Simon Bolivar
Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), South American soldier and statesman, who liberated six South American republics from Spain. A descendant of wealthy Spanish colonists in Venezuela, he returned from a visit to Europe (1804-07) inspired with revolutionary fervour. Despite many setbacks his forces set free New Granada (Colombia) in 1819 and Venezuela in 1821, and Bolivar set himself up as president. By 1825 Spanish rule in South America had ended, and Upper Peru was named Bolivia in Bolivar’s honour. His dictatorial attempts to settle the civil disturbances that followed, during which he barely escaped assassination, ended in failure. He was forced to resign the presidency in 1830 and died of tuberculosis shortly afterwards.
