Colombia: Independence Movement

The struggle to end Spanish rule over what is now Colombia unfolded as part of a broader wave of revolutions across the Viceroyalty of New Granada in the early nineteenth century. Local juntas began asserting autonomy after Napoleon's occupation of Spain weakened royal authority, though Spanish forces reasserted control in the region by 1816.

Venezuelan-born general Simón Bolívar led the campaign that ultimately broke Spanish power in New Granada, culminating in a decisive victory at the Battle of Boyacá on August 7, 1819, after which his forces entered Bogotá to widespread celebration. Bolívar's continued campaigns secured Venezuelan independence at the Battle of Carabobo in 1821.

That same year, delegates meeting at the Congress of Cúcuta established Gran Colombia, a federation joining present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama under Bolívar's leadership. Internal political tensions eventually splintered the union, and Gran Colombia dissolved in 1830, giving rise to the separate republics that exist in the region today.