Carlos_de_España
Carlos de España
French-born Spanish general
Carlos de España, 1st Conde de España[1] (15 August 1775 – 1839), also known as Charles d'Espagnac or, from 1817, Carlos d'Espagne,[2] was a French-born Spanish general who saw distinguished service in the Peninsular War, and as governor of Barcelona, was an opponent of Spanish liberals. In his letters and dispatches, Wellington refers to him as Carlos de España.[3]
Carlos de España | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 August 1775 Ramefort (Haute-Garonne), France |
| Died | 2 November 1836(1836-11-02) (aged 61) Organyà, Spain |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Spain |
| Service/ |  Spanish Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Gebora (1809) Battle of Albuera (1811) Siege of Badajoz (1812) Battle of Salamanca (1812) Battle of Vitoria (1813) Siege of Pamplona (1813) |
He fought at the Battle of the Gebora, and was wounded fighting under the orders of General Beresford at the Battle of Albuera.[1] Following that battle, he was promoted to field marshal.[1]
On 1 June 1811, and now a brigadier general, Carlos de España's 1st Division, part of General Francisco Javier Castaños's 5th Army, or Army of Estremadura, numbered 3,476 men present under arms.[4]
In March 1812, he was wounded again at the Siege of Badajoz,[1] fighting under the orders of the then Earl of Wellington, under whose orders he also fought at Salamanca. At this battle however, Wellington's decisive victory over Marshal Marmont's army was tainted by Carlos de España having withdrawn, without orders and without informing Wellington, his detachment from the bridge at Alba de Tormes, thereby providing the retreating French troops with an escape route, which Wellington had counted on being blocked.[5]
Following Salamanca, Wellington appointed him governor of Madrid,[1] city he was ordered to abandon, along with Hill's troops, on Wellington's orders, just hours before the French advance cavalry entered the city again the following 1 November.[6]
He was again wounded at the Siege of Pamplona in 1813.[1]
He saw further action at the Battle of Bayonne and at Vitoria, where he was again wounded.[7]
He was murdered by Catalan Carlists while crossing a bridge over the river Segre, near Organya, and his body was thrown into the river with a stone around his neck.[2]
- (in Spanish). Bullón de Mendoza y Gómez de Valugera, Alfonso. "Carlos de España". Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- (in Spanish). Losada, Juan Carlos. "El fanático reaccionario". El País. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- Oman, Charles (1911). A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. IV, p. 637. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- Oman, Charles (1914). A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. V, pp. 414–415. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. VI, p. 106. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Internet Archive. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- Álvaro Garrido, José Antonio et al. (2008) (in Spanish) Rincones de historia española: Episodios históricos, fabulosos y desconocidos a través de los siglos, p. 103. EDAF. Google Books. Retrieved 16 September 2013.