Fernando Serrano
Encyclopedia
Manuel Fernando Serrano Uribe (May 30, 1789–February 15, 1819) was a Neogranadine statesman, lawyer, and officer who became Governor of the Province of Pamplona
and wrote its Constitution in 1815. He also served as the last President
of the United Provinces of the New Granada before its dissolution and complete Reconquista
.
. Serrano grew up in Girón and in Piedecuesta, where his family owned a House of Commerce. He was sent to finish his studies in Santafé de Bogotá in the Our Lady of the Rosary University
where he graduated with a Doctorate
in Law
. Upon his return to Pamplona he met Rosa Calderón Estrada, daughter of a noble and rich family of Girón, with whom he falls in love and gets married.
Juan Bastús y Faya and the province was incorporated to the Province of Pamplona
, which was composed of the territories of Pamplona
, Cúcuta
, Salazar
, Bucaramanga
and Piedecuesta. Serrano was elected as Speaker of the Supreme Junta
, making it his first job in the public service. When the Junta was dissolved, he joined the Republican Army where he was sent in special missions commanding battalions to face the Royalist Army. In 1812 he is named Commander
of the Army and fought in the siege
of Mensulí (in what is now Floridablanca). This successful siege gave control of Girón and Bucaramanga
, to the Republicans.
Months later, The Captain Governor of the Province of Pamplona, José Gabriel Peña Valencia, stepped down, and Serrano, was designated to succeed him, becoming the third governor of the young province.
In 1815, Serrano convened an assembly to review the Constitution of the Province, and on May 17, The legislation approved the Constitution, written by him. The Constitution was very liberal in nature; the most liberal of them called for the abolition of slavery.
. Serrano’s forces were overpowered, and even with the help of Gregor MacGregor
and Francisco de Paula Santander
. Serrano was forced to flee Pamplona, selling all his posetions and leaving his family behind, and join the army to protect the country.
Serrano’s wife, Rosa Calderón Estrada, and their four children, Silvestre, Francisca, Juan Estanislao and Rudecinda, the oldest of only eight years of age, had to flee Pamplona. They fled to Bogotá, where one of Rosá’s cousins lived in a convent; unfortunately she was recognized, captured and imprisoned.
on July 10, 1816, the country had no leader; this caused repeated defeats and confused the troops, giving a clear advantage to the enemy. General Manuel Valdez assembled the leaders of the different fronts of resistance in Arauca
. This assembly choose Serrano as a clear leader giving its education and bravery on the field, he was elected on July 16 as the new president, the assembly also choose Francisco de Paula Santander
as the commanding general of the armies.
His mandate however, was short lived; two months later, the Venezuelan forces decided to take charge of what was left of the armies, the Presidency was obsolete, there was no country left to preside over, most of the country was taken over by the Spanish armies. On September 16, 1816, General José Antonio Páez
of the Venezuelan army, arrived in Casanare, he was charged with taking control of the Casanare front, and the generals present helped him depose Serrano. Serrano was by no means offended, as he understood the situation; instead, he took up arms and fought for him. Páez years later recognized his service and bravery and his service to the cause in his memoirs.
over the Spanish, Serrano was summoned to participate in the Congress of Angostura
as a delegate. Serrano, who was gravely wounded, accepted and traveled to Ciudad Bolívar
to participate in this historic event. Unfortunately for him, he was in bad condition, and succumbed to his wounds on February 15, 1819, in Ciudad Guayana
. He died at the age of 29.
Pamplona, Colombia
Pamplona is a municipality and city in Norte de Santander, Colombia.-Colonization:Nueva Pamplona del Valle del Espíritu Santo, the name by which Don Pedro de Ursúa and Don Ortún Velasco de Velázquez paid tribute to the capital of the province of Navarre in Spain, was founded on 1 November 1549...
and wrote its Constitution in 1815. He also served as the last President
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
of the United Provinces of the New Granada before its dissolution and complete Reconquista
Reconquista (Spanish America)
In colonial Spanish America, the Reconquista refers to the period following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 during which royalist armies were able to gain the upper hand in the Spanish American wars of independence...
.
Early life
Serrano was born in the home of don Pedro Javier Serrano y Durán and doña Antonia de Uribe y Mantilla, in Cácota de Matanza, on May 30, 1789. Son of an influential family of Girón, SantanderGirón, Santander
Girón is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia....
. Serrano grew up in Girón and in Piedecuesta, where his family owned a House of Commerce. He was sent to finish his studies in Santafé de Bogotá in the Our Lady of the Rosary University
Our Lady of the Rosary University
The Universidad del Rosario is a university originally founded on Roman Catholic principles, in 1653 by Fray Cristobal de Torres. Located in Bogotá, Colombia, due to its important place in Colombian history, it is known as "The Cradle of the Republic". It had also a primary and secundary school...
where he graduated with a Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. Upon his return to Pamplona he met Rosa Calderón Estrada, daughter of a noble and rich family of Girón, with whom he falls in love and gets married.
Governor of Pamplona
Serrano was recruited to join the Independence Movement that was growing in the region, and on July 4, 1810, these forces deposed the then governor of the Province of GirónGiron
Giron is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:...
Juan Bastús y Faya and the province was incorporated to the Province of Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, which was composed of the territories of Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, Cúcuta
Cúcuta
Cúcuta is a Colombian city, capital of Norte de Santander, in the northeast of the country. Due to its proximity to the Colombian-Venezuelan border, Cúcuta is an important commercial center. The city has the constitutional category of Special District. It is located at the most active...
