Juan Prim | |
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Portrait by Luis Madrazo
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Prime Minister of Spain | |
In office 18 June 1869 – 27 December 1870 |
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Monarch | Francisco Serrano y Domínguez |
Preceded by | Francisco Serrano y Domínguez |
Succeeded by | Juan Bautista Topete |
Captain General of Puerto Rico | |
In office 1847–1848 |
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Preceded by | Rafael de Aristegui y Velez |
Succeeded by | Juan de la Pezuela y Cevallos |
Personal details | |
Born |
Juan Prim y Prats 12 December 1814 Reus, Spain |
Died | 30 December 1870 Madrid, Spain |
(aged 56)
Nationality | Spanish |
Profession | Politician |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Service/branch | Army |
Years of service | 1834–1868 |
Rank | General |
Battles/wars |
Glorious Revolution First Carlist War Crimean War |
Awards |
Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand (3) Order of the Medjidie |
Juan Prim y Prats, 1st Marquis of Los Castillejos, 1st Count of Reus, 1st Viscount of El Bruch, Grandee of Spain, (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwam ˈpɾin i ˈpɾats], Catalan: Joan Prim i Prats [ʒuˈam ˈpɾim i ˈpɾats]; 12 December 1814 – 30 December 1870) was a Spanish general and statesman who was briefly Prime Minister of Spain until his assassination.
Prim was the son of lieutenant colonel Pablo Prim. He entered the free corps known as the volunteers of Isabella II in 1834, and in the course of the Carlist War he rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and had two orders of knighthood conferred upon him. After the pacification of 1839, as a progressist opposed to the dictatorship of General Espartero, he was sent into exile. However, in 1843 he was elected deputy for Tarragona, and after defeating Espartero at Bruch he entered Madrid in triumph with General Serrano. The regent Maria Christina promoted him major-general, and made him conde de Reus (Count of Reus) and vizconde del Bruch (Viscount of El Bruch).
General Narváez, the prime minister, failed to understand what constitutional freedom meant, and General Prim, on showing signs of opposition, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in the Philippine Islands. The sentence was not carried out, and Prim remained an exile in England and France until the amnesty of 1847. He then returned to Spain, and was first employed as captain-general of Puerto Rico (Governor of Puerto Rico) and afterwards as military representative with the sultan during the Crimean War. In 1854 he was elected to the cortes, and gave his support to General O'Donnell, who promoted him lieutenant-general in 1856. In the war with Morocco he did such good service at Castillejos (Fnideq), Cabo Negro, Guad al Gelu and Campamento in 1860 that he was made marqués de los Castillejos (Marquis of Los Castillejos) and Grande de España (Grandee of Spain).