Gran Colombia’s founding constitution (the Constitution of Cúcuta) is signed, creating a strongly centralized republican framework that later becomes the main target of reform efforts and regional dissent culminating in the 1828 crisis.
A Venezuelan movement led by José Antonio Páez erupts in Valencia, initially demanding constitutional reform but increasingly challenging Bogotá’s authority—an early, decisive step toward the political fragmentation that frames the 1828 showdown.
Delegates assemble at Ocaña to attempt reform of the Cúcuta Constitution. The convention quickly polarizes between centralists aligned with Bolívar and federalist-leaning opponents, setting the stage for constitutional breakdown.
With pro-Bolívar delegates withdrawing and quorum failing, the Convention of Ocaña closes without producing a ratified constitutional reform—triggering a legitimacy crisis over how Gran Colombia should be governed.
Amid domestic instability, Gran Colombia enters interstate war with Peru. The conflict increases fiscal and political pressure on the government during the same year as the constitutional rupture.
Following the failed convention, Simón Bolívar proclaims an Organic Decree granting himself extraordinary powers (including legislative authority) and suppressing the vice presidency—an attempt to preserve unity that intensifies opposition.
Conspirators assault the presidential palace in an attempt to kill Bolívar. He escapes (with Manuela Sáenz’s help in many accounts), and the event becomes a turning point toward harsher repression and deeper political rupture.
Admiral (often styled) José Prudencio Padilla is executed in Bogotá after being implicated in the aftermath of the Septembrine Conspiracy—an emblematic case of the crisis-era tribunals and the regime’s escalating coercion.
Francisco de Paula Santander, Bolívar’s principal political rival, is convicted by a rapid military process after the conspiracy and ultimately sent into exile—removing a major constitutionalist counterweight to Bolívar’s emergency rule.
Gran Colombian forces under Sucre defeat Peruvian forces at Tarqui, a key military event leading toward negotiations. The war’s end reduces external pressure but does not resolve the internal constitutional breakdown.
Gran Colombia and Peru sign the Treaty of Guayaquil (Larrea–Gual Treaty), formally concluding the war and addressing border issues via a planned boundary commission—while Gran Colombia’s domestic unity continues to unravel.
Antonio José de Sucre—widely viewed as a unifying figure and potential successor acceptable across factions—is assassinated at Berruecos, removing one of the last leaders capable of bridging the post-1828 constitutional divide.
Congress of Ocaña and the 1828 constitutional crisis (1828)
