ANTONIO JOSÉ DE SUCRE, GRAND MARSHAL OF AYACUCHO: BIOGRAPHY - HISTORY - 2025

Antonio José de Sucre (1795-1830), known as the Great Marshal of Ayacucho, was a Venezuelan military and politician. He is famous for having been one of the main heroes of independence in Latin America.

Sucre stood out as a military man in numerous battles that demonstrated his talent for directing and coordinating troops. In 1819 he began to stand out among the military under the command of Simón Bolívar, for his ability to create battle strategies and his unwavering loyalty.

By Martín Tovar y Tovar (1827 - 1902), via Wikimedia Commons

He was Governor of Peru, General in Chief of the Army of Greater Colombia, Commander of the Army of the South, and President of Bolivia. Simón Bolívar placed all his trust in Antonio José de Sucre to guide the liberating armies in the most important and fierce battles in the fight for independence.

Sucre also had the opportunity to shine as a diplomat and was recognized for the treatment he provided to his enemies after achieving victory in a confrontation, since he set an example of respect for the human rights of the adversary.

Antonio José de Sucre's life ended in Beríritu, where he was assassinated. This death is still shrouded in mystery, since it was never known who commissioned his death, nor what were the reasons that guided this fate. They are considered to be most likely political or personal causes.

Despite the fact that the only daughter of his marriage died at a very young age, Sucre had other children outside of marriage whom he recognized and helped financially, in addition to ensuring their education.

The Great Marshal of Ayacucho is recognized throughout the continent. Several cities, states, and districts in Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador were named after this illustrious Venezuelan.

Biography

Early years

Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá was born on February 3, 1795 in Cumaná, Venezuela. He was the son of Lieutenant Vicente de Sucre y Urbaneja with María Manuela de Alcalá y Sánchez.

Young Antonio José was orphaned at age 7. It was then that he was left in the care of his uncle Antonio Alcalá, in Carcas. There he began his education. Later he entered the military academy and in 1809 he entered the army in Cumaná.

At 17 he had already received the rank of lieutenant, then he was serving with Francisco de Miranda. He proved himself to be up to the job and served with distinction in the campaigns against the royalists.

The following year Sucre was part of the maneuvers carried out for the liberation of the Venezuelan East. In 1814, when he served General Santiago Mariño as aide-de-camp, he was present when the eastern and western forces met in Aragua.

Military beginnings

With Bermúdez the young Antonio José de Sucre appeared in battle in Maturín. In 1815, the then lieutenant moved to Margarita and then headed towards the Antilles and Cartagena. This is how he managed to escape from Pablo Morillo.

Still under the orders of Mariño, in 1816 he was promoted to colonel and was granted the title of Chief of the General Staff.

In 1817 Sucre was given the rank of commander of Cumaná. That same year he revealed himself to Mariño and traveled to Guayana where he joined the service of the liberator Simón Bolívar. At the end of that year they appointed him governor of Guyana.

In addition, he was appointed general commander of the Lower Orinoco and had to create a battalion bearing the name of that river. In October 1817, to avoid uprisings in Cumaná, Sucre was in charge of the armies of the city. Then he had to obey the orders of General Bermúdez.

His military career continued in precipitous growth and at the age of 24 Sucre was already serving, albeit on an interim basis, as titular chief of the General Staff. In August 1819 he received a promotion to the position of brigadier general.

Diplomacy

After having established the Republic of Colombia, Bolívar left Antonio José de Sucre in charge of drafting the Armistice and Regularization of the War Treaty.

This document acquired international renown, because it became a model to follow when it came to the treatment that should be given to the defeated in military conflicts by the armies that achieved victory.

Bolívar said of the text composed by Sucre that it was "the most beautiful monument of piety applied to war."

Thanks to the intervention of Antonio José de Sucre, a truce was achieved between the armies of royalists and patriots, in addition to the end of the war to the death, which had bled Venezuela to death.

