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Primary sourceDocument15 June 1813

Decree of War to the Death

Simón Bolívar · 15 June 1813

A 1813 decree issued by Bolívar permitting no quarter against Spaniards who did not support independence, revealing his ruthless wartime strategy.

Bolívar personally issued this decree, revealing the ruthless strategy he adopted to sustain the independence war.

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A painting of a man in a white shirt holding a quill and pointing at a document on a table, while a uniformed officer in a dark cape stands opposite, with soldiers and a seated scribe behind. A dog sits at left.
Painting depicting Simón Bolívar signing the Decree of War to the Death, 1813.

About this source

What it is

This decree was issued by Simón Bolívar on 15 June 1813 at Trujillo, Venezuela, during the Admirable Campaign. It declared that Spaniards born in the peninsula who did not actively support independence could be killed, while Americans would be spared even if they had cooperated with Spain.

Why it matters

Bolívar presented it as a response to earlier massacres and property seizures by Spanish forces after the fall of the First Republic. The decree shows how brutal the war became on both sides, with executions carried out under it, and it remained official policy for several years before a later treaty with the Spanish general Pablo Morillo turned the conflict into a more conventional war.

Look closer

  • How does the decree try to justify extreme violence as necessary and just?
  • What does it reveal about how Bolívar saw the difference between 'Americans' and 'Spaniards'?
  • Why might such a document be uncomfortable to study today?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Simón Bolívar on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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