A Hero of the First Spanish Republic – Chapter 2 in the Chronicles of Heritage

Born and raised in the US, I did not learn in depth about the first Spanish Republic until I was a young adult. It was when I had the opportunity to apply for Spanish Nationality that I began to uncover a family heritage that continues to inspire me. In this continuation of my Chronicles of Heritage series, meet one of my ancestors, a hero of the first Spanish Republic who’s life and legacy contributed to the eventual rise of Democracy in Spain and beyond.

This post is continued from Meet the Spanish Heritage in Me – Chapter 1 of the Chronicles of Heritage.

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Getting a Grasp on Politics in Spain

Above Image – A mural of the life of General Rafael del Riego, in the tiny village of Tuña, Asturias, Spain.

To understand the first Spanish Republic, it’s important to keep in mind that Spanish politics and the verbiage used is different from political definitions in the United States.

In the US, the democratic party is considered to represent more liberal and even “socialist”-leaning values and Republicans are conservative. In Spain the Republicans are the liberals, also known as Leftists, and the Nationalists are the conservative parties which entail Fascists, Monarchists and Right-Wing groups. As you can see, it is practically reversed compared to what is known politically in America.

Knowing about these distinctions in Spain is important in my understanding of my Spanish family history. For hundreds of years, the country’s two factions were primarily between a Democratic Republic and the Monarchy. My family, del Riego y Orozco, was instrumental in establishing the first Spanish Republic. They were in opposition to the Monarchy when it would not allow for and support a democratic constitution for the people.

A General in the First Spanish Republic

Above Image – A portrait painted of General Rafael del Riego.

It was my 4th Great Uncle, General Rafael del Riego y Nuñez, who significantly aided in establishing the first Spanish Republic and restoring the Constitution for a time. These were times of immense instability in Spain, politically and economically. In 1808, General Rafael fought in the Spanish War of Independence, also referred to as the Pennisular War, and was taken prisoner by the French. He was able to later escape, only to return to Spain in 1814 when the Spanish Constitution of 1812 was abolished by King Fernando VII.

The General took an oath to the Constitution and in 1820 led a mutiny in the seaside town of Cadiz, demanding the return of the 1812 Constitution. With the combined forces of military marches on Madrid in March, the King finally agreed on March 10th to restore the Constitution.

How Quickly Things Turned in the First Spanish Republic

Above Image – The mural in Tuña, Spain, depicting the imprisonment and death of General Rafael del Riego.

Only a year after the re-establishment of the Constitution, my 4th great-uncle was imprisoned when he was wrongly accused of Republicanism. The love of the people for him resulted in demonstrations in Madrid that contributed to his release. Yet in 1822, an alliance of European countries, known as the Quintuple Alliance, took measures against their perceived threat of Spain’s growing Republicanism and chose France to restore an absolute Monarchy in Spain.

When the French Army crossed the French border into Spain in April of 1823, General Rafael del Riego y Nuñez fought back with his troops. In September of that year, he was betrayed and taken as a prisoner to Madrid. Despite his request for clemency from the King, he was declared guilty of treason for voting to take power from the King and in November was hanged at La Cebada Square in Madrid.

The Legacy That Remains Beyond the First Spanish Republic

Above Image – Some of the books written on the life of General del Riego and his family.

Throughout Spain, General Rafael del Riego has been known as a hero of not just the first Spanish Republic, but Spain’s Republic which was later reinstituted and eventually gave birth to Democracy. During the Spanish Civil War, El Himno del Riego, a song written by his troops in honor of him, was designated as the anthem for the second Spanish Republic. In the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Oviedo and Cadiz, streets and squares bear the family name and leave a vivid reminder with statues or busts of the General.

Our family’s village of origin in Tuña, Asturias, Spain has the original family home where General Rafael del Riego was born, dedicated as a historical monument. It happens to be where my grandfather was also born generations later. During the Spanish Civil War, Franco removed many of the street names and statues dedicated to our family in Madrid and Barcelona, yet they were later restored after Franco’s death in 1975 as the country rapidly transitioned to Democracy.

General Rafael del Riego’s Impact Beyond Spain

Above Image – Printed portrait of Riego in 1820 by Hippolyte Lecomte.

The execution of General Rafael del Riego immeidately caused outrage throughout Europe. Even in London they proposed a monument and actvitist John Cartwright said that the General represented “the common cause of humanity” better than anyone else. Riego’s wife was living in London for safety at the end of his life and died only a few months after her husband’s hanging.

In 1835 the regent María Cristina de Borbón signed a decree exonerating Riego and declaring that he was “restored in his good name, fame and memory”. Even before this, and throughout the following years, Riego became a martry, a myth of sorts, known as a defender of civil liberties in Spain. Only one year after he was killed, Félix Mejía, a Spanish liberal writer exiled to Philadelphia, referred to Riego admiringly in his published writings. In 1824, the famed Russian poet Alexander Pushkin dedicated a poem to Riego and his portrait was displayed in a bookstore in Moscow. A tragedy play by HM Milner, Spanish Martyrs or Death of Riego! premiered in London in 1825. He was even mentioned in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.

Spanish historians Ángel Bahamonde and Jesús Antonio Martínez have professed that Riego “became the first great hero of the revolution and was associated with the liberal ideal. A mythical character who would capitalize on the identifying features of the liberal impulse through multiple popular expressions, such as the anthem, and who would become part of the heritage of liberal culture and of subsequent revolutions.”.

The Lasting Impact of the First Spanish Republic

Above Images – The plaque on the ancestral home of General Rafael del Riego in Tuña, Asturias, Spain, a dedicated historicl site. 

I’m proud and honored of my family’s legacy in Spain. For me, it also carries with it a sense of responsibility and a strong connection to the country and its people. It is no surprise to me that I moved abroad to Spain from my native country of the US, as though I was being drawn back to return to family roots. Sentiments and values that are so hard fought for, carry a lot of energy. They may seem to be defeated with a life ended but as history teaches us, they linger and are re-born, even if it is generations later.

So it is not surprising to me that my abuelito (grandfather) would follow in very similar footsteps to that of our ancestor, General Rafael del Riego, fighting for the second Spanish Republic. Yet while he met with similar, perpetuating conflicts, my abuelito’s inherited values and traits manifested in some different ways, leading him down the unique path of his own story.

TO BE CONTINUED: Stay tuned and subscribe to not miss chapter 3 in the Chronicles of Heritage, coming soon!