Rafael Jose Urdaneta y Farias was a Venezuelan General and hero of the Spanish American wars of independence.
17 Facts About Rafael Urdaneta
2.
Rafael Urdaneta served as President of Gran Colombia from 1830 until 1831.
3.
Rafael Urdaneta was an ardent supporter of Simon Bolivar and one of his most trusted and loyal allies.
4.
Rafael Urdaneta was a son of the marriage between Miguel Jeronimo de Urdaneta y Troconis and Maria Alejandrina de Farias.
5.
Rafael Urdaneta began his elementary education in Maracaibo, and his secondary education in Caracas.
6.
Rafael Urdaneta married Dolores Vargas Paris, a young and renowned heroine of the city of Santa Fe, in Santa Fe, Gran Colombia, on August 31,1822.
7.
In 1832, they were able to return to Caracas through a license granted to the family by the government of Venezuela, but it stipulated that Rafael Urdaneta was not to intervene in the politics of the country.
8.
Rafael Urdaneta was eventually able to retain a position as a senator until 1845.
9.
Rafael Urdaneta is buried in the National Pantheon of Venezuela since May 16,1876.
10.
Rafael Urdaneta lived several years in Santa Fe, acquiring experience in the administration of military affairs.
11.
On July 20,1810, a junta was formed in Santa Fe: one of the many independence movements that were beginning to take shape across the entire continent following the establishment of the Caracas Junta in April of that year; Rafael Urdaneta joined the movement.
12.
Rafael Urdaneta was incorporated into the first battalion of the patriot army of New Granada on November 1,1810, as a lieutenant, and the following year fought in the Campana del Sur of New Granada.
13.
Rafael Urdaneta distinguished himself under the command of colonel Jose Felix Ribas on July 2,1813, in the Battle of Niquitao, and was decisive for the patriot victory at the Battle of Taguanes against the royalist forces of Colonel Julian Izquierdo.
14.
Rafael Urdaneta is considered to have been "the most loyal of loyals to Bolivar".
15.
On September 5,1830, General Rafael Urdaneta took control of the presidency under the title of "Provisional Chief of the Government of the Republic of Colombia".
16.
When it became clear that Bolivar would not return to the capital, and in an effort to restore peace and order, Rafael Urdaneta ordered Congress to convene on June 15,1831, in the city of Villa de Leyva.
17.
Rafael Urdaneta accepted, and met with the Neogranadine generals in the town of Apulo.