Rafael Urdaneta

Rafael José Urdaneta Farías (Maracaibo, October 24, 1788-Paris, August 23, 1845) was a Venezuelan military man, hero, strategist and politician.

Urdaneta is considered one of the heroes of the Independence of Venezuela, nicknamed the "most faithful of all those faithful to Simón Bolívar". He held the de facto presidency of Gran Colombia between 4 from September 1830 to May 2, 1831, assuming power on behalf of Bolívar, after the crisis that led to the dissolution of Gran Colombia in present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela. Stalked by supporters of Joaquín Mosquera (whom Urdaneta overthrew), and Bolívar dead, Urdaneta was forced to resign.

Among his descendants, important Venezuelan politicians and soldiers stand out, and the branch of the Colombian family that became president in 1951 with Roberto Urdaneta descends from his cousin, the Uruguayan military man Francisco Urdaneta. Currently Urdaneta is considered a symbol of the state of Zulia, where he has several monuments as a tribute.

Beginnings

Biography

Rafael Urdaneta was born in Maracaibo, Captaincy General of Venezuela, on October 24, 1788, and was baptized the next day in the Maracaibo cathedral. He was raised in a privileged home of Spanish descent.

He studied his first letters in his original city; Then he entered the Caracas Seminary where he studied Latinidad. He returned to Maracaibo in 1799, where he studied Philosophy at the Franciscan convent. In order to expand his intellectual training, he emigrated to Bogotá in 1804, called by his uncle Martín de Urdaneta y Troconis, who held the job of chief accountant of the Court of Accounts of the Royal Court of Santafé de Bogotá.

In Bogotá he studied at the Colegio de San Bartolomé and was appointed third officer of the Court, responsible for payments to the troops of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. There he also gained experience in military personnel administration. For his performance he received congratulations from the Royal Treasury Board of the Viceroyalty of New Granada.

Military career

On July 20, 1810 he joined the revolutionary movement that broke out in Bogotá and three days later, he joined the ranks of the National Guard Volunteer battalion created by the Supreme Junta of Santafé. On November 1, 1810, the first battalion of New Granada was created, in which Urdaneta joined with the rank of lieutenant. Other notable protagonists of the war of independence such as Atanasio Girardot, Francisco de Paula Santander, Antonio Ricaurte and José D'Elhuyar also began their military career in that battalion.

Urdaneta participated in several actions during the Admirable Campaign led by Simón Bolívar, standing out under the orders of Colonel José Félix Ribas on July 2, 1813 in the Battle of Niquitao and being decisive in the victory of the Battle of Taguanes against the royalist forces of Colonel Julián Izquierdo. In the report to the Congress of the Union in Tunja, Bolívar described Urdaneta as "worthy of recommendation and worthy of all the considerations of the government for the courage and intelligence with which he distinguished himself in the action..

Later he was a protagonist in numerous military actions, among which the battle of Bárbula in 1813, the retreat towards the East in 1814, the Siege of Santafé de Bogotá in 1814, the taking of Maracaibo in 1821 and the march towards San Carlos stand out., prior to the battle of Carabobo, in which he could not participate by orders of Bolívar, given the degree of exhaustion of his troops. However, for his services, Bolívar requested his promotion to General-in-Chief.

Later he wanted to accompany the liberating army in the Southern Campaigns, but Bolívar considered that his presence was more important in Colombia, and therefore he remained there. In 1824 he was appointed Mayor of Zulia.

He was one of the most loyal leaders to Bolívar. In 1828 he occupied the Secretary of War, but on September 29, 1828, by orders of Bolívar, he dissolved of his own will the court that dealt with all the alleged defendants of the September conspiracy and in his replacement he appointed General Urdaneta as the sole judge who reviewed all the missing cases and the sentences that were not satisfied for Bolívar, stating that 'he did not want acquittals', Urdaneta acted summarily with the support of Tomás Barriga and limited himself to signing sentences without any trial, They only presented hearings in exceptional cases, which caused minors and even figures such as Francisco de Paula Santander or José Prudencio Padilla, despite the fact that the evidence was inconclusive, to be sentenced to death.

However, Santander was a very influential figure in society and on November 10, 1828, on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, seven days after Urdaneta's conviction, the death penalty was commuted to lifelong banishment..