With the Armistice of Santa Ana, Bolívar achieved a pause of immense value, which he used to think about the Battle of Carabobo and how they would deal with his opponents on the field.

The victory in that contest was defining for the obtaining of freedom in Venezuela.

Liberation Army

Sucre received the position of chief of the army of the South of Colombia in 1821. Starting the campaign with which Ecuador would get his freedom.

He took the place of General José Mires in charge, he also made his mission his own, that of making the Ecuadorian province enter Gran Colombia.

He also had to take control of the Guayaquil troops, who would later serve Sucre to liberate the capital, Quito, in order to fulfill the objective of the entire plan.

Pichincha

Sucre arrived in Guayaquil on April 6. Then he appeared before the Governing Board, there he offered that the city could preserve its sovereignty; however, they had to accept the protection of Greater Colombia.

In this way, Sucre got the city to agree to provide him with the necessary resources to free Quito in a confrontation with the supporters of Spain.

This contest took place on May 24, 1822. That day the famous Battle of Pichincha was fought, in which the armies led by Antonio José de Sucre, who defended the libertarian cause and those of Melchor de Aymerich, who supported the crown, fought in the vicinity of Quito.

With this victory, the fate of the cause of freedom was practically sealed. Quito would become independent and all the provinces that belonged to its jurisdiction would no longer be under the command of Spain, but of themselves.

Junin

After being in charge of Quito for a time, where Sucre created institutions and teaching centers. He was in the city until in 1923 Bolívar decided to send him to Peru, where the royalist bastions were located.

The Junín meeting was the prelude to the definitive liberation of Upper Peru. There on August 6, 1824, the forces of Sucre stood up to the supporters of the Spanish king. Again they were victorious and this was reflected in the spirits of the combatants on both sides.

The Battle of Junín opened the way for Simón Bolívar who entered the lands of Peru on September 1. Then the liberator decided to leave the fate of the last battle to be fought for freedom in the hands of Antonio José de Sucre.

Ayacucho

The last great land combat between royalists and liberators was fought on December 9, 1824 in the Pampa de la Quinua, a territory that belonged to the department of Ayacucho, in Peru.

Bolívar gave General Antonio José de Sucre the command to lead the army that would fight for the freedom of the American continent. Sucre had 6,879 soldiers, while the enemy troops numbered 10,000, made up largely of indigenous and mestizos who were in favor of Spanish rule.

The independence forces faced the last viceroyalty that still remained in the region. Sucre led his armies to victory, once again the Peruvian royalists were defeated.

The Viceroy, who was wounded in combat, was taken prisoner. After that contest Antonio José de Sucre got the honor of Grand Marshal of Ayacucho.

After the surrender, the terms of the capitulation were the best that could be agreed. Sucre showed nobility in victory and treated the defeated with honor. For this reason, in addition to his past actions in treaties, the Venezuelan was considered a pioneer of human rights.

Creation of Bolivia

On August 6, 1825, the creation of Bolivia was decreed, a new nation made up of the old provinces that were called Upper Peru. Antonio José de Sucre called an assembly and with the approval of Simón Bolívar the birth of this country was approved.

The Grand Marshal of Ayacucho was also selected to serve as the first president of Bolivia and in that position he held for two years. He used his position to promote policies such as the freeing of slaves and indigenous land tenure.

Sucre was a good administrator and managed to organize the country's Treasury. In addition, he was concerned with education, promoting the creation of schools and centers for higher studies. The recovery of the work of the land was also fundamental for the Venezuelan.

Despite the improvements, Peruvians were dissatisfied with the independence of territories that, they considered, should be subject to their jurisdiction. The revolts did not wait and Sucre resigned the presidency in 1828.

His family accompanied him to Ecuador, where they settled. But shortly after a war, which occurred over border issues, between Colombia and Peru caused Antonio José de Sucre to be called again to take control of the Colombian armies.

