Jose de Palafox there Melzi

Gift of Jose Palafox there Melzi (1776-1847), wire junior by an old family of Aragon, was Spanish general, hero of the Guerre of Spanish independence, duke of Saragossa.

Raised to the court of Spain, it entered very young person the guards and in 1808, like Sous-lieutenant. It accompanied Ferdinand VII by Spain to the Entrevue of Bayonne with Napoleon. After, having in vain tried to make escape its king captive of the French, he flees in Spain.

After one short period of retirement it placed itself at the head of the patriotic movement in Aragon. He was proclaimed by the people governor of Saragossa and captain-general of Aragon. In spite of the lack of money and regular troops, it did not waste time to declare the war with the French who occupied already the provinces close to Catalogne and of Navarre. A street battle started then with Saragossa, which after one week, made the attackers main of half of the city. But the brother of Palafox succeeds in forcing a passage with a reinforcement of 3.000 soldiers. Stimulated by Palafox and the demagogs violent ones and solved who reigned on the rabble, the inhabitants of the city decided to dispute the possession of the still free districts, by defending them step by step, and if necessary to withdraw itself towards the suburbs on other side of the Ebre, after having destroyed the bridge which spans it. The combat was prolonged still nine days and finished on August 14th, 1808, by the withdrawal of the French, after 61 days of seat.

Palafox, then tried a short campaign in order to release the country, but when Napoleon in person entered to Spain to the head of his army and destroyed in a few weeks the enemy armies one after the other, Palafox was forced to beat a retreat in Saragossa, where it supported a memorable seat again. This one finished after three months by the fall of the city, or rather the stop of resistance. The city was in ruins and the diseases had swept thousands of defenders. Palafox itself victim of the epidemic, fell to the hands from the French and was kept prisoner with Vincennes until December 1813.

In June 1814, it was confirmed in its load of captain-general of Aragon, but soon it was withdrawn and ceased taking share with the public affairs. From 1820 to 1823 it ordered the royal guard of Ferdinand, but taking the party of the Constitution in the demonstrations who followed, it was stripped of all its honors and loads by the king, whose restoration by the French bayonets was a triumph of the reaction and absolutism.

Parafox remained in withdrawal during many years. It accepted from the queen Maria Christina, the title of duke of Saragossa. From 1836 it took share with the policy in the capacity as senator.

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