José Félix Ribas (;
Caracas
Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (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 northern p ...
, 19 September 1775 –
Tucupido, 31 January 1815) was a
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
n independence leader and
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
of the
Venezuelan War of Independence
The Venezuelan War of Independence (, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in South America fought a civil war for secession and against unity of the S ...
.
Early life
Ribas was the last of eleven sons, born to a prominent
Caracas
Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (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 northern p ...
family. In his early years, he received a quality education and attended the city's seminary. After finishing his studies, he began working in the agrarian sector. At the age of 21 he married María Josefa Palacios, the aunt of
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
. He soon became interested in Republican ideals and sympathetic to the revolutionary independence movement.
Ribas became involved in the
Conspiracy of 1808, but was taken prisoner after its failure. In his defense, he stated that on the day of the action, he was just heading to a public square to spend time. Actually, Ribas was frequenting the square to meet with other republicans to plan an uprising. He was later freed by the authorities.
When the
Revolution of 19 April 1810 was taking place, it was reported that Ribas was seen travelling throughout the entire city, encouraging people to join-in the demonstrations against Spanish rule. In the aftermath he joined the interim government on April 25, taking charge of the municipality of Caracas.
Military career
Apart from his political functions in the interim government, and despite having no military background, Ribas was named Colonel of the Barlovento Battalion which he helped set up with his own funds. He also maintained some contact with
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750 – 14 July 1816), commonly known as Francisco de Miranda (), was a Venezuelan military leader and revolutionary who fought in the American Revolutionary War, the French R ...
, and offered him all possible support when Miranda arrived in the country. Along with other fellow Republicans, he became a member of the
Sociedad Patriótica organized by Francisco de Miranda, in contradistinction to the New Venezuelan Congress which was ruled mostly by the landed few. The Sociedad Patriótica was modeled after a French
Jacobin Club
The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential List of polit ...
, encouraging the practice of oratory on equality of rights to all citizens.
During a brief period of Venezuelan independence (the
Second Republic of Venezuela
The Second Republic of Venezuela () is the name used to refer to the reestablished Venezuelan Republic declared by Simón Bolívar on 7 August 1813. This declaration followed the defeat of Domingo Monteverde by Bolívar during the Admirable Cam ...
under the stewardship of Simón Bolívar), Ribas fought in numerous battles of the "
Campaña Admirable"; however the most crucial episode was the
battle of ''La Victoria'' (12 February 1814) in which he and his comrades succeeded in foiling the advance of
José Tomás Boves
José Tomás Boves (Oviedo, Asturias, September 18, 1782 – Pedro María Freites Municipality, Urica, Venezuela, December 5, 1814), was a royalist caudillo of the Llanos during the Venezuelan War of Independence, particularly remembered for ...
's formidable
royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
forces (commanded in this battle by proxy
Francisco Tomás Morales, while Boves recovered from wounds). Ribas won this victory with inexperienced troops, composed mainly of youths, students, and seminary candidates that Ribas has succeeded in recruiting. Ribas told his young soldiers, his charges, before a crucial battle that "We have no choice between victory or death, we must achieve victory" ("No podemos optar entre vencer o morir, es necesario vencer"). After many hours of fierce resistance, Republican reinforcements arrived under the command of
Vicente Campo Elías. It is in honor of this episode of Venezuelan history that modern Venezuelan citizens now celebrate the "Día de la Juventud" ("Day of Youth"). each 12 February.
Capture and death after Urica and Maturín
He fought vigorously in the
Battle of Urica in which the republican forces lost but his royalist nemesis Boves was killed. After this battle, his forces assisted in offering a last desperate resistance to Morales at the
Fifth Battle of Maturín; however this effort also was defeated. Ribas, together with a nephew and a faithful servant, was forced to flee from the victorious royalists. However, he was ultimately betrayed to the royalists by a slave. He was captured and executed by beheading. Ribas's lopped off head, after having been fried in cooking oil, was sent to
Caracas
Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (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 northern p ...
. There, it was placed in public display within a small cage with the intention of demoralizing the patriots.
Legacy
Almost two centuries later, Ribas' deeds were commemorated by the
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...
government when it named one of the
Bolivarian Missions
The Bolivarian missions are a series of over thirty social programs implemented under the administration of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and continued by Chávez's successor, Nicolás Maduro. The programs focus on helping the mo ...
"
Missión Ribas" in his honor. There are also two Venezuelan municipalities named after him,
José Félix Ribas Municipality, Aragua state; and
José Félix Ribas Municipality,
Guárico
Guárico State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Juan de Los Morros and the largest city is Calabozo, other important city centers include Valle de la Pascua and Zaraza. Guárico State covers a total surface ...
state.
See also
*
History of Venezuela
The history of Venezuela reflects events in areas of the Americas colonized by Spain starting 1502; amid resistance from indigenous peoples, led by Native caciques, such as Guaicaipuro and Tamanaco. However, in the Andean region of western Ve ...
*
Venezuelan War of Independence
The Venezuelan War of Independence (, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in South America fought a civil war for secession and against unity of the S ...
*
Military career of Simón Bolívar
*
Spanish American wars of independence
The Spanish American wars of independence () took place across the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. The struggles in both hemispheres began shortly after the outbreak of the Peninsular War, forming part of the broader context of the ...
References
José Félix Ribas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ribas, Jose Felix
People from Caracas
People of the Venezuelan War of Independence
Venezuelan revolutionaries
1775 births
1815 deaths
Viceroyalty of New Granada people