Pedro Agustín Girón
Encyclopedia
Pedro Agustín Girón, 4th Marquis de las Amarilas, Duque of Ahumada (1778–1842) was a Spanish
military officer and politician
. The son of a general, he fought against the French during the French Revolutionary Wars
. During the Napoleonic Wars
he became a general officer and again fought the French. In later life he held military and political positions.
in 1778, Pedro Agustín Girón's father was Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, 3rd Marquis de las Amarilas
and his mother Isabel de las Casas y Aragorri. He was a tenth generation descendant of Aztec
Emperor Moctezuma II
. He became an official of the Guardia Real and participated in the War of the Pyrenees
in the Army of Catalonia, in which his father was a high-ranking general.
After Emperor Napoleon I of France
invaded Spain and overthrew the monarchy, Girón offered his services to the patriotic forces in the Peninsular War
(also known as the Spanish War of Independence). He participated in the Battle of Bailén
in July 1808 where a French corps was annihilated. Later in the year, he fought at the Battle of Tudela
in Navarre
. In 1809, he served at the Battle of Uclés
and in 1811 at the Battle of Albuera
. In 1813, the French forces were driven out of Spain after the Battle of Vitoria
, which Girón missed because his troops moved in the direction of Bilbao
. On 7 October 1813 during the Battle of the Bidassoa
, Girón commanded the two Andalusia
n divisions of Generals Virues and La Torre. Though the Spanish repeatedly attacked the French defenses on Mont Larrun (905 meters alt.), they failed to capture the position. The Marquess of Wellington
praised his allies' performance, writing that the Spanish attacked, "in as good order and with as much spirit as any that I have seen made by any troops." The French abandoned the peak the next day to avoid being trapped. Girón also led the two divisions, with 7,653 soldiers in all, at the Battle of Nivelle
on 10 November, where his troops helped take the fortified village of Sare
.
When his father died in 1819, Girón became the 4th Marquis of Amarilas. A moderate liberal in the political plain, after the liberal revolution of 1820, he was named Minister of the War of the Government under Evaristo Pérez de Castro. However he resigned in just a few months because of the opposition of the more radical liberal sector.
In 1832, in the last years of the reign of Fernando VII, he was designated Commander in chief of Granada
. The following year he was bestowed the title Duque de Ahumada. In 1835 he was named Minister of the War again, but was forced to resign after being accused of nepotism
. During the last few years of his life he spent many years abroad and traveled, and dedicated his time to study and writing. His memoirs Memories 1778-1837 offers an insight into his life. He died in 1842.
Pedro's son, Francisco Javier Girón y Ezpeleta, 2nd duque de Ahumada and 5th marqués de las Amarillas, founded the Spanish Guardia Civil in 1844.
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...
military officer and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. The son of a general, he fought against the French during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
he became a general officer and again fought the French. In later life he held military and political positions.
Biography
Born into a noble family in San SebastiánSan Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
in 1778, Pedro Agustín Girón's father was Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, 3rd Marquis de las Amarilas
Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, Marquis de las Amarilas
Jerónimo Morejón Girón-Moctezuma, 3rd Marquis de las Amarillas, born 7 June 1741 at Málaga and died 17 October 1819 at Seville, became a general officer in the army of the Kingdom of Spain and commanded division-sized combat units during the War of the Pyrenees in 1793 and 1794. Though he attained...
and his mother Isabel de las Casas y Aragorri. He was a tenth generation descendant of Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
Emperor Moctezuma II
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
. He became an official of the Guardia Real and participated in the War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...
in the Army of Catalonia, in which his father was a high-ranking general.
After Emperor 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...
invaded Spain and overthrew the monarchy, Girón offered his services to the patriotic forces in 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...
(also known as the Spanish War of Independence). He participated in the Battle of Bailén
Battle of Bailén
The Battle of Bailén was contested in 1808 between the Spanish Army of Andalusia, led by Generals Francisco Castaños and Theodor von Reding, and the Imperial French Army's II corps d'observation de la Gironde under General Pierre Dupont de l'Étang...
in July 1808 where a French corps was annihilated. Later in the year, he fought at the Battle of Tudela
Battle of Tudela
The Battle of Tudela was a battle of the Peninsular War fought on November 23, 1808 near Tudela, Spain. The battle resulted in the victory of the French and Poles under Marshal Lannes against the Spanish under General Castaños....
in Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
. In 1809, he served at the Battle of Uclés
Battle of Ucles (1809)
The Battle of Uclés was a minor skirmish during the Peninsular War that resulted in a French victory under Marshal Claude Victor-Perrin against the Spanish under General Francisco Javier Venegas....
and in 1811 at the Battle of Albuera
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
. In 1813, the French forces were driven out of Spain after the Battle of Vitoria
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
, which Girón missed because his troops moved in the direction of 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...
. On 7 October 1813 during the Battle of the Bidassoa
Battle of the Bidassoa (1813)
In the Battle of the Bidassoa on 7 October 1813 the Allied army of Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington wrested a foothold on French soil from Nicolas Soult's French army. The Allied troops overran the French lines behind the Bidassoa River on the coast and along the Pyrenees crest between the...
, Girón commanded the two Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n divisions of Generals Virues and La Torre. Though the Spanish repeatedly attacked the French defenses on Mont Larrun (905 meters alt.), they failed to capture the position. The Marquess of 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...
praised his allies' performance, writing that the Spanish attacked, "in as good order and with as much spirit as any that I have seen made by any troops." The French abandoned the peak the next day to avoid being trapped. Girón also led the two divisions, with 7,653 soldiers in all, at the Battle of Nivelle
Battle of Nivelle
The Battle of Nivelle took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War . After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20-mile perimeter...
on 10 November, where his troops helped take the fortified village of Sare
Sare
Sare is a village in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France....
.
When his father died in 1819, Girón became the 4th Marquis of Amarilas. A moderate liberal in the political plain, after the liberal revolution of 1820, he was named Minister of the War of the Government under Evaristo Pérez de Castro. However he resigned in just a few months because of the opposition of the more radical liberal sector.
In 1832, in the last years of the reign of Fernando VII, he was designated Commander in chief of Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
. The following year he was bestowed the title Duque de Ahumada. In 1835 he was named Minister of the War again, but was forced to resign after being accused of nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
. During the last few years of his life he spent many years abroad and traveled, and dedicated his time to study and writing. His memoirs Memories 1778-1837 offers an insight into his life. He died in 1842.
Pedro's son, Francisco Javier Girón y Ezpeleta, 2nd duque de Ahumada and 5th marqués de las Amarillas, founded the Spanish Guardia Civil in 1844.
Books
- Glover, MichaelMichael GloverMichael Glover served in the British army during World War II, after which he joined the British Council and became a professional author...
. The Peninsular War 1807-1814. London: Penguin, 2001. ISBN 0-141-39041-7 - Smith, DigbyDigby SmithDigby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9