Joaquín Ezpeleta Enrile (born 19 September 1788) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

politician and

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 ...

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who served as the 15th

President of the Spanish Senate The president of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Spanish Senate, the upper house of Spain's Cortes Generales. It is the fourth authority of the country after the Monarch (Head of State), the Prime Minister (Head of Government) and t ...

. During his life, he served in many military and civil offices such as a member of the

Cortes Generales The (; ) are the Bicameralism, bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house) and the Senate of Spain, Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, ...

, Minister of the Crown and Civil Governor of Jaen, Captain-General of Cuba, Captain-General of Catalonia or Viceroy of Navarre, among others.

Biography

Ezpeleta was the son of the Count of Ezpeleta de Beire, Governor-General of Cuba from 1785 to 1789 and Viceroy of Nueva Granada from 1789 to 1797, and nephew of Pasqual 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 ...

. In late 1807 his father was appointed Captain-General of Catalonia and Ezpeleta was with him when the French troops, commanded by General Duhesme, attacked the city of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

in 1808. Ezpeleta was captured and moved to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

but he escaped soon later and he re-enrolled into 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 ...

, being captured again in 1812 and imprisoned until the end of the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. After returning 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 ...

he was promoted to

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 ...

. In 1822, he was injured during the uprising of the Royal Guard who tried to restore the absolutism. In 1830, he was promoted 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 destinated to the Royal Guard. Four years later, he was rewarded with the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. In 1835, he was appointed Civil and Military Governor of the Province of Jaén but the strength that 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 Monarchy of Spain, Spanish monarchy: the conservative a ...

was acquiring forced that the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

destined him to the area of

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

and the

Ebro River The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a del ...

to command the government troops. Ezpeleta helped General Espartero in the liberation of

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

and he secured some villages in

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

and

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

trying to stop the advance of the Carlist troops. This strategy did not success, but he achieves his objective in 1836 while helping General Santiago Méndez Vigo. He was injured in this last battle, being pulled out from combat. Next month, Ezpeleta was appointed Viceroy of Navarre and 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 ...

. Position that helped him to continue in the Carlist War. In 1837, he was appointed second-in-command to the Captain-General of Cuba and a year later he was promoted to Captain-General of Cuba until 1840, when he resigned for health issues. During his time as Captain-General he organized a

fire brigade A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...

and he promoted the establishment of

savings bank A savings bank is a financial institution that is not run on a profit-maximizing basis, and whose original or primary purpose is collecting deposits on savings accounts that are invested on a low-risk basis and receive interest. Savings banks ha ...

s and the laying of

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

lines, being rewarded for such advances with the Laureate Grand Cross of Saint Ferdinand, by royal decree of September 24, 1838. He combined his military career with his political career, being elected MP for

1834 Events January–March * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 – The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City. * January – The W ...

and 1836, and life senator since 1845. From January to June 1852, he was Minister of War, and from June to December of the same year Minister of the Navy. Briefly, during February and April 1853 he served as

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

. Ezpeleta was married to María de los Dolores de Contreras y Mencos, daughter of the Marquess of Lozoya. His brothers, Jose María and Fermin were also soldiers and politicians. His sister, María Concepción, married General

Pedro Agustín Girón Pedro Agustín Girón y de Las Casas, 1st Duke of Ahumada, 4th Marquis of the Amarillas (1778–1842) was a Spanish military officer and politician. The son of a general, he fought against the French during the French Revolutionary Wars. Dur ...

, meaning that Ezpeleta is the uncle of the 2nd Duke of Ahumada, founder of the Civil Guard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ezpeleta Enrile, Joaquin Governors of Cuba 1788 births 1863 deaths Moderate Party (Spain) politicians Presidents of the Senate of Spain Spanish army officers Recipients of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand