Agustina de Aragón
| Agustina Raimunda Maria Saragossa i Domènech | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Agustina as depicted by Fernando Brambila
|
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| Nickname(s) | Agustina de Aragón |
| Born |
March 4, 1786 Reus, Catalonia, Spain |
| Died | May 29, 1857 (aged 71) Ceuta, Spain |
| Buried at | Nuestra Señora del Portillo |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Spain Cádiz Cortes
|
| Service/branch |
 Spanish Army
|
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | DEFENSORA DE ZARAGOZA RECOMPENSA DEL VALOR Y PATRIOTISMO |
Agustina Raimunda María Saragossa Domènech, or Agustina of Aragón (March 4, 1786 – May 29, 1857) was a Spanish heroine who defended Spain during the Spanish War of Independence, first as a civilian and later as a professional officer in the Spanish Army. Known as "the Spanish Joan of Arc," she has been the subject of much folklore, mythology, and artwork, including sketches by Francisco de Goya and the poetry of Lord Byron.
In the summer of 1808, Zaragoza was one of the last cities in northern Spain not to have fallen to the forces of Napoleon and was therefore, by the time of the siege, choked with vast numbers of refugees fleeing the advancing Grande Armée. In early June, the French began to advance on Zaragoza, which had not seen war for about 450 years and was held by a tiny provincial force under José de Palafox, whose heroism would come to rival Agustina's.
On June 15, 1808, the French army stormed the Portillo, an ancient gateway into the city defended by a hodgepodge battery of old cannons and a heavily outnumbered volunteer unit. Agustina, arriving on the ramparts with a basket of apples to feed the gunners, watched the nearby defenders fall to French bayonets. The Spanish troops broke ranks, having suffered heavy casualties, and abandoned their posts. With the French troops a few yards away, Agustina herself ran forward, loaded a cannon, and lit the fuse, shredding a wave of attackers at point blank range.
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Wikipedia