Rafael del Riego

Rafael del Riego y Nuñez (9 April, 1784 - 7 November, 1823) was a Spanish general and liberal politician.

Del Riego was born on 9 April 1784 (according to other sources 24 November 1785) in Santa María de Tuñas in Asturias. After graduating from the University of Oviedo in 1807, he moved to Madrid, where he joined the army. In 1808, during the Spanish War of Independence he was taken captive by the French and imprisoned in Escorial, from where he eventually escaped.

On 10 November he took part in the Battle of Espinosa de los Monteros, after which he once again was taken prisoner. Three days later he was sent to France, and after he changed his name to "Riego" (without the "del"), was eventually released. He traveled around England and the German states, and in 1814 he returned to Spain and once again joined the army in the rank of lieutenant colonel.

During the six years of absolutism he joined the freemasons and liberals in a conspiracy against king Ferdinand VII. In 1819 the king formed 10 battalions to fight the South American resistance movements. Riego took command of the Asturian battalion. However, after arriving at Cádiz, together with other officers he started a mutiny on 1 January, 1820 and demanded the return of the 1812 constitution. This conflict was later known as Spanish Civil War, 1820-1823. Riego's troops marched through the cities of Andalusia with the hope of starting an anti-royal uprising, but the local population was mostly indifferent. An uprising was however started in Galicia, and it quickly spread throughout Spain. On 7 March, 1820 the royal palace in Madrid was surrounded by soldiers under the command of general Ballesteros, and on March 10 the king agreed to restore the constitution.

The newly founded "progressist" government promoted Riego to field marshall and made him Captain General of Galicia. On 8 January, 1821 he took command of Aragon, and moved to Saragossa. On 18 June of the same year he married his cousin Maria Teresa del Riego y Bustillos. On 4 September 1821 because of a failed republican revolt, he was wrongly accused of republicanism and imprisoned. However, his popularity grew, and demonstrations took place in Madrid demanding his release. In March, 1822 he was elected to the Cortes Generales, and eventually released from prison.In December 1822, at the Congress of Verona, the Quintuple Alliance countries decided that a republican Spain would be a threat to the balance of Europe, and France was chosen to re-introduce absolute monarchy in Spain. On 7 April, 1823 the French army crossed the borders. Riego took command of the 3rd Army, and resisted the invaders as well as local loyalist groups. But on 15 September he was betrayed, and taken prisoner in a "cortijo" near of the village of Arquillos(Jaén). He was taken to Madrid. Even though absolute amnesty had been announced, the royal court found Riego guilty of treason, as he was one of the members of parliament who voted in favor of taking the power from the king. After being shot to death in a desperate scape-away attempt, on 7 November 1823 Rafael del Riego's corpse was hanged at the la Cebada square in Madrid.

"El Himno de Riego", a song written in honour of Riego was the anthem of the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939). Currently his portrait is displayed in the building of the Cortes Generales.