Captaincy General of Venezuela

Captaincy General of Venezuela
Capitanía General de Venezuela (Spanish)
1777–1824
Coat of arms of Caracas of Venezuela
Coat of arms of Caracas
Anthem: Marcha Real
"Royal March"

Flag of Spain: first national flag, naval flag since 1785 and fortress flag from 1793, and the last Spanish flag to fly in continental America, in San Felipe Castle[1][2][3]
Captaincy General of Venezuela in 1777 (Projection).
Captaincy General of Venezuela in 1777 (Projection).
Map of the Captaincy General of Venezuela in 1777.
Map of the Captaincy General of Venezuela in 1777.
CapitalSantiago de León de Caracas
Common languagesSpanish (official)
Wayuu, Pemon, Warao, Yanomamö
GovernmentCaptaincy
History 
• Royal Decree
September 8, 1777
April 19, 1810
1824
Population
• 1810
750,000[4]
CurrencySpanish colonial real
ISO 3166 codeVE
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Viceroyalty of New Granada
Venezuela Province
Supreme Junta
First Republic of Venezuela
Second Republic of Venezuela
Third Republic of Venezuela
Gran Colombia

The Captaincy General of Venezuela (Spanish: Capitanía General de Venezuela), was an administrative district of colonial Spain, created on September 8, 1777, through the Royal Decree of Graces of 1777, to provide more autonomy for the provinces of Venezuela, previously under the jurisdiction of the Audiencia of Santo Domingo (and thus the Viceroyalty of New Spain) and then the Viceroyalty of New Granada. It established a unified government in political (governorship), military (captaincy general), fiscal (intendancy), ecclesiastical (archdiocese) and judicial (audiencia) affairs. Its creation was part of the Bourbon Reforms and laid the groundwork for the future nation of Venezuela, in particular by orienting the province of Maracaibo towards the province of Caracas.

  1. ^ Callao-Lima, Peru. United States. Bureau of Naval Personnel. 1920. p. 26.
  2. ^ Lawrence, Sondhaus (2012). Naval Warfare, 1815-1914. p. 13.
  3. ^ Von Tschudi, Johann (1847). Travels in Peru. p. 33.
  4. ^ José A. Vandellos (1936). Ensayo de demografía venezolana. Caracas: Ministerio de Fomento.