Miguel José Sanz (1756–1814) 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 lawyer, journalist and politician.

Biography

Sanz studied at the

Central University of Venezuela Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and obtained a law degree, graduating in 1778.
In 1786, when the Royal Court of Caracas was founded, Sanz was appointed its rapporteur. Also around this time, he served as

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 ...

's tutor, who had lost his father before turning 3 years old. Sanz was a good advisor to the Bolívar family and Simón lived in his house for two years, until he returned to his home again. Sanz had sympathies for the Republican cause and was expelled in 1809 to Puerto Rico, from where he returned a few months after the

Revolution of April 19, 1810 The Revolution of April 19, 1810, was an insurrection in Caracas on April 19, 1810, that deposed Vicente Emparan, captain general of Venezuela, and founded the Supreme Junta of Caracas, Venezuela's first form of self-government. It is conventio ...

. Together with José Domingo Díaz, he wrote between November 1810 and July 1811 the newspaper "Semanario de Caracas", the first unofficial publication of the

First Venezuelan Republic The First Republic of Venezuela () was the first independent government of Venezuela, lasting from 5 July 1811, to 25 July 1812. The period of the First Republic began with the overthrow of the Spanish colonial authorities and the establishment ...

. Sanz was mainly in charge of the political section. He was one of the advisors of General

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 ...

in the founding of the Patriotic Society that would be established in 1810. He was appointed, along with Antonio Nicolás Briceño, Secretary of the Congress of 1811. Vice president of the House of Representatives in 1812, he was the first civilian to occupy the Secretary of State, War and Navy. After the Capitulation of San Mateo (1812), he was locked up in the dungeons of

Puerto Cabello Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the count ...

by the Royalist authorities, but he was released in June 1813. When Bolívar occupied Caracas in August of the same year after the

Admirable Campaign The Admirable Campaign () was a military action led by Simón Bolívar in which the provinces of Mérida, Barinas, Trujillo and Caracas were conquered by the Patriots.Arana, M., 2013, Bolivar, New York: Simon & Schuster, Its objective was to ...

, Sanz joined the Republican cause again, participating in the establishment of the Second Venezuelan Republic.
In July 1814, when the Royalist forces approached Caracas, Sanz joined the 1814 Caracas Exodus, and reached

Margarita Island Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the States of Venezuela, Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the north west coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the ...

. At the request of General

José Félix Ribas José Félix Ribas (; Caracas, 19 September 1775 – Tucupido, 31 January 1815) was a Venezuelan independence leader and hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Early life Ribas was the last of eleven sons, born to a prominent Caracas ...

, who appointed him his war advisor, he returned to the continent but was killed on 5 December that year in the Battle of Urica, where the Republican troops were defeated.

Sources

Bibliofep
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanz, Miguel Jose 1756 births 1814 deaths 18th-century Venezuelan lawyers Venezuelan journalists Venezuelan War of Independence 19th-century Venezuelan lawyers Viceroyalty of New Granada people