II.

Childhood and Education

Bolívar was born Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar on July 24, 1783 in Caracas, which was then the capital of the Spanish colony of Venezuela. The Bolívars were creoles, Spaniards born in the colonies. They had been in Venezuela since the 16th century, amassing a large fortune based on landed estates, mines, and urban property. Although born to great advantage, Simón Bolívar was not destined to live a charmed life. His father died when he was only three years old, and his mother died when he was nine. Relatives raised the orphaned Bolívar and provided him with tutors to oversee his education.

During his early years, Bolívar had remarkable tutors. The most influential was Simón Rodríguez, who instilled in him the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment, which placed great emphasis on reason, science, and a respect for humanity. In 1799 his family sent Bolívar to Spain to complete his education. He was in Spain only a short while before he fell in love with María Teresa Rodríguez de Toro. They were married in 1802 and took up residence on one of Bolívar's estates in Venezuela, the hacienda at San Mateo. There he spent the happiest days of his life, but these were to be only a few, because María Teresa died of a fever in January 1803. Simón Bolívar would never marry again.

After the death of his bride, Bolívar returned to Spain and then on to France. In Paris Bolívar met his former tutor, Simón Rodríguez. While there, he witnessed the coronation of French emperor Napoleon I, which marked the end of France’s first attempt at republican government. Disgusted with the elaborate coronation ceremony, Bolívar journeyed to Italy with Rodríguez. In Rome he vowed to liberate Venezuela from Spanish rule. Bolívar then traveled to France and the United States, arriving back in Venezuela in February 1807. He was 23 years old. During the next several years Simón Bolívar lived the life of a wealthy colonial aristocrat, tending to his estates and other investments. Nevertheless, he spoke openly and often about the need and benefits of independence from Spain.