Statue of Juana Galán in Valdepeñas, by sculptor Francisco Javier Galán Juana Galán (c. 1787– 24 September 1812), nicknamed La Galana, was a Spanish

guerrilla fighter Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

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 ...

(1808–1814) who took to the street to fight against the French cavalry that tried to pass through the town of

Valdepeñas Valdepeñas is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is also the seat of the judicial district that covers the localities of Moral de Calatrava, Santa Cruz de Mudela, Viso d ...

. At twenty years old, she was considered the best informed woman of the village, because she worked in a strategic location, the first tavern in the village. On 6 June 1808, in the Battle of Valdepeñas against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's troops, there was a lack of sufficient men to defend the village, so she encouraged women to go out and fight. Although Galán is usually depicted armed with a baton, one version has it that she smashed in the heads of the soldiers with her cast-iron stew pan. The other women poured hot water through the windows and boiling hot oil on the road. This battle led, in part, to the French army abandoning the region of

la Mancha La Mancha () is a natural region, natural and historical region in the provinces of Spain, Spanish provinces of province of Albacete, Albacete, province of Cuenca, Cuenca, province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real and province of Toledo, Toledo. It ...

, which in turn led to the decisive victory for the Spaniards at the

Battle of Bailén The Battle of Bailén was fought in 1808 between the Spanish Army's Army of Andalusia, under General Francisco Javier Castaños and the French Imperial Army's 2nd Gironde Observational Corps under Divisional-General Pierre Dupont de l'Étan ...

. This town was granted the title "very heroic". Galán married Bartolomé Ruiz de Lerma of

on 2 May 1810, with whom she had two daughters. She died during her second daughter's birth on 24 September 1812, the same day la Mancha was released by the troops of Napoleon. She was only around 25 years old.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Galán, Juana 1780s births 1812 deaths Women in war in Spain Spanish military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Women in the Peninsular War People from the Province of Ciudad Real Deaths in childbirth 19th-century Spanish women 19th-century Spanish people

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