14 Jul 2016

Francisco de Miranda

Francisco de Miranda (1750–1816) was a Venezuelan revolutionary who unsuccessfully fought for the independence of the Spanish American colonies. Miranda was directly involved in the French Revolution for which he was awarded the title Hero of the Revolution and Marshal of France. He is the only person from the Americas engraved on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In 1812, he was handed over to the Spanish, dying four years later in a Cádiz prison. His imprisonment is depicted in this 1896 oil painting on canvas by Arturo Michelena.