El Libertator
...steban Palacios. Quickly after getting settled in the Capital City of Spain, Bolívar met a young lady named Maria Teresa Rodriguez del Toro y Adaysa who he ended up marrying 3 years later in 1802. Shortly after returning to Venezuela in 1803, Teresa died of a yellow fever. Bolívar was greatly affected by her death and swore he would never marry again and he never did. Depressed and angry, he went back to Spain in 1804 with his long time friend and mentor Simon Rodriguez. During his time in Europe, he witnessed the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of France in Paris and later as King of Italy in Milan. Previously, Bolívar had been an ardent supporter of Napoleon but now he felt that Bonaparte had betrayed the Republican ideals bringing him into relationships of solidarity with such people as Beethoven and Jan Miskolc, the great Hungarian Republican. However, Bolívar’s trips to Italy was not in vane as it was there atop Roman Mount Aventia did he make his famous vow that he would “never rest until America is free!” Bolívar returned to Venezuela in 1807 after a brief visit to the United States, the birthplace of Republicanism. In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte installed his brother, Joseph, as King of Spain usurping the throne from Catholic King Ferdinand VII of the House of Habsburg launching a popular revolt throughout the Spanish Empire known as the Peninsular War. Thus, Bolívar’s quest for Spanish American Independence began out of an opportunity created by Bonaparte, giving him an alternate excuse to begin full scale war between the colonists of the Americas and the Spanish Government. That same year, the Venezuelan Rebels independence from Spain and Bolívar was sent with Andres Bello and Luis Lopez Mendez on a diplomatic mission to London to create formal ties between Great Britain and The Republic of Venezuela. On June 3, 1811, Bolívar returned to Venezuela and declared that Britain was in support Venezuela’s actions against the Bonapartist regime of King Joseph. On August 24, 1812, Patriot Venezuelan forces under the command of Francisco de Miranda took Valencia, Venezuela. On July 24, Miranda was forced to capitulate and Bolívar was forced to flee to Cartagena where he pleaded for help from fellow American Republicans in New Granada. In 1813, the Government of New Granada gave him an army and with it, he invaded Venezuela entering Merid...