Luís Daoíz de Torres
| Luis Daoíz y Torres | |
|---|---|
A statue of Daoíz in Seville showing him in the act of refusing his orders from the junta and resolving to fight the French
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| Birth name | Luis Gonzaga Guillermo Escolástica Manuel José Joaquín Ana y Juan de la Soledad Daoíz Torres |
| Born |
February 10, 1767 Number 70 Calle del Horno, Seville |
| Died | May 2, 1808 (aged 41) Madrid |
| Buried | Monumento a los Caidos por España, Madrid (40°24′59″N 3°41′34″W / 40.41638°N 3.692887°W) |
| Allegiance | Spain |
| Service/branch | Artillery |
| Years of service | 1782–1808 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Royal Regiment of Artillery, 3rd Seville Artillery |
| Battles/wars | Ceuta (1790), Oran (1791), War of Roussillon (1794), Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808), Peninsular War (1807), Dos de Mayo Uprising (1808) |
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Daoíz and the second or maternal family name is Torres.
Luis Daoíz y Torres (Seville, 10 February 1767 – Madrid, 2 May 1808) was a Spanish artillery officer and one of the leaders of the Dos de Mayo Uprising that signalled the start of the Spanish War of Independence. Daoíz's surname is derived from the town of Aoiz in Navarre and he was descended from a long line of Spanish gentry with soldiering associations dating to the Reconquista. Daoíz's great grandfather married the daughter of the Count of Miraflores de los Angeles and Daoíz spent much of his early life in palaces owned by the family. He was born in Seville and, after receiving a Catholic education, trained at the Royal School of Artillery in Segovia. Daoíz saw action against the Moors in Spanish North Africa, where he was commended for his bravery and promoted to lieutenant. He also served against the French in the short-lived War of the Roussillon where he was captured. After refusing to serve in the French army, he was imprisoned.
After his release he served on to the Spanish Navy during the Anglo-Spanish War, participating in the Defence of Cadiz and on convoy duty to the Americas, for which he was rewarded with promotion to captain. He tired of the sea and rejoined his artillery regiment. His subsequent duties included assisting in the manufacture of new guns for the horse artillery, attending the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau with France and participating in the 1807 invasion of Portugal. He returned to Madrid in 1808 and was a leader of the Dos de Mayo Uprising in which he assisted civilians resisting French efforts to remove the royal family from Spain. His defence of the barracks at Monteleón was the only action that day in which the Spanish army fought the French and, although ultimately unsuccessful, it inspired the Spanish War of Independence. He died in the fighting and has been commemorated as a national hero.
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Wikipedia