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Gabriel de Mendizábal

Gabriel María de Mendizábal Yraeta, 1st Count of Cuadro de Alba de Tormes (also Iraeta by his maternal name; 14 May 1765 – 1 September 1838) was a Spanish general officer . Mili...

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Gabriel María de Mendizábal Yraeta, 1st Count of Cuadro de Alba de Tormes (also Iraeta by his maternal name; 14 May 1765 – 1 September 1838) was a Spanish general officer.

Military career

He first saw action during the War of the Pyrenees. Mendizábal fought on the Basque-Navarrese and Catalan fronts.

Promoted to captain in 1791, in 1794 as a sergeant major, and second in command of the Battalion of Volunteers of Guipúzcoa he saw action in several battles under General Ricardos.[1]

In 1793, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and was given command of a new regiment, the Voluntarios de Burgos posted to the north of Portugal. Due to the Spanish military disaster at Irún at the end of the Battle of the Baztan Valley in 1794, he was transferred to western Gipuzkoa with the inferior rank of First Comandante.[2] On 2 December 1794, he commanded a joint Álavan, Gipuzkoan and Biscayan militia to achieve a victory in his home town of Bergara over French troops.

In 1802, Mendizábal was again promoted to the rank of colonel and given the command of a regiment of volunteers from Navarre. On 23 September 1804, he entered Bilbao at the head of his troops to put an end to a series of riots collectively known as the Zamacolada.[3]

Peninsular War

In April 1809, Mendizábal was promoted to mariscal de campo, for his action at Villafranca del Bierzo (March).[1] Later that year, he was granted the title of count of Cuadro de Alba de Tormes, for his military achievements against the French cavalry. In 1810, he was promoted to lieutenant general for his actions in the Basque Provinces.[1]

He was appointed commander of the Army of the Left and suffered a defeat at the Battle of the Gebora after which he was kept from command. Humiliated, Mendizábal begged to serve as a simple rank and file soldier, a request that was granted. After distinguishing himself at the Battle of Albuera in May 1811, he was reinstated with the title of Commander of the Seventh Army or Séptimo Exército, which he took to the north of Spain in the territories that make up the Basque Provinces (Biscay), Navarre, La Rioja, Burgos, and Santander. He fought in this mountainous region using guerrilla tactics.

El 16 de diciembre de 1812, Mendizábal fue nombrado jefe político del Señorío de Vizcaya . Convocó al Consejo de Vizcaya en funciones que, tras la aprobación de una nueva Constitución en Cádiz, envió una delegación a la ciudad con mandato de negociación. En las fases finales de la guerra, el 31 de agosto de 1813, comandó una división en la batalla de San Marcial . Por sus acciones, fue condecorado con las más altas distinciones militares: la Cruz Laureada de San Fernando y la Orden Real y Militar de San Hermenegildo .

Política

Entre 1814 y 1820, obtuvo poder político como miembro del Consejo Supremo de la Guerra. En 1834, fue nombrado presidente del Tribunal Supremo de Guerra y Marina, cargo que ocupó hasta su muerte en 1838. [ 4 ]

Referencias

  1. 1 2 3 (en español) . Torales Pacheco, María Cristina. "Gabriel Mendizábal Yraeta". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico ( DB~e ). Real Academia de la Historia . Consultado el 19 de febrero de 2025.
  2. ↑ Censo Guía , La Secretaría de Estado de Cultura de España.
  3. ↑ biografía de Gabriel de Mendizábal Iraeta MCN Biografías.
  4. ↑ Glosario de la Guerra de la Independencia , Archivo Histórico Nacional (Ministerio de Cultura de España)