Manuela Malasaña
Encyclopedia
Manuela Malasaña Oñoro, a 15-year-old seamstress from Madrid
, Spain
, was one of the townspeople who lost their lives during the May 2, 1808 uprising in Madrid
against the troops of Napoleon I of France
during the Peninsular War
.
With many other young Madrilenes, the young woman went to the defence of the Monteleón artillery park (the current Plaza del 2 de Mayo). After resisting rape by the French troops, she was imprisoned and executed on the grounds that she had been carrying a weapon - a pair of scissors. She was buried in the Hospital de la Buena Dicha along with many others killed in that uprising. She is number 74 in the list of victims kept in the military archives of Madrid, out of 409. Her portrait is in the Hall of Heroines in the Museo del Ejército.
Having become famous for dying so young in what would become known in Spain as the Spanish War of Independence, she was hailed as a heroine. She is commemorated by the name of a neighbourhood in Madrid
and by a street and metro station in Móstoles.
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...
, 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...
, was one of the townspeople who lost their lives during the May 2, 1808 uprising in 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...
against the troops of Napoleon I of France
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
during the Peninsular War
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...
.
With many other young Madrilenes, the young woman went to the defence of the Monteleón artillery park (the current Plaza del 2 de Mayo). After resisting rape by the French troops, she was imprisoned and executed on the grounds that she had been carrying a weapon - a pair of scissors. She was buried in the Hospital de la Buena Dicha along with many others killed in that uprising. She is number 74 in the list of victims kept in the military archives of Madrid, out of 409. Her portrait is in the Hall of Heroines in the Museo del Ejército.
Having become famous for dying so young in what would become known in Spain as the Spanish War of Independence, she was hailed as a heroine. She is commemorated by the name of a neighbourhood in Madrid
Malasaña
Malasaña is an area of Madrid famous for its creative, countercultural scene. Centred around Plaza de Dos de Mayo, it is reminiscent of Camden Town in London, the East Village in New York City, however despite its similarities, Malasaña is a distinct neighbourhood.-Overview:Malasaña is to the west...
and by a street and metro station in Móstoles.