Gran Colombia (1819–1831)

  1. Bolívar addresses the Congress of Angostura

    Labels: Sim n, Congress of

    Simón Bolívar delivered his Address at Angostura, outlining republican governance ideas and urging political unity during the independence wars—an ideological precursor to the later union known as Gran Colombia.

  2. Battle of Boyacá secures New Granada

    Labels: Battle of, New Granada

    Patriot forces won the Battle of Boyacá, a decisive victory that opened Bogotá and effectively freed New Granada from Spanish control—strengthening the political and military basis for a larger republican union.

  3. Fundamental Law creates Republic of Colombia

    Labels: Fundamental Law, Republic of

    The Congress of Angostura enacted the Fundamental Law of the Republic of Colombia, proclaiming a single republic uniting Venezuela and New Granada (the state later known historiographically as Gran Colombia).

  4. Battle of Carabobo virtually frees Venezuela

    Labels: Battle of, Venezuela

    At the Battle of Carabobo, patriot victory largely ended effective Spanish control in Venezuela, enabling the Cúcuta-era state to claim broader sovereignty over its Venezuelan department.

  5. Constitution of Cúcuta organizes Gran Colombia

    Labels: Constitution of, Congress of

    The Congress of Cúcuta adopted and signed the Constitution of 1821 (Constitution of Cúcuta), formally organizing the Republic of Colombia as a centralized representative republic with Bolívar as president and Santander as vice president.

  6. Ecuadorian territories incorporated into the union

    Labels: Quito Department, Ecuador

    The former Presidency of Quito (roughly modern Ecuador) became incorporated into Gran Colombia’s republican framework as the Quito Department, extending the union’s territorial scope beyond New Granada and Venezuela.

  7. La Cosiata separatist movement begins in Valencia

    Labels: La Cosiata, Jos Antonio

    La Cosiata, led by José Antonio Páez and allies, began in Valencia as a political movement seeking constitutional change and, increasingly, Venezuelan autonomy—an early major rupture in the union’s republican state-building project.

  8. Convention of Ocaña attempts constitutional reform

    Labels: Convention of

    Delegates met at the Convention of Ocaña to reform or replace the 1821 Constitution and resolve centralist–federalist conflict; the convention collapsed without agreement, deepening the political crisis.

  9. Gran Colombia–Peru War begins

    Labels: Gran Colombia, Peru

    Territorial disputes escalated into open conflict between Gran Colombia and Peru, straining finances and cohesion while compelling military mobilization across the union’s southern theaters.

  10. Bolívar assumes dictatorial powers in Gran Colombia

    Labels: Sim n, Dictatorship

    After the Ocaña breakdown, Bolívar assumed extraordinary authority and began governing as a dictator, a move intended to preserve unity but which intensified opposition and accelerated fragmentation.

  11. Septembrine Conspiracy attempts to assassinate Bolívar

    Labels: Septembrine Conspiracy, Bogot

    A coordinated attack on the presidential palace in Bogotá sought to assassinate Bolívar; he escaped, and the aftermath included harsh political reprisals, further polarizing Gran Colombia’s republican coalition.

  12. Treaty of Guayaquil ends war with Peru

    Labels: Treaty of, Larrea Gual

    Gran Colombia and Peru signed the Treaty of Guayaquil (Larrea–Gual Treaty), formally ending the 1828–1829 war and restoring a status quo framework—though border issues persisted afterward.

  13. Bolívar resigns the presidency

    Labels: Sim n, Presidential resignation

    Amid escalating secessions and political crisis, Simón Bolívar resigned as president, underscoring the collapse of consensus behind the union’s central government.

  14. Ecuador declares independence from Gran Colombia

    Labels: State of, Quito

    Quito’s southern district declared independence, forming the State of Ecuador—a decisive step signaling the unraveling of Gran Colombia’s tripartite departmental structure.

  15. Venezuela’s constitution ratifies separation

    Labels: Venezuelan Constitution, Valencia Congress

    The Constituent Congress at Valencia sanctioned the 1830 Venezuelan constitution, formalizing Venezuela’s independent state institutions and consummating its separation from Gran Colombia.

  16. Simón Bolívar dies at Santa Marta

    Labels: Sim n, Santa Marta

    Bolívar died near Santa Marta after resigning and as the union disintegrated; his death symbolized the end of the principal political project holding Gran Colombia together.

  17. Gran Colombia dissolves; New Granada remains

    Labels: Dissolution of, Republic of

    By 1831, the remaining central government structures collapsed as successor republics consolidated, leaving the Republic of New Granada as the principal remnant after Venezuela and Ecuador’s secessions.

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Last Updated:Jan 1, 1980