born March 28, 1750, Caracas
died July 14, 1816, Cádiz, Spain
Venezuelan revolutionary who helped pave the way for his country's independence.
He joined the Spanish army but fled to the U.S. in 1783, where he met leaders of the American Revolution and formed plans for the liberation of South America, which he envisioned ruled by an Incan emperor and a bicameral legislature. He launched an unsuccessful invasion of Venezuela in 1806 and returned at the request of Simón Bolívar to fight again in 1810. He assumed dictatorial powers in 1811 when independence was declared but succumbed to a Spanish counterattack and signed an armistice. Fellow revolutionaries, viewing his surrender as traitorous, thwarted his attempt to escape. He died in a Spanish prison cell.