Top 10 Facts about Simon Bolivar’s Wife

Top 10 Facts about Simon Bolivar’s Wife

Being married to a great statesman such as Simon Bolivar may mean that he takes the limelight while the wife only carries the title ‘wife of …’ This may be said to be so for Simon Bolivar’s wife, who did not live long enough to see whether she would be referred differently than ‘Simon Bolivar’s wife’, as she worked alongside him. Bolivar however went on to become a revolutionary leader, perhaps fuelled by his loss.

Maria Teresa del Toro Alayza was born in 1781, in Madrid, Spain, and accepted Bolivar’s marriage proposal. However, Maria and Bolivar’s marriage was short-lived. She was married to him for slightly less than a month! She thus carried the title ‘Wife of Simon Bolivar’ for way too short a period. The below top 10 facts about Simon Bolivar’s wife shed some more light into her life.

1. Simon Bolivar’s wife came from a prominent family

St. Joseph’s church in Madrid Spain- by Luis García- Wikimedia Commons

Maria Teresa del Toro Alayza was the daughter of a Spanish nobleman, Bernado Rodriguez. The union between Simon and Teresa can, therefore, be said to have been high society. The wedding took place at the San José Church in Madrid Spain. Both families who were each from the Spanish aristocracy and political classes had to give their approval.

2. Maria Teresa del Toro Alayza was the love of Simon Bolivar’s life

Simon Bolivar and Maria Teresa’s wedding- by Santy Cardenas- Wikimedia Commons

Simon Bolivar considered his wife the love of his life. When she died unexpectedly and also while both of them were very young, Simon was naturally devastated. He vowed not to remarry, and he did not. Maria Teresa remained Simon Bolivar’s only wife but not the only lover.

3. Simon Bolivar’s wife was his first love

When Maria Teresa died, Simon Bolivar was deeply affected to the point of depression. He adored her. This was because she was his first love. This meant that young Bolivar got to experience many other life’s firsts with Maria and may explain his choice not to remarry. Bolivar had been blissfully happy with his wife. Bolivar met and fell in love with Maria Teresa when very young and inexperienced in matters of love.

4. Simon Bolivar’s wife died young

Image sourced from Pixabay

At age 21, Maria Teresa del Toro Alayza died from yellow fever. There were efforts to treat her but she did not recover. She died at home.

In efforts to overcome his grief, Simon Bolivar moved back to Spain from Venezuela, where he became much more active in politics- he became a revolutionary leader in the independence wars of South America.  He at one point managed to briefly unite Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru as a single nation called Gran Colombia.

5. Simon Bolivar’s wife features in the Bolivar show

Bolivar TV show logo- Wikimedia Commons

Bolivar is a TV series that follows the life of Simon Bolivar from childhood to his achievements as a great liberator. It also casts light on his love life in which Maria Teresa del Toro Alayza features. Irene Esser, a former Miss Venezuela acted as Simon Bolivar’s wife in the show.

6. Simon Bolivar’s wife was a stunner!

Nothing about Maria Teresa del Toro Alayza was ordinary or plain. She was beautiful. Maria has been described as “a tall, pale girl with deep, sad, dark eyes and a complexion of Madonna-like purity”. Simon Bolivar also described his wife as “A perfect jewel, priceless.” This is more than enough to conclude that she did stand out in a crowd.

7. Simon Bolivar’s wife was slightly older than him

Maria Teresa del Toro Alayza was two years older than Simon. She was 21 at the time of the marriage while he was 18- such a young couple! This didn’t seem to matter as it hasn’t been referred to in history literature about the two. It was nevertheless commonplace for age differences to be present in ancient times, particularly for political reasons.

8. Simon Bolivar’s wife was of two descents

Simon Bolivar’s wife was born of a Venezuelan father and Spanish mother. She was also an heiress to her parents’ fortune. This meant that Maria was deeply linked to the Caracas society. The two countries, Venezuela and Spain have experienced turbulent times in the past – However, Spain and Venezuela established diplomatic relations in 1846 at the signing of a Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

9. Simon Bolivar’s wife did not have any children

Young Simon Bolivar- Wikimedia Commons

By the time of their marriage, Maria and Simon had been courting for a while- Simon had shown interest in her when he was only 17 years old! They however waited until he was of legal age to start courting. The couple has not been linked to any previous romantic relationships.

Within their courtship period and marriage, they did not have children. However, even if she had lived longer Maria may not have had any children with Simon as he had suffered measles and mumps as a child and could not reproduce.

10. Simon Bolivar’s wife’s name was quite long

Simon Bolivar’s wife’s name on paper is a whole sentence by itself! Her complete name was María Teresa Josefa Antonia Joaquina Rodríguez del Toro y Alayza. The longer the name, the better, in the ancient world.

Simon Bolivar’s wife did not have the privilege of working with her husband in his political ambition. Her presence would definitely have affected how he worked and what he did if Bolivar’s redemption from an assassination attempt, thanks to one of his mistresses in anything to go by.  Simon’s acknowledgment of her impact in his life by his actions after her death is a testament to her persona.

It is not far fetched to imagine Maria and Simon Bolivar’s life together as they had started one together early on in their lives. Her death, however, was ‘not in vain’. It has been regarded as a key moment in Hispanic America’s history! It is from it that Bolivar fell into depression, and he later channeled his pain to a great political cause.