Mariano Álvarez de Castro

Brigadier Mariano José Manuel Bernardo Álvarez Bermúdez de Castro y López Aparicio

Biography Álvarez was born in Granada. He joined the army in 1768 (aged 19), and studied at the Military Academy of Barcelona, graduating in 1775. He gained steady promotions, saw action in the siege of Gibraltar in 1783, and by 1793 was a Colonel of Infantry. During the War of the Pyrenees (1793–1795) against France he took part in many notable actions, was wounded, and spent 75 days under fire at the siege of Collioure. As a result, he was promoted to Brigadier.

On the accession of Joseph Bonaparte to the throne of Spain in 1808, Álvarez was commander of the castle of Montjuïc in Barcelona. On 29 February French troops arrived to take possession of the fortress. Álvarez was preparing to defend it against them when he received direct orders of his Commander in Chief to hand it over. Álvarez fled Barcelona and joined the Spanish rebels against French rule. The Cortes of Cádizwhich served as a parliamentary Regency after Ferdinand VII was deposednamed Álvarez commander of the Army of Catalonia and Governor of Girona.

In 2010, around the 200th anniversary of his death, an exhibition Álvarez de Castro y su tiempo ("Álvarez de Castro and his times") was held in his honour at the castle of San Fernando in Figueres.