands, which lie in the '' Bocas del Dragón'' (''Dragons' Mouth' ...
to investigate claims that a military force was gathering there and to disperse it peacefully, if possible. They returned to report they had discovered nothing, but Munro issued a Proclamation stating that the Government of Trinidad was strictly neutral, and officially banished Mariño from Trinidad (after he had left) and seized the property of all those involved with the affair.
The tiny invasion force captured Guiria, a small town on the gulf coast of Venezuela. Fortunately for them, the main body of 500 Royalist troops had recently moved inland, leaving only the local militia which was quickly overcome.
News of the victory spread quickly and Mariño was soon leading a force of 5,000 men armed and equipped with supplies captured at Guiria. They then marched against
MaturÃn
MaturÃn () is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Monagas and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of MaturÃn has a population of 401,384 inha ...
on the Rio Guarapiche. Apparently, BolÃvar was pleased that the Royalists would now have to fight on two fronts but he wanted to liberate
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
before Mariño was able to do so.
Tussles with BolÃvar and other independence leaders
United Provinces of New Granada
The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1810 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as '' la Patria Boba'' ("the Foolish Fatherland"). It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada, roughly corres ...
. After winning a series of battles, BolÃvar received the approval of the "New Granadan Congress" to lead a liberating force into Venezuela in what became known as the
. At the same time, Santiago Mariño invaded from the east in an independently organized campaign. Both forces quickly defeated the royalist troops in various battles, such as Alto de los Godos. BolÃvar entered
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
Cumaná
Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in South ...
, although the two leaders did cooperate militarily. There was a struggle between the two men for the leadership. Mariño named himself "Chief of the Independent Army," conquered eastern Venezuela, and set up a separate political entity in the east. But BolÃvar insisted that it was essential to have one central government uniting Venezuela and New Granada to ensure its viability – his first proposal of a greater Colombia.
In February and March 1814, Mariño and his forces fought alongside BolÃvar. They regrouped at
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
and BolÃvar handed over command to Mariño, "as a sure sign of his high opinion of his person and services, and also in this way to ensure the adhesion of the eastern officers to the common cause of Venezuela." However, due to their series of repeated reverses they both had to retreat from central Venezuela to the port of
federalism
Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (Province, provincial, State (sub-national), state, Canton (administrative division), can ...
was revived in Venezuela, that caused a clash with Bolivar that dissolved the Congress. As a deputy, Mariño represented the province of Cumaná in the second Congress of Venezuela, meeting in
Angostura
Angostura may refer to:
Places
Mexico
* Angostura, Sinaloa, a city in north-west Mexico
** Angostura Municipality, Sinaloa, a municipality in Sinaloa, Mexico
* Puerto de la Angostura, Coahuila, site of the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista between Ame ...
on 15 February 1819, from which he had the license to return to the army. That same year, it triumphed over the colonel Eugenio Arana in the combat of
Francisco Antonio Zea
Juan Francisco Antonio Hilarión Zea DÃaz (23 November 1766 – 28 November 1822) was a Neogranadine journalist, botanist, diplomat, politician, and statesman who served as Vice President of Colombia under then President Simón BolÃvar. He ...
of the vice-presidency of the Republic. In his place was named the general in chief
Juan Bautista Arismendi
Juan Bautista Arismendi (March 15, 1775 – June 22, 1841) was a Venezuelan patriot and general of the Venezuelan War of Independence. He is buried in the National Pantheon of Venezuela.
Arismendi was born in La Asuncion, Isla Margarita
Mar ...
, and Mariño was nominated commander in chief of the army of the east. Once Bolivar arrived in the city of Angostura, Mariño was promoted as the
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
.
Rapprochement with BolÃvar and other leaders finally leads to Independence
Gradually more and more of the ''caudillos'' (warlords or political bosses) began to join BolÃvar, but then Piar rebelled against him and was finally put to death in October 1817. Conflict between BolÃvar and Mariño escalated and in 1818 distracted the military campaign enough to allow the Royalists to dominate
Cumaná
Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in South ...
. Finally BolÃvar managed to win Mariño over by appointing him General-in-Chief of the Army of the East with control over the plains of Barcelona, while Bermúdez and Cedeño were given the rest of the eastern districts and Páez was yet to be pacified.
Mariño was a member of the Venezuelan Congress in 1819 and was Chief of Staff during the second Battle of Carabobo, which, on 24 June 1821, finally secured Venezuelan independence.''Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Empire: 1402–1975'', p. 383. Sam L. Slick, et al. (1991). Greenwood Press. .
Later activities
In May 1831, a council of 150 residents of the city of
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
were invested as the principal authorities of the "State of the East", until the installation of the first Congress to be convened later. After that, President
stopped this separatist attempt, negotiating with the Monagas brothers, convincing them to submit to central authority.
On 8 July 1835, there was a violent and bloody military coup to overthrough president Jose Maria Vargas, known as the "Revolución de las Reformas", headed by Mariño, which had the objectives of establishing military control, the religion of the State, to vindicate the name of Simón Bolivar as Liberator, and to reconstruct Great Colombia. On 9 July 1835 President Vargas and Vice-president
Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
,
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
, and finally
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
.
Mariño returned to Venezuela in 1848 and became Army Chief under President
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
*
History of Venezuela
The history of Venezuela reflects events in areas of the Americas colonized by Spain starting 1522; amid resistance from indigenous peoples, led by Native caciques, such as Guaicaipuro and Tamanaco. However, in the Andean region of western Vene ...
*
Venezuelan War of Independence
The Venezuelan War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela, links=no, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in Latin America fought agai ...
*
Second Republic of Venezuela
The Second Republic of Venezuela ( es, Segunda República de Venezuela) is the name used to refer to the reestablished Venezuelan Republic declared by Simón BolÃvar on 7 August 1813. This declaration followed the defeat of Domingo Monteverde ...