Septembrine Conspiracy

Septembrine Conspiracy

Window of the Palace of San Carlos through which Simón Bolívar escaped from the attack.
Date	25 September 1828
Location	Palacio de San Carlos, Bogotá
Type	conspiracy and assassination attempt
Target	Simón Bolívar

The Septembrine Conspiracy was an attempt against the life of Simón Bolívar when he was president of Gran Colombia, which occurred in Bogotá on 25 September 1828. Three dozen attackers forced entry at midnight to the Presidential Palace commanded by Commander Pedro Carujo. After killing the guards, they went to Bolívar's room, who managed to escape through the window, with the help of his partner Manuela Sáenz. In the trials that followed the attack, his main opponent, General Francisco de Paula Santander, was sentenced to death. Bolívar spared his life and exiled him. The events mortally wounded Gran Colombia, which would disappear three years later.

Background

The government of Gran Colombia had become an extreme centralist system, absolutist and with especially military rulers who did not abide by the laws of the 1821 constitution, regions that had come together to form a stronger nation "La Gran Colombia" , several of them had already had a federalist government system in the past and they had been promised respect for autonomy and they could not feel, facts began to appear in which the military abused their authority and used fear as one of their weapons before the population , claims by more leaders and population encouraged uprisings and revolts.

Bolívar accepted to be ruler of Peru but by 1826 he had to leave a Council of State in charge in Lima, move urgently and negotiate with leaders in the La Cosiata uprising, Bolívar had left instructions to finish the process of imposing a new constitution of character for life in Peru and Bolivia, a fact that came to be fulfilled but by January 1827 the Peruvians rose up and stated that the new constitution had been imposed in a forced way by a second irregular process that violated their laws, the Peruvians annulled that constitution and they removed Bolívar as possible ruler of Peru.

The project of a lifetime constitution was also presented to the Ocaña Convention and the same idea was obtained with Gran Colombia, a proposal that was rejected and by 10 June 1828, no agreement had been reached in said Convention, to On 27 August 1828, Simón Bolívar signed a decree by which he became dictator, dissolved Congress, imposed a military regime and social discontent towards the government of the time was increasing.

Opposition to Bolívar had grown among New Granadan liberals, especially after he declared a dictatorship on 27 August 1828, who had met in secret societies called "SSP" (Sociedad Socrata Parlamental, in spanish: Socrata Parlamental Society), like those of the French Revolution. Mostly students and intellectuals, they met to discuss political issues, in one of those meetings Luis Vargas Tejada pronounced his famous stanza:

Si de Bolívar la letra con que empieza
y aquélla con la que acaba le quitamos,
«oliva» de la paz símbolo hallamos.
Esto quiere decir que la cabeza
al tirano y los pies cortar debemos
si es que una paz durable apetecemos.

In English:

If from Bolívar the letter with which it begins
and the one with which it ends we take away,
«olive» of peace symbol we find.
This means that the head
to the tyrant and the feet to cut we must
if we want a lasting peace.

From one of those meetings in early September of that year came the idea of killing Bolívar. To do this they sought to gain supporters in the Armed Forces, recruiting veterans, reservists and sergeants but also expelled or about to be expelled for their misconduct.

Assassination attempt

Simón Bolívar, target of the September Conspiracy attack.

At midnight on 25 September, some twelve civilians and twenty-five soldiers commanded by Pedro Carujo forced the door of the Presidential Palace (Palacio de San Carlos) and murdered the guards, after which they searched for Bolívar's room. Manuela Sáenz, who was with Bolívar that night, woke him up. Upon learning what was happening, Bolívar took his pistol and saber and tried to open the door but Manuela convinced him to escape through the window.

Bolívar sent to find out the situation in the barracks while he was under a bridge all night. Bolívar managed to jump out of the window while Manuela entertained and engaged the conspirators. The result of this conspiracy was the death of Colonel William Ferguson, an English aide-de-camp, the injury of young Andrés Ibarra, and a concussion from a blow to the forehead received by the rescuer of the illustrious Caracas native. The freed slave José Palacios carried the newly saved from death to a safe place. Vargas's battalion led by Colonel Whittle contributed to the failure of the conspiracy. Finally, it was up to Generals Rafael Urdaneta and José María Córdova to put an end to the plot, control the situation in the capital and imprison those involved in this sinister attack.

Photo of the plaque in the Palacio de San Carlos

During the days that followed, the alleged culprits were arrested and a "trial" followed for many of them, as well as high-ranking soldiers who were suspected of participating in the attack, whether planning, collaborating with its executors or simply keeping quiet. Santander was accused without any evidence, and Admiral Padilla, whom twelve artillerymen and an officer tried to release from prison in the cavalry militia barracks so that he would take sides, Padilla refused, telling them that he was a prisoner and should not get mixed up in such a situation. business; They managed to make him go down to the door of the barracks, from where in favor of the military bustle and he went back up to his lodging, where he found the sergeant and a soldier from the guard who were guarding him and had taken refuge in that room together with his attendee; that after the troop that had entered that barracks withdrew, he gathered the weapons of the guard and made his assistant close the door of the barracks with a key, suspicious that they try to go back in to force him to take up arms, as they had tried to do when principle, or kill him if he did not agree; that he remained that way until he noticed that the noise had ceased, in which act he sent his assistant to notify General Urdaneta or another chief.

Aftermath

Vicente Azuero and other opponents did not participate, but there were direct participants in the conspiracy such as Luis Vargas Tejada, Florentino González, Captain Emigdio Briceño Guzmán (1800, Carache, Trujillo, Venezuela; 6 January 1874, Santa Fe de Bogotá), called in Venezuela "El septembrista" and even Pedro Carujo, Bolívar's bitter enemy, who were tried by the Council of Ministers and found guilty. Their sentences were commuted to exile, but although some were pardoned like Carujo, a new era of terror was inaugurated. After a dubious trial, Santander was found guilty and was demoted, dishonorably expelled and sentenced to die shot in the back, but his sentence was commuted to exile by Bolívar's decision. Similarly, Azuero and González had their sentences commuted to exile. Vargas Tejada drowned in a river during his escape in the Eastern Plains.

The events of the Septembrine Conspiracy and the subsequent trials that were carried out abnormally by means of a newly created court ex post facto when a court of conspirators emerged, In addition, Bolívar, when reviewing the sentences issued by the court of eight people, became furious by stating that "he did not accept acquittals", by 29 September Bolívar decided to dissolve the court and order Rafael Urdaneta as Sole Judge with the support of Tomás Barriga of the missing cases and the review of those acquitted or convictions that did not leave him satisfaction, Urdaneta acted summarily setting aside any sense of impartiality or neutrality in the cases, Urdaneta preferred to act in his favor, how many charges were given without evidence to the defendants in process and simply handed down the sentences (there were no trials), for those decisions that were made even minors and people who did not participate in that event were sentenced. to the death penalty, including Admiral José Prudencio Padilla, who was in prison when the attack occurred and the court had acquitted him. Due to these determinations, the rejection against Bolívar and close military leaders grew, contributing with reasons for the dissolution of Gran Colombia.

External links

• Conspiración Septembrina, Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango
• La Conjuración de Septiembre: escritos varios, 1894, Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango.
• Liévano Aguirre, Indalecio (1983). Bolívar. Madrid: Cultura Hispánica del Instituto de Cooperación Iberoamericana. ISBN 84-7232-311-0.