View source for Miguel Ricardo de Álava

{{Short description|Spanish general (1770–1843)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{family name hatnote|Álava|Esquivel|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Miguel Ricardo de Álava
| office = [[Prime Minister of Spain]]
| honorific-prefix = [[The Most Excellent]]
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Bath|KCB]] [[Military Order of William|MWO]]
| image = Miguel Ricardo de Álava.jpg
| caption = Portrait by [[George Dawe]], 1818
| term_start = 14 September 1835
| term_end = 25 September 1835
| monarch = [[Isabella II of Spain|Isabella II]]
| predecessor = [[Jose Maria Queipo de Llano, 7th Count of Toreno|The Count of Toreno]]
| successor = [[Juan Alvarez Mendizabal|Juan Álvarez Mendizábal]]
| birth_date = 7 July 1770 
| birth_place = [[Vitoria, Spain|Vitoria-Gasteiz]], [[Álava]], Spain
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1843|7|14|1770|7|1}}
| death_place = [[Barèges]], France
| signature = 
| rank= [[Brigadier General]]
|battles= 
{{tree list}}
* '''[[War of the Third Coalition]]'''
** [[Battle of Trafalgar]]
* '''[[Peninsular War]]'''
** [[Battle of Bussaco]]
** [[Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812)|Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo]]
** [[Siege of Badajoz (1812)|Siege of Badajoz]]
** [[Battle of Salamanca]]
** [[Battle of Vitoria]]
* '''[[Hundred Days]]'''  
** [[Battle of Waterloo]]
{{tree list/end}}
}}

'''Miguel Ricardo de Álava y Esquivel''' {{Post-nominals|list=[[Order of the Bath|KCB]] [[Military Order of William|MWO]]}} (7 July 1770 – 14 July 1843) was a Spanish general and [[politician|statesman]] who served as [[Prime Minister of Spain]] in 1835. He was born in the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]], at [[Vitoria-Gasteiz]], in 1770. Álava holds the distinction of having been present at both [[Battle of Trafalgar|Trafalgar]] and [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]], fighting against the British at the former and with them at the latter.{{sfn|Summerville|2007|p=4}}{{sfn|Swinton|1893|pp=124–132}}

Alava served as a naval [[aide-de-camp]] during the time of Spain's alliance with France but switched sides in 1808 when [[Napoleon]] invaded Spain.{{sfn|Summerville|2007|p=4}} The Spanish Cortes appointed him commissary ([[military attaché]]) at the British Army Headquarters, and Wellesley, the future [[Duke of Wellington]], who regarded him with great favour, made him one of his aides-de-camp. Before the close of the campaign, he had risen to the rank of brigadier-general. During the [[Waterloo Campaign]] in 1815, Alava was the Spanish ambassador to The Hague at the court of King [[William I of the Netherlands]], which allowed him to attend the [[Duchess of Richmond's ball]] and to be at Wellington's side during the [[Battle of Waterloo]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}}

==Early life==
[[File:Retrato General Álava.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of Álava, [[Museo de Bellas Artes de Álava]]]]

Born into a noble family of naval tradition, he was the son of Pedro Jacinto de Álava y Navarrete and María Manuela de Esquível y Peralta. His uncle was [[Ignacio Maria de Alava|Ignacio María de Álava]], renowned officer who became the [[Captain general of the Navy]] in 1817. He married his cousin María Loreto de Arriola y Equível, a grandchild of the Marquesses of Legarda, in 1813. Between 1781 and 1790 he completed his studies at the {{ill|Vergara Seminary|es|Seminario de Nobles de Vergara}}, an institution dedicated to the education of sons of noblemen run by the [[Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País]].

