Rafael Núñez

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Lore & Background

Riego was born on 7 April 1784 in Tuña, Asturias. After graduating in Law from the University of Oviedo in 1807, he moved to Madrid to join the Royal Guard. In March 1808 his company was involved in the Tumult of Aranjuez and dissolved. In November 1808, as a captain and aide-de-camp to General Vicente María de Acevedo, he fought at the Battle of Espinosa de los Monteros, after which he was taken prisoner. Sent to France, he remained there until January 1814, when he escaped and made his way to England, joining a unit of foreign soldiers raised by the British government to send to Spain. Returning shortly before the Spanish Constitution of 1812 was abolished by King Fernando VII, Riego was appointed a captain in the Infantry Regiment of the Princess in 1814. Having joined the Ejército de Ultramar, the expeditionary force commanded by Enrique O'Donnell, Conde de La Bisbal, that was being prepared to put down the Spanish American wars of independence, and later promoted to lieutenant colonel, Riego was incorporated into the Asturian Battalion at Las Cabezas de San Juan. On 1 January 1820, at the head of his battalion at Cabezas de San Juan, he proclaimed the restoration of the Spanish Constitution of 1812, the start of the Pronunciamiento de Riego. Riego's troops marched through the cities of Andalusia hoping to start an anti-absolutist uprising, but the local population was mostly indifferent. An uprising took place in Galicia and quickly spread throughout Spain. On 7 March 1820, the royal palace in Madrid was surrounded by soldiers under General Francisco Ballesteros, and on 10 March, the King agreed to restore the Constitution.

Reader's Guide

Riego's significance lies in his leadership of the 1820 revolt that forced King Ferdinand VII to restore the Constitution of 1812. The uprising began on 1 January 1820 at Las Cabezas de San Juan, supported by troops belonging to the Great Overseas Expedition, a force of some twenty thousand men assembled at Cádiz between 1819 and 1820 to reinforce royalist forces in Spanish America. The expedition was never dispatched because Riego's revolt prevented its departure, depriving Spain of reinforcements intended for the royalist armies in America. According to Anthony H. Hull, Riego's liberal uprising marked 'the death knell of the Spanish Empire in mainland America'. The Great Overseas Expedition was commanded by Enrique José O'Donnell, Count of La Bisbal, with naval forces under Francisco Mourelle. It was the largest expeditionary force Spain prepared after the expedition of Pablo Morillo in 1815. Estimates of its strength range from 20,000 to 25,000 troops, supported by a fleet of ships of the line, frigates, corvettes and transport vessels. The revolt, supported by troops assigned to the expedition, prevented its departure. Riego died on 7 November 1823.

Did You Know?

• Riego graduated in Law from the University of Oviedo in 1807 before joining the Royal Guard.
• He was taken prisoner after the Battle of Espinosa de los Monteros in November 1808 and remained in France until January 1814.
• Riego's 1820 revolt began with just his battalion at Las Cabezas de San Juan, proclaiming the restoration of the 1812 Constitution.
• The Great Overseas Expedition, which Riego's revolt prevented from sailing, was estimated at 20,000 to 25,000 troops.
• According to Anthony H. Hull, Riego's uprising marked 'the death knell of the Spanish Empire in mainland America'.