"Maintaining the balance of liberty is harder than enduring the weight of tyranny."
El Libertador Simon Bolivar, the final member of the legendary Colombian triumvirate that brought independence to the South American Nation. Born in July 24, 1783 in Caracas, Bolivar was the son of one of Caracas' oldest and most respected families. Tragedy quickly struck them, however, for his father died when he was but a child, and his mother a few years later. Bolivar grew in comfortable conditions, as an unruly child who liked to roam Caracas and could not be tamed by any kind of tutor. His family had large estates, slaves (including the famous Hipolita, whom Bolivar loved as a mother) and mines. Destiny seemed to prep him for a comfortable and obscure life as a landowner. The only tutor who managed to get to him was Simon Rodriguez, who instituted a love for liberty and the doctrines of the enlightenment. Yet Bolivar did not show any interest in becoming a statesman. The young man travelled to Spain to continue his studies, and there he met and fell in love with Maria Teresa Rodriguez del Toro. They married, but when they came back to Caracas María fell ill, and died.
Feeling lost and hurt, Bolivar returned to Europe. He felt disgusted at the decadence of Spain, and compared it unfavourably with France's splendor and progress. In the Monte Sacro in Italy he made a famous vow to never rest until his fatherland was liberated from the Spanish yoke, in the same place where the Roman plebs had started their revolt against the Consul. Bolivar then returned to Caracas, and offered his service to the Caracas Junta when the Revolution started. In those days, he was a fervent supporter of further union and cooperation with other American juntas, such as the Junta of Tunja. He and his supporters called themselves the "Patriotic Society", and quickly established contact with the Venezuelan Francisco de Miranda. But the zealous Caraqueños were not willing to fully cooperate yet. Bolivar fought admirably in the first battles of the war, but the Republicans were overwhelmed by General Monteverde's forces. The Caracas Junta accepted the alliance with the Granadinos then. Their leaders, Bolivar and some officers managed to evacuate Caracas, even as Monteverde unleashed a reign of terror over the patriots. Out of pragmatism or a genuine belief that they would be stronger together, the Venezuelans accepted to join the Granadinos, and they formed the Supreme Junta. It had to face a final Royalist attack, which was stopped at the Boyaca Bridge by a combined Granadino-Venezuelan force. His participation in the battle earned him a promotion to general.
Bolivar was put in charge of troops around the Magdalena, where he would for the first time met Francisco de Paula Santander. After the successful end of the campaign, he launched his Campaña Admirable, which saw him defeat Spanish force after Spanish force and take town after town with the help of an united army of Venezuelans and Granadinos, retaking Caracas in 1813. It was there that he received his famous title of El Libertador, being welcomed by big celebrations that included a dance by several young ladies in white dresses. Bolivar would go on to defeat the Royalists decisively at Carabobo, which trapped them in Maracaibo and Puerto Cabello. Afterwards, he went South and again defeated a Spanish attempt to take Santafe, thus securing the capital from this final try at reconquest. The Spanish would never again take the initiative. Bolivar led the army South, sieging and taking Quito, and then Lima. He would end the war at the Battle of Ayacucho, which forced the surrender of the final Royalist forces in South America.
Following his dreams of becoming the Colombian Washington, Bolivar simply intended to settle down as a farmer. He did briefly take up arms again to take part in the liberation of Hispaniola, beating back twin attacks by the Haitians and the Spanish, but for the most part he stayed off the public light during the first years of the Republic. However, he was displeased by the Democratic and peaceful direction the Miranda administration had taken, especially his demobilization of the army and his refusal to continue the war to take Cuba. Though he did no want to be a politician, he naturally became the rallying figure for conservatives and Venezuelan separatists, who hoped to use him to secure secession from Colombia. By 1824, they had convinced him that Santander was a snake who would destroy the "pobres militares" and Venezuela if allowed to take command. The execution of Leonardo Infante, widely considered a miscarriage of justice, and the persecution of the corrupt Miguel Peña served to convince him. He ran against Santander in the 1824 election, but lost. Undeterred, he attempted a coup, storming Congress with a core of loyal soldiers and officers. But he found that there was neither popular support, nor political support for him. The fact that Venezuelan separatist elected to Congress refused to take their seats meant that there was no one to speak for him in Congress. Bolivar realized that the separatists had tricked him. Feeling betrayed, he issued a warning against any rebels, saying that he would personally ensure Colombia's unity with his sword if necessary. After the coup attempt, Zulia, Apure, Maturin and some Venezuelan cities like Valencia and Barcelona all issued declarations of their support for Santafe and the Colombian union.
Bolivar's mere presence was enough to deter any attempt at separatism, since no general or politician dared to cross him. There were some hopes that he would lead another coup or separation attempt during the Colombo-Peruvian War, but then Marshal Sucre turned the tide at Tarqui. Victory consolidated the nation, and gave a final coup de grace to Venezuelan separatism. Yet Bolivar felt restive and out of place in the Liberal Colombia that Santander was building. He finally decided to exile himself like San Martin had done, and went to live in Britain for a few years. He did not find respite there either. In 1840, he travelled to Brazil by invitation of the Emperor. He stayed for around a year, before moving to Paraguay. When the Triple War started, he offered his services to the Paraguayan government, and was instrumental in several victories over the Brazilians and Platineans. But again, his soul remained restive. After writing a new constitution for Paraguay, Bolivar sailed North and returned to Caracas in 1851, the first time he set foot in his home in 15 years. He was once again welcomed by young ladies in white dresses and cries of "hail El Libertador!" Bolivar died soon after that, having largely fulfilled his dream.
The legacy of Bolivar is still difficult to judge. Some point to his authoritarian streak, his coup attempt, and his attempts to start a bloody "War to the Death" as fatal flaws of character. But at the same time he was determined, hard working, and charismatic. Even if he was misguided, there is no doubt that he always wanted the best for Colombia and his people, and that he truly and deeply loved his country. He left a mark in the conservative movement, which saw his principles as their guiding light even if he never held elected office. But by far his greatest legacy was conquering Colombia's freedom. Despite his mistakes and flaws, no one can deny that he was instrumental in the founding of Colombia and the achievement of independence.