PABLO MORILLO Y MORILLO: BIOGRAPHY AND MILITARY CAREER - ARTE - 2024

Pablo Morillo y Morillo (1775-1837) was a Spanish military man, Count of Cartagena and Marqués de la Puerta, known as "the Peacemaker" for his role in the Spanish reconquest during the Spanish-American wars of independence.

In the years that he served in the Royal Spanish Armada, he fought in the French revolutionary wars and participated in different battles, among which those of Trafalgar or Cape San Vicente stand out.

Pablo Morillo. By Horace Vernet

During the Spanish War of Independence he was under the command of General Castaños, who soon promoted him to infantry lieutenant, after Morillo demonstrated his bravery in the battles of Bailen and Vitoria.

Once the war of independence was over, in 1814 Fernando VII appointed him captain general of Venezuela. He was sent as the chief in charge of the peacekeeping expedition to stop the rebellion in the wars of independence in Venezuela and New Granada.

After the taking of Cartagena de Indias, he reconquered the Viceroyalty of New Granada for the Spanish crown. However, he was unable to stop the subsequent revolutionary reaction. Although at first he applied a policy of pardons, he later sentenced the patriots to death. For this reason, this historical period is known as the "regime of terror."

In Venezuela he managed to stop the advance towards Caracas of Simón Bolívar, after defeating him in the battle of La Puerta. With the Armistice Treaty and another so-called Regularization of the War of 1820, he managed to establish a truce.

On his return to Spain, during the Liberal Triennium, he joined the absolutists, although later he switched to the constitutional ones. He lost his positions and a purification court tried him, for which he was forced to take refuge in France.

Later, in 1832 he returned to take over the captaincy general of Galicia and participated in the Carlist war against the supporters of Carlos María Isidro de Borbón. But his health was already very deteriorating and he died in Barèges, France, in 1837.

Biography

Early years

Pablo Morillo nació en Fuenteseca, Zamora el 5 de mayo 1775. Sus padres se llamaban Lorenzo y María, siendo una familia campesina y humilde. Aunque ejerció como pastor los primeros años de su vida, esto no fue un impedimento para que Morillo aprendiera a leer y a escribir.

Con la ayuda de un amigo de la familia, viajó hasta Salamanca para realizar sus estudios. Sin embargo, los abandonó pronto para alistarse como soldado en la infantería de Marina Real.

Su inteligencia y valentía le hicieron ascender con rapidez. Combatió y destacó en multitud de batallas, como las del sitio de Tolón, Trafalgar y San Vicente, por lo que no le costó mucho pasar de ser soldado a cabo y posteriormente a sargento.

When he was about 20 years old he was assigned to El Ferrol. It was there that he met and married Joaquina Rodríguez. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1805 when Morillo was 30 years old and they did not have children.

Military career

Marine Corps

From a very young age, Morillo showed his interest in military life. For this reason, in 1791 he enlisted in the Spanish Marine Corps.

In 1793 he was in different battles in the war against revolutionary France. He participated in the battles of the siege of Toulon, where he was wounded and had to withdraw from combat. He was also at the landing on the island of San Pedro, in Sardinia. In 1794, he participated in the Labrada landing and at the site of the castle of the Trinidad in Rosas.

On the other hand, during the battles against England, his participation in the naval combat of Cape San Vicente in 1797, on board the ship San Isidro, stands out. He was taken prisoner, but was released shortly after. In October of that year, he was promoted to second sergeant and was assigned to Cádiz, where he participated against the attack on England in 1797.

In 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar, he was wounded aboard the ship San Ildefonso, which was captured by Nelson's fleet. Later, Morillo spent a few years in Cádiz waiting to be assigned to a surviving ship.

Spanish war of independence

With Napoleon's invasion, Pablo Morillo had the opportunity, like other young people of the time, to continue demonstrating his worth and his military qualities. In the Navy he had already reached the highest degree he could aspire to, which was corporal.

For this reason, he resigned his post in the Navy and, in June 1808, he enlisted in the volunteer corps of Llerena. There, thanks to his military experience, he was appointed second lieutenant. A month later he participated in the battle of Bailén, specifically on July 19, 1808 under the command of General Francisco Javier Castaños.

