Juan Bautista Almeida
The Portuguese hero
The Portuguese Captain Almeida became one of the heroes of the Reconquest of Vigo, after Joaquín Tenreiro Montenegro convinced him to join the uprising in the South of Galicia with his troops. He participated in the siege and the first negotiation with Chalot, and was later replaced by Morillo. Dur... read more...
Juan Rosendo Arias Enríquez
The Abbot of Valadares
Born in Bande in 1757, Juan Rosendo Arias Enríquez passed into history as the guerrilla leader who fought the French during the Reconquest of Vigo. He was the Abbot of Valadares for over thirty years and organised the Vigo uprising together with the Mayor of Fragoso, Cayetano Parada and Pérez de Li... read more...
Francisco Colombo y Geraes
Hero of Vigo and Sampaio
He was a native of Peñíscola and came from a military family. In 1788, Francisco joined the military and began his ascent until he reached the rank of lieutenant in 1794. He was promoted to the rank of Captain of the Grenadiers in the Navarra army.
Colombo was then transferred to Galicia, where he... read more...
Juan Antonio Gago
The corsair from Marín
His corsair activity during the war against England provided Juan Antonio Gago with the necessary military experience in the Independence War. Juan was a native of Marín and participated in several actions in Pontevedra and O Morrazo and furthermore played an important role in the Reconquest of Vig... read more...
Bernardo González del Valle
The hero of Gamboa
Bernardo González del Valle will pass into history for his nickname that corresponded to the village in Ourense where he was born on the 23rd of March, 1771. His father, Ignacio González, had also served in the army as Captain of the Ourense regiment.
In 1791, we find "Cachamuíña" as sub-lieutenant... read more...
Tomás Martínez
The gunner monk
A native of Matamá, he was 51 when he participated in the Reconquest. Tomás was the caretaker of Saint Martha’s convent during the occupation and his articles on the French abuses are a top quality documentary source. His greatest contribution was manufacture of cartridges for the soldiers. He als... read more...
Pablo Morillo
Military intelligence
Pablo was born in Fuentesecas (Salamanca) on the 5th of May, 1778, and had enlisted in the navy at the young age of 13, whereupon he was stationed in Ferrol. Whilst an adolescent, he distinguished himself in actions such as the landing at Sardinia and at the siege of Toulon. Thanks to these early m... read more...
Cayetano Pérez de Limia
The mayor of Fragoso
Born in the middle of the 18th century in Ourense, Cayetano was already the Mayor of Valle del Fragoso when the French occupied the province of Tui. He was one of the leaders during the Reconquest of Vigo and managed to raise the people in arms against the invaders by acting as the right-hand man of... read more...
Joaquín Tenreiro Montenegro
The primogeniture in arms
Born in Requena (Valencia), in 1856, he was the primogeniture in many lands in Galicia from which he earned income. When the French entered Galicia, he rebelled and started a revolt which made him return to this kingdom (from his residence in Madrid), and he turned down a post as member of parliamen... read more...
Mauricio Troncoso
The abbot of Couto
In February, 1809, he established himself as the principal leader of the uprising against the French and confronted the very Marshall Soult at Mourentán bridge . He managed to attract support amongst the local residents and formed a small army with which he organised the siege of the city of Tui. He... read more...
Francisco Javier Vázquez Varela
The mayor of Vigo
Just prior to the entry of the French in the town of Vigo, Francisco Javier Vázquez Varela was appointed as Mayor and Judge within a operation that was devised to dismiss the earlier corporation, which was suspected of being pro-French. He maintained his post during the French occupation under Gover... read more...
Andrés Villageliú
From Franciscan to a hero
When the French entered Galicia, Andrés Villageliú was the Main Preacher at the convent of Saint Francis. He fled from the monastery a few days prior to the siege of Vigo after trying to enlist into the troops of the Marquis of La Romana, and contacted the Abbot of Valadares, who appointed him as h... read more...
