Martín Zurbano Baras (February 29, 1788 – January 21, 1845) was a Spanish military figure. A guerrilla leader, he is considered a "martyr to Spanish liberty".
Born in Varea,

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...

, the youngest of four siblings, he fought in the

War of Spanish Independence The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain, it is considered to ...

as a

guerrilla 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 ...

. With future generals like Francisco Espoz y Mina, he defended the

Constitution of 1812 The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy (), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz () and nicknamed ''La Pepa'', was the first Constitution of Spain and one of the earliest codified constitutions in world history. The Constitution w ...

, and helped create the province of Logroño. He then fought in

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 ...

on the Liberal (Isabeline) side and rose to the rank of field marshal. A British article written in 1840 describes his role in this war: "In time of peace a ''contrabandista'', or smuggler, he soon after the commencement of the war sought and obtained permission to raise a body of men to act in conjunction with the queen’s troops against the

Carlists Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855), on the Spanish throne. The ...

. His standard, once displayed, was resorted to by smugglers, robbers, and outcasts of all descriptions, attracted by the prospect of plunder and adventure. These were increased by deserters...""A Night Excursion with Martin Zurbano," ''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine'', Vol. 48, July–December 1840 (T. Cadell and W. Davis, 1840), 740. Zurbano commanded the force known as the ''Compañía de Tiradores de Alava'' (founded 1833), which had been joined with the ''Partida de Contra aduaneros'' (Anti- aduanero Party), and was known as the ''Partida de la Muerte'' (Party of Death). By 1836, the force was known as ''Batallón de Voluntarios de la Rioja Alavesa'' and was disbanded in 1840. He was an ardent follower of

Baldomero Espartero Baldomero Fernández-Espartero y Álvarez de Toro (27 February 17938 January 1879) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He served as the Regent of the Realm, three times as Prime Minister and briefly as President of the Congress of Deputies ...

, who named him military governor of

Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...

and commander general of

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 ...

in 1840. Zurbano participated in the bombardment of Barcelona in 1843. Zurbano suppressed the ''moderado'' faction in Biscay in 1841, and fought against

Juan Prim Juan Prim y Prats, 1st Count of Reus, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, 1st Viscount of Bruch (; ; 6 December 1814 – 30 December 1870) was a Spanish general and statesman who was briefly Prime Minister of Spain until his assassination. Bio ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

(1843). He fled to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

after the fall of Espartero, but

Isabel II Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

granted him a pardon. In 1844, he led a revolt with 80 men who advocated the adoption of the Constitution of 1837 (''Grito de Nájera'') and the return of Espartero. It included the support of key generals, including Juan Prim. Zurbano was imprisoned by

Ramón María Narváez Ramón María Narváez y Campos, 1st Duke of Valencia (5 August 180023 April 1868) was a Spanish general and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Spain, Prime Minister on several occasions during the Reign of Isabella II of Spain, reign of ...

. He was arrested and executed by

firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...

, along with his sons Benito and Feliciano, by order of Narváez. Image:Martin Zurbano.jpg, Zurbano Image:Portada_Toro_-_Zurbano.jpg, Cover of a 19th-century book about Zurbano Image:Casa natal de Zurbano.jpg, Birthplace of Zurbano

References

External links

Martín Zurbano

Wikirioja article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zurbano, Martin 1788 births 1845 deaths People from La Rioja Military personnel of the First Carlist War Executed Spanish people People executed by Spain by firing squad Spanish military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars