Simón Bolívar was born in 1783.
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios ( [ siˈmon boˈliβar ] ; 24 July 1783 -- 17 December 1830 ) , known as El Libertador , was a Venezuelan military and political leader who played a leading role in the establishment of Venezuela , Bolivia , Colombia , Ecuador , Peru and Panama as sovereign states , independent of Spanish rule . Taking advantage of the disorder in Spain prompted by the Peninsular War , Bolívar began his campaign for independence in 1808 , appealing to the wealthy Creole population through a conservative process , and established an organized national congress within three years . Despite a number of hindrances , including the arrival of an unprecedentedly large Spanish expeditionary force , the revolutionaries eventually prevailed , culminating in the patriot victory at the Battle of Carabobo in 1821 , which effectively made Venezuela an independent country . Following this triumph over the Spanish monarchy , Bolívar participated in the foundation of the first union of independent nations in Latin America , Gran Colombia , of which he was president from 1819 to 1830 .