Tarqui

The Grand Marshal of Ayacucho, Antonio José de Sucre had to return to the battlefields in 1829. In the confrontation that took place in Tarqui, Sucre had to lead the armies of Gran Colombia in combat.

The armies met on February 27, 1829 in the Portete de Tarqui, an area near Cuenca. The Peruvian forces were led by José de la Mar, while the Gran Colombinas by Sucre.

In less than an hour, Sucre managed to win for Gran Colombia. Disorder and anarchy reigned in the Peruvian forces, while those led by the Venezuelan military were coordinated as they charged the opponent.

The end of Bolivar's dream

After the victory in Tarqui, the Grand Marshal of Ayacucho headed for the capital of Gran Colombia with a new victory under his belt. In Bogotá, Sucre found that Simón Bolívar's dream was gradually dismembered by the desire for autonomy in each region.

In 1830 the Admirable Congress of the nation drafted a constitutional reform that disqualified Antonio José de Sucre from being eligible to exercise the presidency of the nation, since from then on the first president had to be 40 years old and the Venezuelan military barely had 35.

The same institution entrusted him with the task of preventing the separation of Venezuela by creating an agreement with the government of the province. But Sucre was unable to obtain the fruits of the negotiations he tried to undertake, and he returned, as rarely, defeated.

Family

Antonio José de Sucre's first daughter was born from his relationship with Tomasa Bravo and was christened Simona de Sucre Bravo. This girl was born on April 16, 1822, when her father was 27 years old. It is unknown what happened to Simona in her adult life.

Later Sucre had a male child in La Paz, born on January 15, 1826. The boy was named José María Sucre Cortés and was the son of the Grand Marshal of Ayacucho with Rosalía Cortés Silva.

But it was not until 1828 that Sucre married Mariana Carcelén de Guevara y Larrera, Marquesa de Solanda y Villarocha. She was the mother of Teresa, who was born on June 10, 1829.

The same year as Sucre's marriage, his second son, Pedro César de Sucre Rojas, was born, which he had with María Rojas.

Death

In 1830 the Grand Marshal of Ayacucho returned to the capital of Colombia, during the process of division that Bolívar had envisioned facing the nation. From there he headed to meet his family in Quito.

Antonio José de Sucre was assassinated on July 4, 1830 in Ber-lex.europa.eu, Colombia. Some blame José María Obando, a military man for this event. But the crime remains unsolved.

It still sparks controversy because it is not known what was the reason that triggered the event. There are theories about political, regional or family motives that could have prompted Sucre to be assassinated.

Legacy

The capital of Bolivia was baptized in honor of this hero with the name of Sucre, as was the state that saw him born on the eastern coast of Venezuela and some municipalities in the rest of the country.

Likewise, the surname of the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho was used to name a Colombian department and several Quito neighborhoods. Also, the Ecuadorian currency was called Sucre for a time.

In the Sucinto Summary of the Life of General Sucre, published in 1825 by Simón Bolívar, the liberator demonstrated the admiration he felt for this soldier and friend of his:

“General Sucre is the Father of Ayacucho: he is the redeemer of the children of the Sun; He is the one who has broken the chains with which Pizarro wrapped the empire of the Incas. Posterity will represent Sucre with one foot in Pichincha and the other in Potosí, carrying the cradle of Manco-Capac in his hands and contemplating the chains of Peru broken by his sword ”.

References

1. En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Antonio jose de sucre. Available at: en.wikipedia.org.
2. Cultural Network of the Republic of Colombia (2018). Antonio José de Sucre - Encyclopedia - Banrepcultural. Available at: encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org.
3. Andrade, L. (1995). Sucre: Soldier and Patriot. Tribute of the Presidency of the Republic, 2nd ed. Caracas.
4. Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). Antonio José de Sucre - South American leader. Available at: britannica.com.
5. Gil, V. (2005). Antonio José de Sucre - Grand Marshal of Ayacucho. Time.