Background
Antonio José de Sucre was born on 3 Februery 1795 in Cumaná.
politician president Public figure
Antonio José de Sucre was born on 3 Februery 1795 in Cumaná.
He joined the independence revolt against Spain in 1810, when only 15, and served in the armies of the first and second Venezuelan republics. Forced to flee in 1814, he returned to Venezuela in 1816 to renew the struggle, first under General Santiago Mariño and then under Simón Bolívar.
In 1830 he served as president of a constitutional congress in Bogotá, which failed to solve Colombian divisivenes. While returning to Quito, he was assassinated.
With Bolivar’s victory over the Spanish forces, Sucre, his chief lieutenant, helped negotiate an armistice in November 1820. Sent in 1821 to support the independence struggle in Ecuador, Sucre won a decisive victory at Pichincha on May 24, 1822. He then led Gran Colombian troops to liberate Peru in 1824, and commanding an independence army of 7,000 men defeated a 10,000-man royalist force in the Battle of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824, which guaranteed the independence of Peru.
Surce was then ordered to La Paz. There, he issued the decree of February 9, 1825, proclaiming the independence of Upper Peru. An assembly of notables resolved to create the Republic of Bolivia, and on August 13, 1825, they appointed Bolívar its first president. When Bolivar returned to Peru in December 1825, Sucre was elected president under Bolivar’s constitution to serve for life.
Despite a major economic decline. President Surce attempted to rebuilt wartorn Bolivia, introducing progressive reforms in taxation, mining, and education. However, his government was forced to heavily tax the Indians and church properties. Sucre’s programs left the Bolivian church firmly under secular control. However, the Bolivians became restive with his liberal reforms and foreign rule. A revolt in April 1828, an assassination attempt, and the invasion of General Agustín Gamarra from Peru ultimately forced Sucre’s resignation in August 1828.
Sucre returned to Venezuela, but with the outbreak of war between Gran Colombia and Peru, he led the Colombians in defeating a Peruvian force invading Ecuador.
