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El general Diego de León y Navarrete, conde de Belascoain (Museo del Ejército)

Diego de León.

Don Diego de León y Navarrete (March 30, 1807 in Córdoba[1] – October 15, 1841 in Madrid[2]) was a Spanish military figure. He was the son of Diego Antonio de León and Maria Teresa Navarrete y Valdivia.[1] As a young man he joined the Spanish army as a cavalryman, and was promoted to the rank of captain at the age of 17.[3]

He fought in the southern front during the First Carlist War on the side of the Liberals (Christinos), and made himself famous for marching at the head of his lancers and riding at the spot where the enemy was most numerous. At Arcos de la Frontera, in charge of a squadron of 72 horsemen, he managed to detain a Carlist column until Liberal reinforcements arrived.[4] He was awarded the Cross of Saint Ferdinand as a result (Cruz Laureada de San Fernando).

On the northern front, he fought at the Battle of Mendigorría[5] and later captured Belascoáin from the Carlists in 1838, thereby earning his noble title.

In 1840, he was named Captain-General of New Castile.[6]

He was a member of the Moderate Party (Partido Moderado), and with the fall of the regent María Cristina de Borbón during the reign of Isabel II, he went into exile in France. In 1841 he joined O'Donnell's revolt against Baldomero Espartero. Diego de León was arrested and later executed by firing squad.[2]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Díaz, Nicomedes-Pastor (1868) (in es). Memorias de una campaña periodística [1839-43 Biografía de Diego de León y Navarrete. Biografía de Ramón Cabrera. Suplemento a la biografía del duque de Rivas]. M. Tello. p. 192. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Memorias_de_una_campa%C3%B1a_period%C3%ADstica_1/zhM3AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Diego+de+Le%C3%B3n+%2230+de+marzo+de+1807%22+cordoba&pg=PA192&printsec=frontcover. Retrieved 21 February 2024. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 (in es) Historia de España: gran historia general de los pueblos hispanos. Instituto Gallach de Librería y Ediciones. 1937. p. 343. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Historia_de_Espa%C3%B1a/IwjxskkPluIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Diego+de+Le%C3%B3n+%2215+de+octubre+de+1841%22+madrid&dq=Diego+de+Le%C3%B3n+%2215+de+octubre+de+1841%22+madrid&printsec=frontcover. Retrieved 21 February 2024. 
  3. "Diego Antonio de León y Navarrete". https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/15700/diego-antonio-de-leon-y-navarrete. 
  4. Carbonell, Ignacio Danvila (1 January 2008) (in es). Diego de León, la primera lanza del reino. Vision Libros. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-84-9821-063-7. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Diego_de_Le%C3%B3n_la_primera_lanza_del_rein/ecfPOM260KMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=setenta%20y%20dos. Retrieved 21 February 2024. 
  5. Historia de D. Diego León, Primer conde de Belascoain : Con una relación de todas sus hazañas, y hechos de armas durante la Guerra Civil, hasta su fusilamiento en octubre de 1841. Madrid: Imprenta de D. J. M. Marés. 1841. https://archive.org/details/HCa029120/page/n7/mode/2up?q=Mendigorr%C3%ADa. Retrieved 21 February 2024. 
  6. Manzano, Rafael (1960) (in es). Los grandes capitanes españoles. De Gassó Hnos. p. 230. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Los_grandes_capitanes_espa%C3%B1oles/ZZUNAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Diego+de+Le%C3%B3n+%221840%22+nueva+castilla&dq=Diego+de+Le%C3%B3n+%221840%22+nueva+castilla&printsec=frontcover. Retrieved 21 February 2024. 
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