A political movement known as La Cosiata began in Valencia under General José Antonio Páez. It started as a protest against Bogotá’s authority and demands to change the 1821 Constitution of Cúcuta, but it opened the door to separation. The movement showed that many Venezuelan leaders no longer accepted Gran Colombia’s centralized system.
Páez was appointed Jefe Superior Civil y Militar de Venezuela, giving him broad civil and military authority across the Venezuelan departments within Gran Colombia. This position strengthened Venezuela’s ability to act independently from Bogotá in practice. It also made Páez the central figure in later steps toward secession.
Facing deep political conflict, Simón Bolívar took extraordinary powers in 1828, effectively sidelining normal constitutional government. Many opponents saw this as proof that the union was becoming authoritarian and unresponsive to regional concerns. This shift increased resistance in Venezuela and helped push separatists toward a final break.
Leaders meeting at the Convent of San Francisco in Caracas decided to separate Venezuela from Gran Colombia and to reject Bolívar’s authority. The gathering reflected a revived independence project that had begun with La Cosiata. It helped convert political dissatisfaction into an explicit decision to secede.
Venezuela moved from protest to state-building by forming a sovereign government under Páez. This step treated Venezuela as a separate political unit rather than a district within Gran Colombia. It also set the stage for calling a constituent congress to write a national constitution.
Delegates met in Valencia to decide Venezuela’s political future as ties with Bogotá continued to unravel. The congress’s purpose was to organize a new state and provide legal justification for separation. Its work became the institutional bridge from secession decisions to a functioning republic.
Ecuador’s declaration of independence showed that the union was failing across multiple regions, not only in Venezuela. As more territories left, Gran Colombia’s national institutions lost legitimacy and practical control. This broader breakup reinforced Venezuela’s decision to finalize its own separation and constitutional settlement.
The Congress of Valencia approved the Constitution of the State of Venezuela, defining the new republic’s governing structure and powers. This constitution provided the legal foundation for Venezuela as a separate country after the break with Gran Colombia. It also formalized key institutions, including executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
After months of debate and lawmaking, the Valencia congress concluded its sessions. By this point, Venezuela’s separation had been sanctioned through constitutional action and a national political program. Closing the congress marked the transition from founding decisions to implementing the new state.
Simón Bolívar died in December 1830, after the secessions that effectively ended Gran Colombia. His death symbolized the collapse of the political vision that had tied Venezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador together after independence from Spain. By this time, Venezuela was already functioning on a separate constitutional path.
Venezuela held elections under the new political order, and Páez was proclaimed president. The election moved leadership from a provisional secession government toward a more regular constitutional system. It also signaled that the new republic’s institutions were operating independently of Bogotá.
Páez took office as constitutional president, marking the stabilization of Venezuela’s post-secession government. This inauguration represented the practical completion of the 1829–1830 break: Venezuela now had a constitution, a functioning congress-made legal framework, and an elected executive. The new republic could pursue policy and diplomacy as an independent state.
Secession of Venezuela and establishment of the Republic of Venezuela (1829–1830)