Luis Fernández de Córdova (or Córdoba) (August 2, 1798 in San Fernando, Cádiz – April 22, 1840 in Lisbon) was a Spanish military general, diplomat and first Marquis of Mendigorria. He was the son of

José de Córdoba y Rojas José María Fernández de Córdoba y Rojas (also José de Córdoba) (6 April 1774 in San Fernando, Cádiz – 15 December 1810 in Potosí), was a Spanish military who played an important role in the early stages of the Argentine War of Indep ...

and elder brother of Fernando Fernández de Córdova. An outspoken adversary of the

Spanish Constitution of 1812 The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy ( es, link=no, Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz ( es, link=no, Constitución de Cádiz) and as ''La Pepa'', was the first Constitut ...

, he organized a rebellion against the liberal government in July 1822, and was forced to flee to France after its failure. He returned one year later in the footsteps of the French army under Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême and participated in the restoration of the

Absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...

of King

Ferdinand VII of Spain , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_p ...

. As a reward, he was named Spanish ambassador in Paris, Lisbon and Berlin. After the King's death, he returned to Spain to support his daughter

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

against her uncle Carlos in 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 Spanish monarchy: the conservative and devolutionist ...

. On December 12, 1834 he led a Division under Rodil and beat Zumalacárregui in the

Battle of Mendaza The Battle of Mendaza was an early battle of the First Carlist War, occurring on December 12, 1834, at Mendaza, Navarre. The Carlists had enjoyed a victory in the Battle of Venta de Echavarri in October and also the fruits of a raid on Navarre, ...

. Three days later he suffered a defeat in the

First Battle of Arquijas The First Battle of Arquijas (December 15, 1834) was a battle of the First Carlist War. Opening shots The battle began when Liberal forces found Carlist general Tomás de Zumalacárregui waiting at the bridge of Arquijas over the Ega River in N ...

and was dismissed. On June 24, 1835, he was recalled and became commander of the North. He confirmed his reputation three weeks later by winning an important victory against general

Vicente González Moreno Vicente González Moreno (9 December 1778, Cádiz – 6 September 1839) was a Spanish general who supported the Carlists during the First Carlist War. He was appointed commander of Carlist forces after the death of Zumalacárregui. As a ...

in the Battle of Mendigorría, earning him the title of ''Marquis of Mendigorria''. In August 1836, the progressives rebelled against the moderate government and Regent Maria Cristina was forced to re-introduce the Spanish Constitution of 1812. General Córdova, together with senior government officials, then went into exile, and was replaced by Baldomero Espartero as head of the Army of the North. He attempted a failed uprising in Seville in 1838, and fled to Portugal where he died 2 years later.

External links

Chronology of the First Carlist War
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez de Cordova, Luis 1798 births 1840 deaths People from San Fernando, Cádiz Spanish generals Ambassadors of Spain to Prussia Ambassadors of Spain to Portugal Ambassadors of Spain to France Military personnel of the First Carlist War