- Rafael Urdaneta
Infobox Officeholder | name =Rafael José Urdaneta y Faría
caption =Urdaneta "The Brilliant"
order =Provisinal Chief of the Government of the Republic of Colombia
term_start =September 5 ,1830
term_end =April 30 ,1831
predecessor =Simón Bolívar
successor =Domingo Caycedo
birth_date =birth date|1788|10|24|mf=y
birth_place =Maracaibo ,Venezuela
death_date =death date and age|1845|8|23|1788|10|24|mf=y
death_place =Paris ,France
spouse =Dolores Vargas Paris
religion =Roman Catholic Rafael José Urdaneta y Faría (
Maracaibo ,Venezuela ,October 24 ,1788 –Paris ,France ,August 23 ,1845 ) was a hero of theLatin American war for independence.Urdaneta was born in the province of Maracaibo in
Venezuela to an aristocratic family of Spanish descent. Prior to the independence war he was a student ofLatin andphilosophy , and an officer for theRoyal Houses of Spain .After the 1810 declaration of independence, Urdaneta, from
Caracas , joined the patriotic ranks in the war againstSpain . A few years later, through illustrious gallantry he became Simón Bolívar's right hand and General of the Patriotic Army.Secretary of Military and Defense, Senator of Congress on numerous occasions, Urdaneta notably took control of the government in
Colombia in September of 1830, hoping, in part, of having Bolívar return as president (Bolívar had left Bogotá earlier that May for a journey to Europe and would be dead oftuberculosis before the end of the year). However, Urdaneta's government eventually fell to forces allied toFrancisco de Paula Santander .Urdaneta "The Brilliant", died in Paris in 1845, due to kidney stones.
See also
*
History of Venezuela
*General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge
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