The Battle of Oriamendi (

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

: ''Oriamendiko Gudua'') was a battle fought on 16 March 1837 during the

First Carlist War The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Spanish monarchy: the conservative and devolutionist ...

. The battle was an overwhelming victory for the Carlists.

Prelude

The battle was part of a campaign in spring 1837 when the liberal Army tried to chase the Carlists from the Basque Country. General Pedro Sarsfield, marching from

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

, was supposed to threaten the Lecumferri pass, while General

Espartero Baldomero Fernández-Espartero y Álvarez de Toro (27 February 17938 January 1879) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He served as the Regent of the Realm, three times as Prime Minister and briefly as President of the Congress of Deputies. ...

was to advance from

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

with the purpose of distracting the Carlists. It was planned that the British-Spanish force, starting at San Sebastián, led by

George de Lacy Evans General Sir George de Lacy Evans (7 October 1787 – 9 January 1870) was a British Army general who served in four wars in which the United Kingdom's troops took part in the 19th century. He was later a long-serving Member of Parliament. Life ...

would attack the Carlist-held Hernani. This concentric attack was planned by General Sarsfiel with the goal of annihilating Carlist forces. On 15 March the

British Auxiliary Legion The British Auxiliary Legion, also called the British Legion (''La Legión Británica'') or Westminster 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 ...

conquered a fortification known as Oriamendi on a strategic hill near San Sebastián. The hill was defended by Carlist Guipuzcoans. Carlists succesfully attacking General Evans' position on March 16, 1837

Carlists succesfully attacking General Evans' position on March 16, 1837

Battle

The next day the Carlists under Sebastian de Borbón counterattacked and routed the liberal forces supported by the British Legion, both of which suffered heavy losses. Due to the battle, the British-liberal army retreated to their trenches outside San Sebastian. This force had suffered between 1,000 and 1,500 casualties and covering fire from the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

prevented the withdrawal from becoming a disaster. The success of the Carlist troops laid in a defence-in-depth and their infantry's high mobility.

Aftermath

After the battle, the Carlists tightened their grip around San Sebastián, but never succeeded in taking the city. The defeat caused an outrage at the

British parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

. The battle was a great boost in morale for the Carlists, and lives on in the Marcha de Oriamendi, which became the anthem of the Carlist movement. 1837-03-15 battle of oriamendi

References

Sources

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External links

Balagan

Historia militar del siglo XIX en el País Vasco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Oriamendi March 1837 events

Oriamendi (English: March of Oriamendi), is the anthem of the Carlist movement. The name of the anthem stems from the battle of Oriamendi which took place in 1837 during the First Carlist War. History It was composed by José Juan Santesteban to celeb ...