, Salazar
Salazar
- Angola :* Vila Salazar, Portuguese colonial name for the city of N'dalatando in the province of Cuanza Norte- Spain :* Salazar , a village in the municipality of Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja, province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León* Salazar Valley, in...
, Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga is a Colombian city, and capital city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth largest city economy and sixth largest population in Colombia, with 1,212,656 people in its metropolitan area...
and Piedecuesta. Serrano was elected as Speaker of the Supreme Junta
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
, making it his first job in the public service. When the Junta was dissolved, he joined the Republican Army where he was sent in special missions commanding battalions to face the Royalist Army. In 1812 he is named Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the Army and fought in the siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
of Mensulí (in what is now Floridablanca). This successful siege gave control of Girón and Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga is a Colombian city, and capital city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth largest city economy and sixth largest population in Colombia, with 1,212,656 people in its metropolitan area...
, to the Republicans.
Months later, The Captain Governor of the Province of Pamplona, José Gabriel Peña Valencia, stepped down, and Serrano, was designated to succeed him, becoming the third governor of the young province.
In 1815, Serrano convened an assembly to review the Constitution of the Province, and on May 17, The legislation approved the Constitution, written by him. The Constitution was very liberal in nature; the most liberal of them called for the abolition of slavery.
Spanish Invasion
In November 1815, the Spanish forces had invaded Pamplona, making their way from VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Serrano’s forces were overpowered, and even with the help of Gregor MacGregor
Gregor MacGregor
Gregor MacGregor was a Scottish soldier, adventurer, land speculator, and colonizer who fought in the South American struggle for independence. Upon his return to England in 1820, he claimed to be cacique of Poyais...
and Francisco de Paula Santander
Francisco de Paula Santander
Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña , was a Colombian military and political leader during the 1810–1819 independence war of the United Provinces of New Granada...
. Serrano was forced to flee Pamplona, selling all his posetions and leaving his family behind, and join the army to protect the country.
Serrano’s wife, Rosa Calderón Estrada, and their four children, Silvestre, Francisca, Juan Estanislao and Rudecinda, the oldest of only eight years of age, had to flee Pamplona. They fled to Bogotá, where one of Rosá’s cousins lived in a convent; unfortunately she was recognized, captured and imprisoned.
Presidency
After the capture of the president Custodio García RoviraCustodio García Rovira
José Custodio Cayetano García Rovira was a Neogranadine general, statesman and painter, who fought for the independence of New Granada from Spain, and became President of the United Provinces of the New Granada in 1816...
on July 10, 1816, the country had no leader; this caused repeated defeats and confused the troops, giving a clear advantage to the enemy. General Manuel Valdez assembled the leaders of the different fronts of resistance in Arauca
Arauca
Arauca can refer to the following Colombian locations:*The Arauca Department, in the northeastern part of the country*The city and municipality of Arauca, Arauca, capital of the Arauca Department*The Arauca River, a river shared by Colombia and Venezuela...
. This assembly choose Serrano as a clear leader giving its education and bravery on the field, he was elected on July 16 as the new president, the assembly also choose Francisco de Paula Santander
Francisco de Paula Santander
Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña , was a Colombian military and political leader during the 1810–1819 independence war of the United Provinces of New Granada...
as the commanding general of the armies.
His mandate however, was short lived; two months later, the Venezuelan forces decided to take charge of what was left of the armies, the Presidency was obsolete, there was no country left to preside over, most of the country was taken over by the Spanish armies. On September 16, 1816, General José Antonio Páez
José Antonio Páez
José Antonio Páez Herrera was General in Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan Wars of Independence, in addition to becoming the President of Venezuela once it was independent of the Gran Colombia...
of the Venezuelan army, arrived in Casanare, he was charged with taking control of the Casanare front, and the generals present helped him depose Serrano. Serrano was by no means offended, as he understood the situation; instead, he took up arms and fought for him. Páez years later recognized his service and bravery and his service to the cause in his memoirs.
Final Independence
Serrano continued serving in the army and in 1819, after the victory of Simón BolívarSimón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
over the Spanish, Serrano was summoned to participate in the Congress of Angostura
Congress of Angostura
The Congress of Angostura was summoned by Simón Bolívar and took place in Angostura during the wars of Independence of Colombia and Venezuela. It met from February 15, 1819, to July 31, 1821, when the Congress of Cúcuta began its sessions.It consisted of twenty-six delegates, representing...
as a delegate. Serrano, who was gravely wounded, accepted and traveled to Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
to participate in this historic event. Unfortunately for him, he was in bad condition, and succumbed to his wounds on February 15, 1819, in Ciudad Guayana
Ciudad Guayana
Ciudad Guayana is a city in Bolívar State, Venezuela. It lies south of the Orinoco, where the river is joined by the Caroní River. The city, officially founded in 1961, is actually composed of the old town of San Félix at the east and the new town of Puerto Ordaz at the west, which lie either...
. He died at the age of 29.
See also
- Reconquista (Spanish America)Reconquista (Spanish America)In colonial Spanish America, the Reconquista refers to the period following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 during which royalist armies were able to gain the upper hand in the Spanish American wars of independence...
- Gran ColombiaGran ColombiaGran Colombia is a name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. This short-lived republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. The...
- PamplonaPamplona, ColombiaPamplona is a municipality and city in Norte de Santander, Colombia.-Colonization:Nueva Pamplona del Valle del Espíritu Santo, the name by which Don Pedro de Ursúa and Don Ortún Velasco de Velázquez paid tribute to the capital of the province of Navarre in Spain, was founded on 1 November 1549...