Francisco Javier Girón, 2nd Duke of Ahumada (11 March 1803 - 18 December 1869) was a
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century.
The Spanish Army has existed ...
officer known for being the founder of the Civil Guard and its first
director-general
A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
.
Biography
Family
Girón was born in an important military-aristocratic family, the House of Girón, an ancient family that dates back to the 12th century. Girón was the son of Pedro Agustín Girón, 1st Duke of Ahumada and 4th Marquess of Amarillas. He was also a descendant of Pedro Téllez-Girón, better known as Pedro Girón, Master of the
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava (, ) was one of the Spanish military orders, four Spanish military orders and the first Military order (society), military order founded in Kingdom of Castile, Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bu ...
Cádiz
Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
and grandson of General Castaños. On the other hand, he was also a descendant of the Aztec emperor
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma Xocoyotzin . ( – 29 June 1520), retroactively referred to in European sources as Moctezuma II, and often simply called Montezuma,Other variant spellings include Moctezuma, Motewksomah, Motecuhzomatzin, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma, Motē ...
, on the part of the mother of his paternal grandfather Jerónimo Girón y Moctezuma, 3rd Marquess of the Amarillas.
Likewise, on the mother's side, he was nephew of the José María Ezpeleta, 7th Marquess of Montehermoso, Fermín Ezpeleta and Joaquín Ezpeleta, all of them politicians and military, and nephew of Pascual Enrile y Alcedo,
Governor-General of the Philippines
The governor-general of the Philippines (; ; ) was the title of the Executive (government), government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, first by History of the Philippines (1521–1898), the Spanish in Mexico City and l ...
.
Finally, he was the great-grandson of Jerónimo Enrile y Guerci, director of the General Asiento in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Minister of Finance during the reign of
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
and key man in the Court of Madrid, according to impressions of Alexander Humboldt during his trip to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in 1799.
Military career
The Spanish uprising against the French invasion led his father to the battlefield, where he would achieve honors and fame fighting Napoleon's troops. Girón remained in the house of his paternal grandfather, Jerónimo Girón y Moctezuma.
With such family, Girón entered in the
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
very soon, at the age of 12. Girón was against the uprising of General
Rafael del Riego
Rafael del Riego y Flórez (7 April 1784 – 7 November 1823) was a Spanish general and liberal politician who played a key role in the establishment of the Liberal Triennium (''Trienio liberal'' in Spanish). The failure of the Cádiz army to se ...
in 1820 and that forced him to go to exile during the Liberal Triennium. After the restoration of absolutism in 1823, he came back from exile. In 1829 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned to
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
.
In 1831 he reached the rank of
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
—which supposed a double family joy, because said rise coincided with that of his father to captain general—, and in 1834 he was promoted to
brigadier
Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
.
Under the orders of General Narváez he takes part in almost all the clashes that take place in Castile and
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
Ferdinand VII
Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...
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 Monarchy of Spain, Spanish monarchy: the conservative a ...
, his merits were recognized in campaign and loyalty to the Queen with the promotion to
field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
and the appointment as Inspector-General of the Army.
In 1842, when his father died, he assumed the titles of Marquess of the Amarillas, inherited from his grandfather, and of Duke of Ahumada, granted to his father by the Queen Governor,
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (, ; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878) was the queen consort of Spain, Queen of Spain from 1829 to 1833 and Queen regent of the kingdom from 1833, when her daughter became queen at age two, to 1840. By virtue ...
.
Civil Guard
On 15 April 1844, the government led by
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Luis González Bravo entrusted him with the task of organizing a new law enforcement agency, the Civil Guard. The Duke was chosen because of his fame of an orderly person with an extraordinary capacity for work and meticulousness. The Duke dedicated all his efforts to create an effective police corp under the principles of courage, discipline, rigid instruction, dedication to others and subordination to established power.
The Duke of Ahumada was Director-General of the Civil Guard (at that time called Inspector-General) between 1844 and 1854 and from 1856 to 1858.
Last years
The Duke entered in politics in 1844, being elected senator from Córdoba from 1844 to 1846 and from 1861 to 1862. During 1845 to 1846 Girón was life senator.
In November 1846 he was promoted to
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
and was named Commander-General of the Alabarderos Company of the Royal Guard. In possession of the most important decorations, obtained during a military career of more than half a century, the 2nd Duke of Ahumada and 5th Marquess of the Amarillas, died in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...