On September 5, 1830, Urdaneta proclaimed himself dictator, stating that he did so in the name of Bolívar until he returned to office as ruler, taking charge of the presidency by overthrowing Joaquín Mosquera, becoming dictator.

Popular is the phrase that, in an intimate letter, Bolívar transmitted to him from Barranquilla in 1830, shortly before his death: "Not having reconciled with Santander has harmed us all.". With Bolívar dead, Urdaneta proposed that the people be called to decide on the Government. On April 28, 1831, 'The Convention of Apulo Meetings' was held in Apulo; with Vice President Domingo Caycedo, under whom Urdaneta would give up command until April 30, 1831. Urdaneta asked for a passport right there. He would miraculously escape murder and moved to Santa Marta. He is also credited with the phrase of appreciation and loyalty to the Bolivarian cause when in a letter he says that if Bolívar is not handed over he would set Colombia on fire from all sides.

Actions in New Granada

In Tunja, the president of the Union, Camilo Torres Tenorio, gave support to Urdaneta and his troops to continue the fight in Venezuela, but the Congress of the United Provinces first entrusted Bolívar with subduing Manuel de Bernardo Álvarez, who governed the province of Cundinamarca, which was not part of the federation. Urdaneta served with Bolívar, who took Santa Fe on December 12, 1814; With this triumph he consolidated the Granada Union. For his actions in New Granada, Urdaneta was promoted to division general on January 5, 1815, when he was barely 26 years old.

In October 1815, the royalist brigadier Sebastián de la Calzada, in command of 1,600 infantry of the fifth division, marched from Guasdualito, Venezuela, towards New Granada with the task of besieging Santa Fe de Bogotá, in support of the operation. carried out by the head of the expeditionary forces Pablo Morillo against Cartagena de Indias. Urdaneta and Joaquín París Ricaurte tried to prevent the royalist offensive through the plains of Casanare and the Andes mountain range.

Urdaneta, in command of some 1,000 infantry, suffered a serious setback in the battle of Bálaga on November 25, 1815. The encounter occurred on the Chitagá River, whose passage Urdaneta immediately tried to prevent, but due to the low level of the river, Such an action was impossible and they entered into combat. The battle began at five in the morning and ended at four-thirty in the afternoon with an overwhelming defeat for Urdaneta, who was barely able to escape with about 200 men to Cácota de Velasco.

Due to the loss of this battle, Urdaneta was relieved by Custodio García Rovira and taken to the War Council to justify his actions before the Congress of New Granada, but he was acquitted at the beginning of 1816. General Pablo Morillo applied the & #34;Regime of Terror" that he began in Cartagena de Indias and executed the patriot leaders whom he could get his hands on. Sebastián de la Calzada entered Santa Fe de Bogotá with Morillo on May 6, 1816.

Presidency (1830-1831)

On September 5, 1830, Urdaneta proclaimed himself dictator, stating that he did so in the name of Bolívar until he returned to office as ruler, taking charge of the presidency by overthrowing the incumbent Joaquín Mosquera. Famous is the phrase that, in one intimate letter, transmitted by Bolívar from Barranquilla in 1830, shortly before the death of the Liberator:

"He has not composed us with Santander has lost us all"

With Bolívar dead, on December 17, 1830, Urdaneta proposed that the people be called to decide on his government.

Cabinet

On April 28, 1831, 'The Agreement of Apulo Boards' was held in Apulo with Vice President Domingo Caycedo, under which Urdaneta would give up command until April 30, 1831. There Urdaneta himself asked for a passport. Urdaneta handed over power on May 2, 1831. Urdaneta miraculously escaped an assassination attempt and moved to Santa Marta.

Post-presidency

In April 1831, General Juan Nepomuceno Moreno set out from Pore, accompanied by three hundred cavalry soldiers and four hundred infantry, to force General Urdaneta to leave the country, after the Battle of Cerinza and with this action and respecting the Apulo agreements, the return of General Santander, who was exiled in Europe, was guaranteed.

When he was exiled from Colombia in 1831, General Páez would close Urdaneta's entry into Venezuela since he had been one of the most faithful followers of Simón Bolívar, and therefore an adversary of Páez's ideology. In 1832, after having lost his fortune in exile, he was allowed to live in the province of Coro. There he had the satisfaction of being elected representative to Congress. He was a minister in the cabinet of President Carlos Soublette. He would fulfill his commission in Angostura upon the death of Tomás de Heres.

