Battalion of University Volunteers from the Royal University of Toledo
Encyclopedia
The Battalion of University Volunteers from the Royal University of Toledo was a military unit created at the initiative of all the University's professors in August 1808 after the uprising of 2 May
in Madrid against the Napoleonic invasion.
in September that started the war of independence
, the University of Toledo approached the Provincial Council offering its services to create a battalion
, without receiving a reply. On 14 August, the proposal was studied by various professors, and on the 17th the Corps of Honor Volunteers of the Royal University of Toledo Plan was approved. The proposal was submitted directly to the Supreme Central Council which approved it immediately, with the instruction that the University would be prepared to contribute its funds, together with the Town Council, for the support of the unit.
The number of men was fixed at six hundred distributed in four companies for which the military command would choose the officers and non-commissioned officers. Any number of students and professors who wanted voluntarily could join the battalion. The students could enjoy academic advantages which included passing the time that would have been spent in the National Militia
, in the Battalion. Also, the vestuary, uniformity and training hours were instituted. The unit remained entrusted to Lieutenant Colonel
Bartolomé Obeso, who represented the Central Council.
. After spending the night in Toledo
on 1 December, the battalion of volunteers was designated as an escort until it reached the destination, which happened on 17 December. The unit remained in the area, fighting at the outskirts throughout 1809. In addition to supplying officers to diverse combat units, it was the embryo of the Seville Military Academy. Among its most prominent members was Baldomero Espartero, who would much later become Regent
of Spain
during the minority of Isabel II and the leader of the Progressive Party
.
Dos de Mayo Uprising
On the second of May , 1808, the people of Madrid rebelled against the occupation of the city by French troops, provoking a brutal repression by the French Imperial forces and triggering the Peninsular War.-Background:...
in Madrid against the Napoleonic invasion.
Formation
After the formation of the Supreme Central Council of AranjuezAranjuez
Aranjuez is a town lying 48 km south of Madrid, in the southern part of the Community of Madrid. It is located at the confluence of the Tagus and Jarama rivers, 48 km from Toledo. As of 2009, it has a population of 54,055.-History:...
in September that started the war of independence
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, the University of Toledo approached the Provincial Council offering its services to create a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, without receiving a reply. On 14 August, the proposal was studied by various professors, and on the 17th the Corps of Honor Volunteers of the Royal University of Toledo Plan was approved. The proposal was submitted directly to the Supreme Central Council which approved it immediately, with the instruction that the University would be prepared to contribute its funds, together with the Town Council, for the support of the unit.
The number of men was fixed at six hundred distributed in four companies for which the military command would choose the officers and non-commissioned officers. Any number of students and professors who wanted voluntarily could join the battalion. The students could enjoy academic advantages which included passing the time that would have been spent in the National Militia
National Militia (Spain)
The National Militia in Spain was a citizen-organized quasi-military force comparable to the National Guard that arose in France during the French Revolution....
, in the Battalion. Also, the vestuary, uniformity and training hours were instituted. The unit remained entrusted to Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Bartolomé Obeso, who represented the Central Council.
Activities
The events of the war forced the Central Council to move to the south, on the road to SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
. After spending the night in Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
on 1 December, the battalion of volunteers was designated as an escort until it reached the destination, which happened on 17 December. The unit remained in the area, fighting at the outskirts throughout 1809. In addition to supplying officers to diverse combat units, it was the embryo of the Seville Military Academy. Among its most prominent members was Baldomero Espartero, who would much later become Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during the minority of Isabel II and the leader of the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (Spain)
The Progressive Party was one of the two Spanish political parties that contended for power during the reign of Isabel II . They were to the left of the opposing Moderate Party , but also characterized themselves as liberal...
.