Francisco Taranco y Llano (date of birth unknown – January or March 1808) was a Spanish military officer and Captain-General of Galicia. After serving in the Americas, including, in 1769, as a cadet under

Alejandro O'Reilly Alejandro O'Reilly, 1st Count of O'Reilly, KOA (; October 24, 1723 in Baltrasna, Co. Meath, Ireland – March 23, 1794 in Bonete, Spain), English: Alexander, Count of O'Reilly, Irish: ''Alastar Ó Raghallaigh, ''was an Irish-born military refo ...

, the second Spanish governor of colonial

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, Taranco returned to peninsular Spain in 1783 and was given the command of the Regiment of Soria, with which he later served under the orders of General Ricardos 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 ...

. He saw further military actions against French Imperial troops in Catalonia.Rama Patiño, Luz; José Manuel Vázquez Lijó
"Francisco Taranco y Llano". ''Diccionario Biográfico electrónico''.
Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 25 January 2023. Following his participation 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 ...

, in which French and Spanish forces invaded Portugal, Taranco was appointed Captain-General of Galicia (around 1802). He was promoted, in October 1802, to lieutenant general in the same promotion as other notable Spanish military commanders of the Spanish armies during the Peninsular War, including the

Duke of the Infantado Duke of the Infantado ( es, Duque del Infantado) is a Spanish peerage title that was granted to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Figueroa, son of Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana, by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon ...

, Manuel Lapeña, Juan Carrafa, Francisco Castaños, Juan Pignatelli, Francisco Eguía, and Arturo O'Neill. With the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau (October 1807), under the terms of which France and Spain would divide Portugal into three regions, Taranco was sent to assist the French General Junot by invading the province of

Entre-Douro-e-Minho Entre Douro e Minho () is one of the historical provinces of Portugal which encompassed the country's northern Atlantic seaboard between the Douro and Minho rivers. Contemporaries often referred to the province as simply "Minho". It was one of ...

and establishing his headquarters at

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

. According to treaty, Taranco would lead a force of some ten thousand Spanish troops. However, the

order of battle In modern use, the order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the arme ...

of Junot's Army of Portugal for November 1807, referred to Taranco's infantry division as being made up of some 6,500 men and 12 cannon. Entering Portugal from Galicia, on 10 December 1807, Taranco crossed the Minho to occupy the territory between the Minho and the

Duero The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

and, after leaving a battalion to garrison the fortress at

Viana do Castelo Viana do Castelo () is a municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 88,725, in an area of 319.02 km². The urbanized area of the municipality, comprising the city, ...

, reached Porto on 13 December 1807, and where he died the following January Foy, Maximilien (1829)
''History of the War in the Peninsula, Under Napoleon'', pp. 69, 93. Treuttel and Würtz, Treuttel, jun. and Richter.
''Google Books''. Retrieved 26 January 2023. or March. His command in Portugal was given to General Domingo Ballesta and his Captaincy-General in Galicia was given to Francisco de Biedma y Zayas.

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taranco y Llano, Francisco 18th-century births Year of birth unknown Date of birth unknown Place of birth unknown 1808 deaths Spanish generals Spanish captain generals Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Spanish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars