Francisco María Solano Ortiz de Rozas (1768There is some discrepancy regarding his date of birth. The date given here is from his service records. However, according to Spanish historian

Adolfo de Castro Adolfo de Castro (died October 1898 in Cádiz, Spain) was a Spanish historian and member of the Real Academia de la Historia of Madrid. He lived in Cadiz and died there in 1898. Biography Castro wrote the first short history of the Jews in Spain, ...

, it was 10 December 1769. (Macía & Brocos) – 1808), 2nd Marqués de Socorro and 6th Marqués de la Solana, was a Spanish military officer. Solano was one of the three captains-general slain by the Spanish population following the Madrid Uprising (2 May 1808), the two others being Filanghieri in Galicia and Count Torre del Fresno in Estremadura.

Early career

Solano was promoted to captain of Cavalry in June 1784. He saw action in

Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' imperial era between 15th and 19th centuries. To the e ...

and in two campaigns in Oran. He was promoted to colonel in April 1792. He saw further action in the

War of the Pyrenees The War of the Pyrenees, also known as War of Roussillon or War of the Convention, was the Pyrenean front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. It pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portug ...

(1793–July 1795) and in the

War of the Oranges The War of the Oranges ( pt, Guerra das Laranjas; french: Guerre des Oranges; es, Guerra de las Naranjas) was a brief conflict in 1801 in which Spanish forces, instigated by the government of France, and ultimately supported by the French mil ...

(1801). In October 1802, Solano was promoted to lieutenant general and in November 1805 he was appointed military governor of

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

,Macía Arce, José Carlos & José Martín Brocos Fernández
"Francisco María Solano Ortiz de Rozas".
''Diccionario Biográfico electrónico''. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 7 February 2023. where he set up free schools based on the methods of the Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (, ; 12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. He founded several educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking ...

Peninsular War

In 1807, following the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau, allowing for the invasion of Portugal, Solano led one of the three auxiliary Spanish corps that aided General Junot's Army of the Gironde in invading that country. Setting out from

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The populatio ...

with 9,500 troops, Solano was to take the garrison town of

Elvas Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and about west of the Spanish fortres ...

and then to march on Lisbon along the left bank of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

. Oman, Charles (1902)
''A History of the Peninsula War'', Vol. I.
''Project Gutenberg''. Retrieved 7 February 2023. However, Solano did not enter Portugal until 2 December, three days after Junot had entered Lisbon. Following the Madrid Uprising (2 May 1808), on 27 May, Solano was killed by an angry mob that suspected him of collaborating with the French, especially with the French fleet moored in the Bay of Cadiz. Escaping an initial attempt on his life, he took refuge at a friend's house, from which he was captured and led to an improvised gallows. On the way there, he was stabbed to death.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solana, Francisco Spanish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 1768 births 1808 deaths People from Caracas