Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, Marquis de las Amarilas
Encyclopedia
Jerónimo Morejón Girón-Moctezuma, 3rd Marquis de las Amarillas, born 7 June 1741 at Málaga
and died 17 October 1819 at Seville
, became a general officer in the army of the Kingdom of Spain and commanded division-sized combat units during the War of the Pyrenees
in 1793 and 1794. Though he attained high rank, he displayed limited military talent. Shortly after succeeding to the top command of the Army of Catalonia, he was dismissed for blunders made on the battlefield.
Emperor Moctezuma II
. On 22 October 1770, he married Isabel de las Casas y Aragorri, who was six years his junior. Upon the death of his father, Jerónimo Morejón Girón became the 3rd Marquis de las Amarillas. His son Pedro Agustín Girón
y de las Cases, born in 1778, became the 1st Duke of Ahumada in 1836. Like his father, Pedro attained the rank of general officer in the army of Spain and fought in the Peninsular War
, part of the Napoleonic Wars
.
(CG) Antonio Ricardos
invaded Roussillon
in the eastern Pyrenees during the French Revolutionary Wars
. In May, the army opened the Siege of Bellegarde
and captured the French fortress on 24 June. In early September 1793, Ricardos made a bid to capture Perpignan
, the department capital.
Rather than mount a direct assault on the fortress, Ricardos swung two divisions around the western side of Perpignan to cut its communications with Narbonne
. Lieutenant General
(LG) Girón's division drove a French force out of Rivesaltes
on 8 August. He then established a fortified camp on a hill just south of the village of Peyrestortes
and six km northwest of Perpignan. Meanwhile, the division of LG Juan de Courten deployed only two km northwest of Perpignan, near Le Vernet. Ricardos began an artillery bombardment on the south side of the fortress. On the early morning of 17 September, the French Army of the Eastern Pyrenees under the temporary command of General of Division (MG) Eustache Charles d'Aoust
attacked both Girón and de Courten in the Battle of Peyrestortes
. The French were able to closely approach Girón's camp because he failed to post troops behind a ravine. The battle raged all day and into the evening, when both Spanish divisions withdrew after suffering heavy casualties. Ricardos retrieved the situation by a victory in the Battle of Truillas
on 22 September. But Peyrestortes represented the high water mark of the Spanish invasion. After Truillas, Ricardos withdrew to the Tech River
valley, where he successfully fended off several French attempts to drive the Spanish army across the border during the remainder of 1793.
In March 1794, both Ricardos and his designated successor CG Alejandro O'Reilly
died. For a short time, Girón was the acting commander of the Army of Catalonia, but LG Luis Firmín de Carvajal
was appointed to lead the army in April. LG Eugenio Navarro held Collioure
and the area near the coast with the right division. LG Juan Miguel de Vives defended the left flank near Céret
. Girón's center division, the largest, deployed to cover Le Boulou
with a strongpoint at Montesquieu-des-Albères
in the Pyrenees foothills to the east. On 29 April, the first day of the Battle of Boulou, the new French commander, MG Jacques François Dugommier
successfully lured de la Union into pushing his left flank forward. With the Spanish army out of position, the French commander hurled a powerful attack at the Spanish right-center, breaking through Girón's right flank on 30 April. Countermeasures by de la Union and Girón failed to stem the French advance. On 1 May, the Spanish were forced to abandon the army's trains, artillery, and baggage, and retreat across the difficult Col de Porteille (800 meters altitude) rather than the easier Pass of Le Perthus
(300 meters). After their victory, the French army blockaded the now-isolated Bellegarde.
De la Union, fell back south of the Pyrenees crest line and built a fortified line to cover the Alt Empordà
. Girón led his division in an inconclusive action at La Jonquera
on 7 June. An attempt by de la Union to relieve Bellegarde failed at the Battle of San Lorenzo de la Muga on 13 August. Bellegarde fell to the French on 17 September. The decisive Battle of the Black Mountain
began on 17 November 1794, when the French launched a major assault. Girón in the center and de Vives on the right repulsed the enemy attacks, but MG Pierre Augereau collapsed de Courten's left flank. Dugommier was killed by a Spanish artillery shell on 18 November and the new French commander MG Dominique Pérignon
paused to reorganize. When the French attacked again on 20 November, they cracked Girón's defenses in the center and captured the key Santa-Maria-del-Roure position. De la Union was slain while gallantly leading a Spanish cavalry charge and command of the army passed to Girón.
