Manuel Carlos Piar ( Spanish: Manuel Carlos Piar , April 28, 1774 , Curacao [1] - October 16, 1817 , Angostura ) - General, participant in the Venezuelan War of Independence .
| Manuel Carlos Piar | |
|---|---|
| Manuel Carlos Piar | |
 | |
| Birth | April 28, 1774 Willemstad , Curacao |
| Death | October 16, 1817 (43 years old) Angostura , Venezuela |
| Father | Fernando Piar |
| Mother | Isabelle Gomez |
| Profession | military |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Rank | |
| Battles | |
Content
The early years
The son of Fernando Piar, a Spanish sailor of a merchant fleet of Canary origin [2] , and the Dutch mulatto Isabelle Gomez [1] . Born in Willemstad , Curacao . Arrived in Venezuela with his mother when he was ten years old, and settled in La Guire . Without formal education, he acquired a good level of general knowledge and independently learned several languages.
At the age of 23, PR decided to join the independence movement and participated in the unsuccessful 1797 conspiracy .
Military career
In 1804, he joined the ranks of a militia fighting the British in Curacao. The militia of the island successfully expelled the British, restoring Dutch rule. In 1807, Piar arrived in Haiti , where he participated in the local revolution and commanded a warship.
By 1810, military experience and participation in revolutionary events brought him to the service of the young Venezuelan government, which declared independence from Spain. He joined the navy and was assigned to Puerto Cabello . As the commander of the ship, he participated in several battles against the Spanish fleet, including the Battle of Sorondo and on the Orinoco River in 1812.
The deteriorating situation forced Piar to take refuge in Trinidad for a while. In Venezuela in 1813, he, with the rank of army colonel, successfully defended Maturin and helped free the eastern part of the country from Spanish troops .
The following year, Brigadier General Piar led the army fighting in the provinces of Barcelona, Caracas and Cumana . Under El Salado, he was defeated by the troops of Jose Thomas Bovez .
In the rank of Major General, Piar joined the successful expedition to Los Cayos and took Los Frailes and Carupano.
In 1816, he defeated the army of Francisco Thomas Morales at El Huncal . From there, PR began a march to Guyana with the goal of liberating this province. In early 1817, he besieged the city of Angostur . On April 11, his troops defeated the Spanish forces under the command of General Miguel de la Torre at the Battle of San Felix. A month later, PR was promoted to the rank of army general.
The Fall and Execution
At the same time, PR came into conflict with senior military leaders, including Simon Bolivar . This conflict ultimately led to the removal of Piar Bolivar from command in June 1817.
It is believed that in addition to the ideas of independence, PR wanted to achieve greater social and political rights for the Mestizos , which was the reason for his conflict with Bolivar and his entourage - creoles (descendants of European settlers). Suspended from service, he decided to stay in Guyana and lobby for the interests of the Métis. Other historians believe that PR and other senior military commanders were in disgrace, because they opposed Bolivar’s leadership methods. Among the PR's supporters were generals Jose Felix Ribas , Santiago Marinho and Jose Francisco Bermudez. However, they, unlike PR, were also Creoles and diverged from Bolivar only in their views on the methods of revolutionary struggle.
The conflict reached a high point when Bolivar ordered the arrest of Piar and accused of desertion, disobeying orders and conspiracy against the government . PR was the only accused, and, by all accounts, Bolivar was going to conduct a show trial to prevent dissent among his subordinates. On September 28, 1817, Piar found guilty by a military court on all counts and was sentenced to death on October 15. On the same day, Simon Bolivar, the supreme commander in chief, confirmed the verdict.
The next day, Manuel Piar was shot at the wall of the Cathedral of Angostura. According to legend, Bolivar, who refused to attend the execution of the sentence, when he heard shots through the window of his residence, said in tears: “ He derramado mi sangre ” (“I shed my own blood”) .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Barrios, 2006 , p. nineteen.
- ↑ Andrés García Montes. La emigracion y su trascendencia en la historia del pueblo canario (viii) (link not available) . Archived on March 5, 2012.
Literature
- Daniel Florencio O'Leary (February 19, 2014). Bolívar and the War of Independence: Memorias del General Daniel Florencio O'Leary , Narración. University of Texas Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-292-76165-0 .
- Héctor Bencomo Barrios. Manuel Piar: Estancias de una Existencia Provechosa . - BanCaribe, 2006 .-- 140 p. - ISBN 9789801220527 .