republic · South America

Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca

1810 CE – 1815 CE · capital Santa Fe de Bogotá

A centralist republic around Bogotá that fought rival federalists during Colombia's 'Foolish Fatherland' before the Spanish reconquest.

Origins

After the Bogotá revolution of 20 July 1810, the province of Santa Fe proclaimed the State of Cundinamarca. Its constitution of 1811, under President Jorge Tadeo Lozano, still recognised Ferdinand VII as king. Antonio Nariño, who had translated the Rights of Man in 1794, soon took power and favoured a strong central government.

Rule and society

Cundinamarca refused to join the federalist United Provinces of New Granada, and the two sides fought a civil war in 1812 and 1813. Nariño repelled a federalist attack on Bogotá in January 1813, and in July Cundinamarca declared full independence from Spain. Nariño then led a campaign against royalists in the south but was captured at Pasto in 1814.

Decline and legacy

In December 1814 Simón Bolívar, serving the United Provinces, captured Bogotá and forced Cundinamarca to join the federation. Pablo Morillo's royalist army retook Bogotá in 1816, ending the first period of independence.

Lineage

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-and-independent-state-of-cundinamarca
MLA
“Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-and-independent-state-of-cundinamarca. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-and-independent-state-of-cundinamarca.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-and-independent-state-of-cundinamarca (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