With de Courten's left wing out of the fight and his center division wrecked, Girón ordered a retreat. In the confusion, he left behind the city of Figueres
and a 9,000-man garrison in the powerful fortress of San Fernando (Sant Ferran). The army withdrew behind the Rio Fluvià
to reorganize its shattered units. Soon after, Pérignon bluffed the governor of San Fernando into surrendering and began the Siege of Roses. In December, Girón was dismissed from command of the Army of Catalonia for abandoning San Fernando fortress, and for errors committed at the battles of Boulou and Peyrestortes. He died on 17 October 1819 at Seville
.
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and died 17 October 1819 at Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, became a general officer in the army of the Kingdom of Spain and commanded division-sized combat units during the War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...
in 1793 and 1794. Though he attained high rank, he displayed limited military talent. Shortly after succeeding to the top command of the Army of Catalonia, he was dismissed for blunders made on the battlefield.
Family
Girón was born into a noble family at Málaga on 7 June 1741. His father was Pedro Morejón Girón y Ahumada and his mother was Bernarda de Moctezuma y Salcedo, a descendant of AztecAztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
Emperor Moctezuma II
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
. On 22 October 1770, he married Isabel de las Casas y Aragorri, who was six years his junior. Upon the death of his father, Jerónimo Morejón Girón became the 3rd Marquis de las Amarillas. His son Pedro Agustín Girón
Pedro Agustín Girón
Pedro Agustín Girón, 4th Marquis de las Amarilas, Duque of Ahumada was a Spanish military officer and politician. The son of a general, he fought against the French during the French Revolutionary Wars. During the Napoleonic Wars he became a general officer and again fought the French...
y de las Cases, born in 1778, became the 1st Duke of Ahumada in 1836. Like his father, Pedro attained the rank of general officer in the army of Spain and fought in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, part of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
War of the Pyrenees
In April 1793, the Spanish Army of Catalonia led by Captain GeneralCaptain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
(CG) Antonio Ricardos
Antonio Ricardos
Antonio Ricardos Carrillo de Albornoz was a Spanish general. He joined the army of the Kingdom of Spain and fought against Habsburg Austria, the Portugal, and the First French Republic during a long military career. By embracing the Spanish Enlightenment, he earned the displeasure of conservative...
invaded Roussillon
Roussillon
Roussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
in the eastern Pyrenees during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. In May, the army opened the Siege of Bellegarde
Siege of Bellegarde (1793)
The Siege of Bellegarde commenced on 23 May 1793 and ended on 24 June 1793 when Colonel Boisbrulé's French garrison surrendered the Fort de Bellegarde to a Spanish army under the command of Antonio Ricardos. The capture of the fort gave Spain control of an important highway through the Pyrenees...
and captured the French fortress on 24 June. In early September 1793, Ricardos made a bid to capture Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, the department capital.
Rather than mount a direct assault on the fortress, Ricardos swung two divisions around the western side of Perpignan to cut its communications with Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General 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 normally subordinate to a Captain General....
(LG) Girón's division drove a French force out of Rivesaltes
Rivesaltes
Rivesaltes is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-People:Rivesaltes was the birthplace of Joseph Joffre , general who became prominent in the battles of World War I.-The Rivesaltes memorial museum:...
on 8 August. He then established a fortified camp on a hill just south of the village of Peyrestortes
Peyrestortes
Peyrestortes is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-Battle:On 17 September 1793, French forces of the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees defeated two divisions of the Spanish Army of Catalonia at the Battle of Peyrestortes...
and six km northwest of Perpignan. Meanwhile, the division of LG Juan de Courten deployed only two km northwest of Perpignan, near Le Vernet. Ricardos began an artillery bombardment on the south side of the fortress. On the early morning of 17 September, the French Army of the Eastern Pyrenees under the temporary command of General of Division (MG) Eustache Charles d'Aoust
Eustache Charles d'Aoust
Eustache Charles Joseph d'Aoust was a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars....
attacked both Girón and de Courten in the Battle of Peyrestortes
Battle of Peyrestortes
The Battle of Peyrestortes on 17 September 1793 saw soldiers of the First French Republic fighting troops of the Kingdom of Spain during the War of the Pyrenees. The French Army of the eastern Pyrenees, temporarily commanded by Eustache Charles d'Aoust defeated two divisions of the Army of...
. The French were able to closely approach Girón's camp because he failed to post troops behind a ravine. The battle raged all day and into the evening, when both Spanish divisions withdrew after suffering heavy casualties. Ricardos retrieved the situation by a victory in the Battle of Truillas
Battle of Truillas
The Battle of Truillas was fought on 22 September 1793 during the French Revolutionary War between the French Army of the eastern Pyrenees led by Luc Siméon Auguste Dagobert and the Spanish Army of Catalonia under Antonio Ricardos. This attempt by the French to exploit their success in the Battle...
on 22 September. But Peyrestortes represented the high water mark of the Spanish invasion. After Truillas, Ricardos withdrew to the Tech River
Tech River
The Tech is a river in southern France, very close to the French-Spanish border. It runs through a valley in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in the former Roussillon, and is 84 km long. Its source is the Parcigoule Valley and it feeds the Mediterranean Sea...
valley, where he successfully fended off several French attempts to drive the Spanish army across the border during the remainder of 1793.
Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly , was a military reformer and Inspector-General of Infantry for the Spanish Empire in the second half of the 18th century...
died. For a short time, Girón was the acting commander of the Army of Catalonia, but LG Luis Firmín de Carvajal
Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union
Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union became a general officer in the army of the Kingdom of Spain. In 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars, he commanded the Spanish Army in a mostly unsuccessful effort to hold back the army of the First French Republic...
was appointed to lead the army in April. LG Eugenio Navarro held Collioure
Collioure
Collioure is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies on the Mediterranean and was a part of the ancient Roussillon province....
and the area near the coast with the right division. LG Juan Miguel de Vives defended the left flank near Céret
Céret
Céret is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It is the capital of Vallespir historical Catalan comarca.-Geography:...
. Girón's center division, the largest, deployed to cover Le Boulou
Le Boulou
Le Boulou is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
with a strongpoint at Montesquieu-des-Albères
Montesquieu-des-Albères
Montesquieu-des-Albères is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
in the Pyrenees foothills to the east. On 29 April, the first day of the Battle of Boulou, the new French commander, MG Jacques François Dugommier
Jacques François Dugommier
Jacques François Coquille named Dugommier was a French general....
successfully lured de la Union into pushing his left flank forward. With the Spanish army out of position, the French commander hurled a powerful attack at the Spanish right-center, breaking through Girón's right flank on 30 April. Countermeasures by de la Union and Girón failed to stem the French advance. On 1 May, the Spanish were forced to abandon the army's trains, artillery, and baggage, and retreat across the difficult Col de Porteille (800 meters altitude) rather than the easier Pass of Le Perthus
Le Perthus
Le Perthus is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.-Geography:...
(300 meters). After their victory, the French army blockaded the now-isolated Bellegarde.
De la Union, fell back south of the Pyrenees crest line and built a fortified line to cover the Alt Empordà
Alt Empordà
Alt Empordà is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, one of two into which Empordà was divided by the comarcal division of Catalonia in 1936.- Municipalities :Populations are as of 2001.*Agullana - pop. 668*Albanyà - pop. 99*L'Armentera - pop. 742...
. Girón led his division in an inconclusive action at La Jonquera
La Jonquera
La Jonquera is a municipality in the comarca of l'Alt Empordà, in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated just by the border with France, with the municipalty of Le Perthus.-History:...
on 7 June. An attempt by de la Union to relieve Bellegarde failed at the Battle of San Lorenzo de la Muga on 13 August. Bellegarde fell to the French on 17 September. The decisive Battle of the Black Mountain
Battle of the Black Mountain
The Battle of the Black Mountain was fought from 17 to 20 November 1794 between the army of the First French Republic and the allied armies of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal...
began on 17 November 1794, when the French launched a major assault. Girón in the center and de Vives on the right repulsed the enemy attacks, but MG Pierre Augereau collapsed de Courten's left flank. Dugommier was killed by a Spanish artillery shell on 18 November and the new French commander MG Dominique Pérignon
Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon
Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon, 1st Marquis de Grenade was Marshal of France.-Early life:He was born to a family of small nobility in Grenade-sur-Garonne, département of the Haute-Garonne. After a roturier appointment in the grenadier corps of Aquitaine, he retired to his estate...
paused to reorganize. When the French attacked again on 20 November, they cracked Girón's defenses in the center and captured the key Santa-Maria-del-Roure position. De la Union was slain while gallantly leading a Spanish cavalry charge and command of the army passed to Girón.
With de Courten's left wing out of the fight and his center division wrecked, Girón ordered a retreat. In the confusion, he left behind the city of Figueres
Figueres
Figueres is the capital of the comarca of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which attracts many visitors...
and a 9,000-man garrison in the powerful fortress of San Fernando (Sant Ferran). The army withdrew behind the Rio Fluvià
Fluvià
The Fluvià is a river in Catalonia. It rises in the Serralada Transversal, passes through Olot, and flows into the Mediterranean Sea near Sant Pere Pescador.- See also :* List of rivers of Spain...
to reorganize its shattered units. Soon after, Pérignon bluffed the governor of San Fernando into surrendering and began the Siege of Roses. In December, Girón was dismissed from command of the Army of Catalonia for abandoning San Fernando fortress, and for errors committed at the battles of Boulou and Peyrestortes. He died on 17 October 1819 at Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
.