Ciriaco del Llano was a

Peninsular A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

Spanish General who notably commanded royalist forces during the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

. Amongst his more famous battles, he commanded troops in the

Siege of Cuautla The siege of Cuautla was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred from 19 February through 2 May 1812 at Cuautla, Morelos. The Spanish royalist forces loyal to the Spanish, commanded by Félix María Calleja, besieged the ...

. He was born in 1756 Abanto (Somorrostro). Enter the Spanish Navy in 1775. Reach the rank of frigate captain. Later brigadier of the royal armies of Spain. At the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence, Llano was a naval captain in command of a

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

. In August 1811, he participated in his first campaign against the Mexican insurgents where he handily defeated them at the Battle of Llanos de Apan. For his success in that engagement, he was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. His forces were later routed at the

Battle of Izúcar The Battle of Izúcar or the Battle of Izúcar de Matamoros was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred on 23 February 1812 in the area around Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla. The battle was fought between the royalist forces ...

in February 1812 by Mexican rebels under the command of

Mariano Matamoros Mariano Matamoros y Guridi (August 14, 1770 – February 3, 1814) was a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel soldier of the Mexican War of Independence, who fought for independence against Spain in the early 19th century. B ...

. Llano again distinguished himself at the

in 1812, gaining promotion to the rank of Brigadier. He was assigned as quartermaster of Puebla for a time after the Siege of Cuatla. Shortly thereafter, he was given command of an army and defeated a rebel army under the command of Mariano Matamoros at the

Battle of Puruarán The Battle of Puruarán was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred on 5 January 1814 in the area around Puruarán, Michoacán. The battle was fought between the royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown and the Mexican r ...

in January 1814. Llano's forces successfully captured Matamoros who was tried and executed shortly after that battle. In 1815, as chief general of the expeditionary corps at Cerro de Cóporo, Llano was forced to retreat after an unsuccessful attack. From 1816 - 1821 he was the

Intendant An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...

of Puebla. He was besieged at

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

by a rebel army under the command of

Nicolás Bravo Nicolás Bravo (10 September 1786 – 22 April 1854) was a Mexican soldier and politician who first distinguished himself during the Mexican War of Independence. He was Mexico's first vice-president though while holding this office Bravo ...

in July 1821 and was obliged again to surrender his forces together with Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu, the future

emperor of Mexico The Emperor of Mexico (Spanish: ''Emperador de México'') was the head of state and ruler of Mexico on two non-consecutive occasions in the 19th century. With the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire from Spain in 1821, Mexico bec ...

who was at that time fighting for the

Spanish Crown , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

. As per the terms of this agreement, all the troops under Llano's command were obliged to be transferred to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. After the loss of his army, Ciriaco del Llano returned to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

References

* People of the Mexican War of Independence Spanish generals Year of birth missing Year of death missing Place of birth missing {{Spain-mil-bio-stub

See also

References