Lord Eliot Convention
Encyclopedia
The Lord Eliot Convention, or simply the Eliot Convention or Eliot Treaty , was an April 1835 agreement brokered by Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans
Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans
Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans GCB , DL, LL.D, PC , styled Lord Elliot from 1823 to 1845, was a British politician and diplomat.-Background and education:...

 between the two opposing sides of the First Carlist War
First Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...

. It had as its aim not to end the war itself but to end the indiscriminate executions by firing squad that had been committed by both sides.

Edward Eliot had become Secretary of Legation at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 on 21 November 1821 and was styled Lord Eliot in 1826.

Executions

During the First Carlist War, which began in 1833, Carlist prisoners who did not accept Isabel II
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...

 as their sovereign were executed by firing squad.

Early Isabeline executions include that of Santos Ladrón de Cegama on October 14, 1833 at Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...

. On December 4, 1833, Vicente Genaro de Quesada
Vicente Genaro de Quesada
Vicente Genaro de Quesada was a Spanish military figure. He participated in the Battle of Burgos during the Peninsular War, leading the Royal Guard and Walloon Guard...

, captain-general of Old Castile
Old Castile
Old Castile is a historic region of Spain, which included territory that later corresponded to the provinces of Santander , Burgos, Logroño , Soria, Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid, Palencia....

, executed five Carlists by firing squad at Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...

. The prisoners were given four hours to prepare for death, though the archbishop of Burgos requested, on December 6, 1833, that in future prisoners be given twenty-four hours to prepare for death. Quesada responded to this with: "...it would be pointless one way or another how much time we give before executing them" ("...será inútil la menor o mayor concesión de tiempo para ejecutarlos")..

The Carlists also began to execute their prisoners in this way, because they wanted to perform reprisals against the enemy, and due to limited space at their disposal with which to house their prisoners. Not being able to take their prisoners with them on mountain campaigns, for example, the Carlists executed their prisoners before moving to a new location. Liberal soldiers found hiding in the aftermath of the Battle of Alegría de Álava
Battle of Alegría de Álava
The Battle of Alegría de Álava , a battle of the First Carlist War, occurred on October 27, 1834 at the field called Chinchetru, at Alegría de Álava, Álava, Spain...

 (October 27, 1834), for example, were shot or bayoneted on sight., and the Liberal commander during that battle, Manuel O'Doyle, was executed by firing squad on October 28, 1834.

A notorious incident was the execution of 118 Isabeline prisoners by the Carlists at the town of Heredia (in 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...

, called Fusilamientos de Heredia) by the order of Tomás de Zumalacárregui
Tomás de Zumalacárregui
- From Peninsula War to Ferdinand VII:Zumalacárregui was born at Ormaiztegi in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, on 29 December 1788. His father, Francisco Antonio de Zumalacárregui, was a lawyer who possessed some property, and the son was articled to a solicitor....

.

Espartero complained at Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...

 about the barbaric executions of the war, stating that it was prudent for the government to regulate the treatment of prisoners between the two opposing sides, in accordance with practices enacted between two opposing countries, "according to the general laws concerning the rights of men and of war."

British intervention

The issue was discussed by the British government, which decided to send a commission to ensure that both sides reach an agreement to suppress these indiscriminate executions, and Lord Eliot and Colonel John Gurwood
John Gurwood
Colonel John Gurwood CB , British Army soldier, began his career in a merchant's office, but soon obtained an ensigncy in the 52nd Regiment of Foot ....

 were appointed as commissioners. One historian has written that "the reciprocal massacre of prisoners had several times occurred, and the deadliest hatred and revenge was manifestly encouraged by both parties; in short, so savagely was the Spanish contest carried on, that the duke of Wellington, from motives of humanity, sent Lord Elliott and Colonel Gurwood on a mission to Spain, to endeavour to put a stop to the cruelties practiced by the belligerents, and render the war less bloody and revengeful."

"They spoke perfect French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, and appeared to be admirably prepared for the job for which they were appointed, due to their conciliatory manner and their understanding of the country [i.e. Spain], which one man had acquired through the course of his diplomatic career, while the other through the course of his military career." Lord Eliot was described as "a person of graceful demeanor, of gentle and elegant proportions, thirty-four years old, and of modest dress, without any adornment. Colonel Gurwood accompanied him as secretary, and wore a uniform."

Arrival of Lord Eliot and Gurwood at Spain

Lord Eliot arrived on April 5, 1835 at Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...

, and got in touch with Francisco Espoz y Mina
Francisco Espoz y Mina
Francisco Espoz y Mina was a Spanish guerrilla leader and general.He was born at Idocin in Navarre. His father, Juan Esteban Espoz y Mina, and his mother, Maria Teresa Hundain y Ardaiz, belonged to the class of yeomen. Mina remained working on the small family inheritance until 1808...

, commanding general of the Isabeline forces and based at Pamplona. Lord Eliot informed Espoz y Mina that he wished to communicate also with Don Carlos
Infante Carlos, Count of Molina
The Infante Carlos of Spain was the second surviving son of King Charles IV of Spain and of his wife, Maria Luisa of Parma. As Carlos V he was the first of the Carlist claimants to the throne of Spain...

, and requested that Isabeline forces not stop him from doing so. Espoz y Mina had a British observer for the Isabeline army, a man named Wilde, escort Eliot and Gurwood across the border into Spain. On the way to escort the two men, Wilde met with Zumalacárregui and had dinner with the Carlist general on April 20, 1835 at Eulate
Eulate
Eulate is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...

. This gave Wilde an opportunity to tell Zumalacárregui about Eliot and Gurwood and their mission.