Illness and death

His last performance as a politician was in 1845, when he was appointed plenipotentiary minister and extraordinary envoy of Venezuela to the government of Spain to deliver the ratifications of the Treaty of Recognition, Peace and Friendship, celebrated in Madrid on March 30, that year and approved by the chambers of the Venezuelan Congress.

During the trip he fell ill and underwent a medical examination during a stopover in London. The doctors recommended an urgent surgical intervention that Urdaneta postponed to finish his mission, but upon his arrival in Paris he became worse, and after several days in bed he died on August 23, 1845, at the age of 56. His mortal remains were transferred from Paris to Maracaibo, and then transferred to the National Pantheon of Venezuela, where they currently rest.

Family

General Urdaneta was the son of the descendants of Spanish Miguel Jerónimo de Urdaneta Barrenechea y Tronconis, and his wife María Alejandra de Farías Jiménez-Cedeño de Cisneros. The Urdaneta Farías couple also had other children: Paula Antonia, María de the Dolores, María Josefa Juliana Patricia, José Miguel, José Vicente, Juan Evangelista, and José Manuel de la Encarnación Urdaneta Farías; and 5 other children.

His father was also the father of children in another marriage, with María de la Concepción Fernández, who were: María Paula, José Antonio, José María and Antonio María Urdaneta Fernádez. The Barrenechea family, from which Rafael's father ascends, became powerful decades later, leaving several illustrious members such as José María Lombana and his niece María Michelsen Lombana, mother and wife of two important politicians from the López family.

Marriage and offspring

General Urdaneta married in the Cathedral of Bogotá on August 31, 1822 with Dolores Vargas París, heroine of the independence of New Granada, daughter of the martyr Ignacio de Vargas Tavera and niece of the heroes José Ignacio París Ricaurte, Manuel Paris Ricaurte, Mariano Paris Ricaurte, Antonio Paris Ricaurte and Joaquín Paris Ricaurte.

The children of this marriage were Rafael Guillermo, Luciano, Octaviano, Amenodoro, Adolfo, Rosa Margarita, Dolores, Susana, Eleazar, Nephtalí and Rodolfo Urdaneta Vargas. His eldest sons were important politicians and soldiers in Venezuela. Rafael was a prominent military man, Luciano was an architect; and Amenodoro, a classic writer of Venezuelan literature.

His will

Urdaneta's moral integrity reached the point that when he died, despite the fact that, as he himself said, he left a widow and eleven children in the greatest misery as his will; He asked one of his sons who was accompanying him to return to the Public Treasury the travel expenses that he would not have to use if he died before completing the trip.

Tributes

Urdaneta is considered a patriot in Venezuela, which is why he has been the subject of several tributes to his memory, including monuments and place names. To preserve his legacy, his descendants created the Rafael Urdaneta Foundation and the Rafael Urdaneta Civil Association.

Civil works

In Maracaibo, the Rafael Urdaneta Bridge was erected, which connects the city with the rest of the country and crosses Lake Maracaibo. The bridge was designed and built between 1957 and 1962 by the Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi, commissioned by then president Marcos Pérez Jiménez. The work was finally inaugurated on August 24, 1962 by the president of the time Rómulo Betancourt.

Monuments

In addition, Urdaneta has several monuments throughout the country. In the square that bears his name (located in the public space of Caracas) there is a bust of the soldier. Also in Caracas there is a statue of Urdaneta in the monument known as Paseo Los Próceres, next to Bolívar and Miranda. Another square of the same name of Urdaneta is located in Maracaibo and also has a bust of the military man.

In the Blue Room, of the building of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is the official portrait of Urdaneta, which served as inspiration for the creation of the banknote in his honor. Said paper money was put into circulation on October 20, 1987, following the 200th anniversary of the military man's birth.

Toponymy

The place name of La Cañada de Urdaneta is a municipality in the state of Zulia. It was first called the Bolívar District, then it was called the Urdaneta District in 1882, and then it received its final name on June 27, 1989. Additionally, in Zulia, October 24 (Urdaneta's birth day) is considered a holiday. of the state.

In 1973 the Rafael Urdaneta Foundation created the private institution Universidad Rafael Urdaneta, which operates in Maracaibo.. Another notable work of the foundation was the Rafael Urdaneta Museum, which was built on the house where Urdaneta was born.