José Félix Ribas
Encyclopedia
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n independence leader and hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
of the Venezuelan War of Independence
Venezuelan War of Independence
-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
.
Early life
Ribas was the last of eleven sons, born to a prominent CaracasCaracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
family. In his early years, he received a quality education and attended the city's seminary. After finishing his studies, he began working in the agrarian sector. At the age of 21 he married María Josefa Palacios, the aunt of Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
. He soon became interested in Republican ideals and sympathetic to the revolutionary independence movement.
Ribas became involved in the Conspiracy of 1808, but was taken prisoner after its failure. In his defense, he stated that on the day of the action, he was just heading to a public square to spend time. Actually, Ribas was frequenting the square to meet with other republicans to plan an uprising. He was later freed by the authorities.
When the events of 19 April 1810 took place, it was reported that Ribas was seen travelling throughout the entire city, encouraging people to join-in the demonstrations against Spanish rule. In the aftermath he joined the interim government on April 25, taking charge of the municipality of Caracas.
Military career
Apart from his political functions in the interim government, and despite having no military background, Ribas was named Colonel of the Barlovento Battalion which he helped set up with his own funds. He also maintained some contact with Francisco de MirandaFrancisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda Ravelo y Rodríguez de Espinoza , commonly known as Francisco de Miranda , was a Venezuelan revolutionary...
, and offered him all possible support when Miranda arrived in the country. Along with other fellow Republicans, he became a member of the Sociedad Patriótica organized by Francisco de Miranda
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda Ravelo y Rodríguez de Espinoza , commonly known as Francisco de Miranda , was a Venezuelan revolutionary...
, in contradistinction to the New Venezuelan Congress which was ruled moslty by the landed few. The Sociedad Patriótica was modeled after a French Jacobin Club
Jacobin Club
The Jacobin Club was the most famous and influential political club in the development of the French Revolution, so-named because of the Dominican convent where they met, located in the Rue St. Jacques , Paris. The club originated as the Club Benthorn, formed at Versailles from a group of Breton...
, encouraging the practice of oratory on equality of rights to all citizens.
During a brief period of Venezuelan independence (the Second Republic of Venezuela under the stewardship of Simón Bolívar), Ribas fought in numerous battles of the "Campaña Admirable
Admirable Campaign
The Admirable Campaign was a military action led by Simón Bolívar in which the provinces of Mérida, Barinas, Trujillo and Caracas were conquered by the independentists...
"; however the most crucial episode was the battle of La Victoria (12 February 1814) in which he and his fellow comrades succeeded in foiling the advance of José Tomás Boves
José Tomás Boves
José Tomás Boves , royalist caudillo of the llanos during the Venezuelan War of Independence, particularly remembered for his use of brutality and atrocities against those who supported Venezuelan independence...
's formidable royalist forces (commanded in this battle by proxy, while Boves recovered from wounds, by Francisco Tomás Morales). Ribas won this victory with inexperienced troops, composed mainly of youths, students, and seminary candidates that Ribas has succeeded in recruiting. Ribas told his young soldiers, his charges, before a crucial battle that "We have no choice between victory or death, we must achieve victory" ("No podemos optar entre vencer o morir, es necesario vencer"). After many hours of fierce resistance, Republican reinforcements arrived under the command of Vicente Campo Elías. It is in honor of this episode of Venezuelan history that modern Venezuelan citizens now celebrate the "Día de la Juventud" ("Day of Youth"). each 12 February.
Capture and death after Urica and Maturín
He fought vigorously in the Battle of Urica in which the republican forces lost but his royalist nemesis Boves was killed. After this battle, his forces assisted in offering a last desperate resistance to Morales at the Battle of Maturín; however this effort also was defeated. Ribas, together with a nephew and a faithful servant, was forced to flee from the victorious royalists. However, Ribas was ultimately betrayed to the royalists by a slave. Ribas was then captured. Ribas was executed by beheading. Ribas's lopped off head, after having been fried in cooking oil, was sent to Caracas. There, it was placed in public display within a small cage.Legacy
Almost two centuries later, Ribas' deeds were commemorated by the current Hugo ChávezHugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
government when it named one of the Bolivarian Missions
Bolivarian Missions
The Bolivarian Missions are a series of social justice, social welfare, anti-poverty, educational, electoral and military recruiting programs implemented under the administration of the current Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez...
"Missión Ribas
Mission Ribas
Misión Ribas is a Venezuelan Bolivarian Mission that provides remedial high school level classes to the five million Venezuelan high school dropouts; named after independence hero José Félix Ribas....
" in his honor. There are also two Venezuelan municipalities named after him, José Félix Ribas Municipality, Aragua state; and José Félix Ribas Municipality, Guárico
Guárico
Guárico State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Juan de Los Morros. Guárico State covers a total surface area of 64 986 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 745,100.-Municipalities and municipal seats:...
state.
See also
- History of VenezuelaHistory of VenezuelaThis article discusses the history of Venezuela. See also the history of South America.-Pre-Columbian period:Archeologists have discovered evidence of the earliest known inhabitants of the Venezuelan area in the form of leaf-shaped flake tools, together with chopping and plano–convex scraping...
- Venezuelan War of IndependenceVenezuelan War of Independence-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
- Military career of Simón Bolívar
- Spanish American wars of independence