Eliot and Gurwood arrived at Segura
Segura (Guipúzcoa)
Segura is a small town and municipality in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa in the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain.-External links:* *...

 on April 20, 1835 and met with Don Carlos. Don Carlos sent them to the quarters of Zumalacárregui, who would negotiate the convention. Eliot and Gurwood left Segura on April 23 and reached Alsasua; they were escorted by Colonel Serradilla.

The agreement

Meanwhile, the battle of Artaza
Battle of Artaza
The Battle of Artaza was a battle that occurred on April 20-22, 1835 during the First Carlist War. Jerónimo Valdés, at the time Minister of War, arrived at the area known as Las Amescoas with 22,000 men with the intention of definitively destroying the Carlist forces.Zumalacárregui had 5,000 men,...

 (April 20–22, 1835) had occurred, resulting in the defeat of the Isabeline troops under Gerónimo Valdés, who took refuge at Estella
Estella - Lizarra
Estella or Lizarra is a town located in the autonomous community of Navarre, in northern Spain. It lies south west of Pamplona, close to the border with La Rioja and Álava....

.

Zumalacárregui stationed himself at the valley of Berrueza (valle de la Berrueza) and met with Lord Eliot there. Zumalacárregui agreed fairly quickly to the accord. The agreement was signed by Zumalacárregui on April 24 at Asarta
Asarta
Asarta is a genus of snout moths. It was described by Zeller, in 1848, and is known from Switzerland, Spain, India, and Turkey.-Species:* Asarta aethiopella* Asarta albarracinella* Asarta alpicolella* Asarta alticola...

; this act thereby spared the lives of 27 Isabeline prisoners who were about to be executed.

Lord Eliot wished to have an autograph of Zumalacárregui; the Carlist general, meanwhile, wrote that "at Asarta, located in the valley of Berrueza, celebrated for the various battles that have occurred there during this century, I had the honor to receive Lord Eliot on April 25, 1835, Lord Eliot - Tomás de Zumalacárregui." As a gift, Lord Eliot gave Zumalacárregui a telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...

 that Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...

 had used during the War of Spanish Independence; the telescope is conserved today at the Museo Militar in Madrid.

The British commissioners traveled with Zumalacárregui from Asarta to Estella in search of the Isabeline general Gerónimo Valdés, in charge of the operations in the north of Spain after the resignation of Espoz y Mina, to sign the agreement. On the way there, they stopped at a convent at Irache; Zumalacárregui reported that at Irache "there were some very beautiful nuns who made an excellent chocolate."

Eliot did not find Valdés at Estella, but found him instead at Logroño
Logroño
Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants...

. Valdés was not happy with the text that had been signed by Zumalacárregui, and made changes that he considered prudent. He signed the agreement at Logroño on April 27, 1835. A Carlist colonel who had accompanied the British commissioners to Logroño brought back the new text to Zumalacárregui, who signed the newly worded agreement on April 28, 1835 at Eulate.
The Convention contained the following nine stipulations:
  • 1. Preservation of Lives of Prisoners
  • 2. Periodical exchange of Prisoners
  • 3. Number of Prisoners exchanged to be equal.
  • 4. Exchange according to Rank
  • 5. Towns selected for detention of Prisoners to be respected.
  • 6. Political Prisoners to be tried in conformity with the Laws.
  • 7. Sick and Wounded to be respected
  • 8. Stipulations to be binding in all Provinces of the Monarchy.
  • 9. Strict observance of Convention.


Article Six specifically stated:

Legacy

The treatment of prisoners of the First Carlist War was thus regulated. The positive effects were immediate. A soldier of the British Legion
British Legion (1835)
The Auxiliary Legion or the British Legion of the Spanish Legion existed from 1835 to 1837. It was a British military force sent to Spain to support the Liberals and Queen Isabella II of Spain against the Carlists in the First Carlist War.-History:Under the Quadruple Alliance Great Britain had...

 wrote that:
Charles Frederick Henningsen
Charles Frederick Henningsen
Charles Frederick Henningsen was an Anglo-American writer, mercenary, filibuster, and munitions expert. He participated in civil wars and independence movements in Spain, Nicaragua, Hungary, and the United States...

, who had served with the Carlists, dedicated his book, Twelve Months' Campaign with Zumalacárregui, to Lord Eliot, whom he described as "one of the very few who have in any way interfered in the civil strife now desolating Spain, whose name will not be a curse to her people, but on whose head the blessings of all ranks of Spaniards will be showered."

However, though “it was mutually agreed upon to treat the prisoners taken on either side according to the ordinary rules of war, a few months only elapsed before similar barbarities were practiced with all their former remorselessness.”

Primary sources

  • Edward Granville Eliot St. Germans, Papers Relating to Lord Eliot's Mission to Spain in the Spring of 1835 (Bickers, 1871).

Secondary sources

  • La Aurora de España. - Madrid, domingo 15 de diciembre de 1833.
  • C.F. Henningsen. – Campaña de doce meses en Navarra y las Provincias Vascongadas con el general Zumalacárregui. Buenos Aires, 1947.
  • Panorama Español. - Tomo II. Madrid, 1842.
  • Antonio Pirala. - Historia de la Guerra Civil. Madrid, 1984.
  • J. Antonio Zaratiegui. – Vida y hechos de D. Tomás de Zumalacárregui
    Tomás de Zumalacárregui
    - From Peninsula War to Ferdinand VII:Zumalacárregui was born at Ormaiztegi in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, on 29 December 1788. His father, Francisco Antonio de Zumalacárregui, was a lawyer who possessed some property, and the son was articled to a solicitor....

    .
    San Sebastián, 1946
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