National Armed Forces of The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela - History of The Armed Forces of Venezuela

History of The Armed Forces of Venezuela

The origin of an organized and professional army in Venezuela dates to the Spanish troops quartered in the former Province of Venezuela in the 18th century. Politically and militarily until the creation of the Captaincy General of Venezuela in 1777, the Province of Venezuela depended on the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo (in today's Dominican Republic) or the Viceroyalty of New Granada (today, Colombia). In 1732 the Spanish crown created a Military Directorate and established a number of battalions, and had a few units from infantry regiments based in Spain. Reform of the military in the colonies began a few decades later. The first squadrons of cavalry arrived from Spain in 1751. The first companies of Artillery were created two years later. Both Creole whites and blacks were allowed to enter the ranks of the artillery companies. That same year, a Fixed Caracas Battalion was established. Until the creation of this battalion, defense had been based on small colonial militia companies, which initially only accepted whites. Gradually, this racist policy yielded and the entry of mixed-race people was allowed in the militias. It was from these various units that the bulk of officer cadre which commanded patriot troops in the Venezuelan War of Independence emerged. Among them were Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda, Simón Bolívar (Bolívar's own father had been Colonel of the Militia of Aragua), the general in chief Santiago Mariño, Rafael Urdaneta, among many others. With the establishment of an independent captaincy general, the Spanish troops quartered in the province passed to the direct command of Caracas. The troops in the other provinces of the country, under the command of local governors, were overseen by the Captain General of Caracas. In this way a series of autonomous units was created.

Already in the early 19th century, many of these Venezuelan officials began to arrive in the country after participating in military campaigns abroad in the War of American Independence, the French Revolution, or after completing their studies in Europe. With them came a number of mercenaries of many different nationalities English, Scottish, Irish, French, German, Brazilian, Poles, Russians, and others. It could be said that in the first two decades of the 19th century, the nascent Liberation Army, was in the midst of the intellectual training of their military cadres, in various attempts to unleash the revolutionary war, and trying to build a modern army. In the midst of that task the generalissimo Francisco de Miranda, and the Liberator Simón Bolívar, who calls for immediate action. Bolívar surprised his military colleagues, when he rejected part of the Napoleonic military assumptions, habits and behaviors, takes more British soldiers, and even through third parties requested the assistance of the British Crown. And made no mistake: the 19th century, ultimately, was dominated by British and Prussian military influences. Once in battle, Bolívar began to develop his own tactics, military strategies and practices, whose legacy reaches us today.