In January 1809, Morillo rose to the rank of captain in the Spanish Volunteer Infantry to support the uprising in Galicia led by the Marquis of La Romana.

In Galicia he was in charge of the resistance against the Napoleonic troops. In addition, he intervened in the assault on Vigo and defeated the French at Ponte Sampaio, Pontevedra and Santiago. This led Morillo to occupy the highest positions in the military hierarchy. After these victories, he formed the regiment of La Unión and marched towards Castile and Extremadura.

Later, in 1813, he joined the English army of Arthur Wellesley, known as the Duke of Wellington. His bravery once again stood out in the battle of Vitoria, for which he was appointed Field Marshal. During those years, he became one of the most glorious military men in Spain.

In 1814, threatened again by Napoleon, the line of the Pyrenees had to be reinforced. He faced the French and seized their positions, but in the end he had to abandon before the arrival of more enemies.

Once the War of Independence in Spain ended and Fernando VII had regained the throne, on August 14, 1814 he received his appointment as Captain General of Venezuela.

Reconquest of New Granada and Venezuela

For his performance in the fight against French troops, in 1815, Fernando VII entrusted Morillo with the command of an army to go to fight the rebels in America.

With the mission of calming the revolts in the American colonies, he set sail with a fleet of 18 warships and 42 freighters, disembarking in Carupano and Isla Margarita. In a military campaign to fight against the revolutionary armies of Simón Bolívar, he also traveled to Caracas, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Santa Marta and Cartagena de Indias.

In Cartagena de Indias, independence from the Spanish crown had been proclaimed. So on August 22, 1815, Morillo surrounded the city of Cartagena and put it under siege, until the Royal Army of Spain entered the city. With the control of Cartagena, Morillo returned to Venezuela to continue the fight against the revolutionaries.

This period is known as the "Regime of Terror", given that Morillo applied severe policies, burned and expropriated properties, and sentenced the rebels to death.

In 1819, he was defeated by Simón Bolívar at Bocayá and in June 1820, Morillo, under royal mandate, ordered everyone in the colonies to obey the Constitution of Cádiz and sent delegates to negotiate with Bolívar and his followers. Bolívar and Morillo met in the city of Santa Ana and signed a six-month armistice and another called Regularization of the War.

Liberal triennium

On his return to Spain he wrote his memoirs on the main events of the American campaigns. This text was a response to the accusations he had received for cruelty exercised in America.

When Morillo returned to Spain, during the Liberal Triennium, he was first in favor of the constitutionalists. During this time, Quiroga and the rebels tried to assassinate him on several occasions.

However, he later switched to the absolutist side. He was appointed captain general of New Castile and, in 1823 he fought against the French invasion of Louis Antoine, Duke of Angouleme. Morillo was defeated.

When King Ferdinand VII restored the absolute regime and returned to the throne in 1823, he was sentenced by a purification court and lost many of his positions. So later he took refuge in France.

Carlist war and last years

In 1824 he went into exile in France, from where he did not return until 1832, when he was appointed captain general of Galicia. At the head of the Liberals, he assumed the judicial and administrative powers.

He participated in some military operations during the Carlist wars in support of the regent queen Cristina. He was also in the First Carlist War against the defenders of Carlos María Isidro de Borbón, but had to retire early due to health problems.

In 1834, he published a mandate that promised absolute pardon to supporters of Carlism if they surrendered. However, not obtaining the response he expected, he gave the order to attack Sanjuanena, where many public figures considered Carlist were persecuted.

In 1836, he asked the queen for permission to retire to France and be treated for his health problems. However, despite the change of scenery, his condition worsened. He died in Barèges, France, on July 27, 1837, leaving behind a multitude of titles and decorations, as well as one hundred and fifty actions of war.

References

1. Morillo, Pablo (1778-1837). (2019). Taken from datos.bne.es
2. Pablo Morillo. (2019). Taken from ibero.mienciclo.com
3. Pablo Morillo - Encyclopedia - Banrepcultural. (2019). Taken from encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org
4. PABLO MORILLO AND MORILLO. (2019). Taken from bicentenarioindependencia.gov.co
5. Pablo Morillo y Morillo - Royal Academy of History. (2019). Taken from dbe.rah.es