In 1785, at age 13, he entered the Infantry Regiment of Seville n. 11 as a [[cadet]], led at the time by his other uncle, José de Álava, reaching the rank of [[second lieutenant]] in 1787. After his time in the infantry, and coinciding with the end of his studies, he entered the Navy in 1790, possibly attracted by the distinguished figure of his uncle, [[Ignacio Maria de Alava|Ignacio Maria de Álava]]. He joined different ships from which he participated in multiple military actions, including the [[Siege of Ceuta (1790–1791)|siege of Ceuta]], [[Siege of Toulon (1793)|siege of Toulon]] and various engagements in Italy, which, together with his well-connected family, allowed him to rapidly rise through the ranks. By 1794, he was already a [[frigate lieutenant]].

Embarked with his uncle Ignacio in 1795 on an expedition that sought to travel around the world, he remained in South America until 1800. Álava returned to Spain following orders he had received three years earlier, but was captured at sea by the British. He was released several months later, and in 1801 he was back in Spain. In 1802, he was posted to [[Cádiz]], where he was promoted to lieutenant of the ship. On his return to Cádiz in 1805, he was assigned to the fleet commanded by [[Federico Gravina|Admiral Gravina]]. After the expedition to [[Martinique]], conceived by [[Napoleon]] as a diversionary maneuver for the [[Royal Navy]], he intervened in the [[Cape Finisterre|Finisterre]] skirmish. On 21 October he participated in the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] under the orders of Gravina aboard the ''[[Spanish ship Principe de Asturias (1794)|Príncipe de Asturias]]'' while his uncle Ignacio captained the ''[[Spanish ship Santa Ana (1784)|Santa Ana]]''. After the battle, he would be promoted once again.

==War of the Third Coalition==
Álava served first in the Navy, and had risen to be [[Captain (naval)|captain]] of a [[frigate]] when he transferred into the army, receiving corresponding [[Military rank|rank]]. He was present as a [[Spanish Navy Marines|Marine]] at the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] on board the 112-gun [[Spanish ship Santa Ana (1784)|Santa Ana]], which was the [[flagship]] of his uncle, Admiral [[Ignacio Maria de Álava y Saenz de Navarrete|Ignacio Álava]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}}

[[File:Battle of Waterloo closeup.jpg|thumb|''[[The Battle of Waterloo (Pieneman painting)|The Battle of Waterloo]]'' by [[Jan Willem Pieneman]], 1824. The [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]] leads his generals at the [[Battle of Waterloo]]. Álava, with the [[Order of Santiago]] in his chest, is the second from the right]]

==Peninsular War==
At the assembly of [[Bayonne]] in 1808, he was one of the most prominent of those who accepted the new constitution from [[Joseph Bonaparte]] as King of Spain. After the national rising against French aggression, and the defeat of [[Pierre-Antoine, comte Dupont de l'Étang|General Dupont]] at [[Battle of Bailén|Bailen]] in 1808, Álava joined the national independence party, who were fighting in alliance with the [[Peninsular War|British forces in the peninsula]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}} At the end of January 1810 he was ordered to move to Portugal in order to communicate Wellington the difficult military situation in that they were against the French. During this stay a friendship between Wellington and Alava was created, to the point that the Duke had him remain as delegate of the Spanish forces in the British units. He was promoted to [[brigadier]] by express recommendation of Wellington.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}} He saw action in the battles of [[Battle of Salamanca|Salamanca]], [[Battle of Vitoria|Vitoria]], [[Battle of Bussaco|Bussaco]] and at the [[Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812)|Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo]], as well as taking part in the storming of [[Siege of Badajoz (1812)|Badajoz]].<ref>Wellesley, Arthur. ''The dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington...'': Volume 10.{{full citation needed|date=January 2016}}</ref> For his service in the Peninsula he was made an honorary Knight Commander of the [[Order of the Bath]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=17069|page=2065|date=10 October 1815}}</ref>

==Hundred Days==
[[Image:Vitoria - Monumento Batalla Vitoria2.JPG|thumb|Equestrian statue of the General in the Monument to the [[Battle of Vitoria]] (1813), Vitoria, Spain]]
On the restoration of [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand]], Álava was cast into prison, but the influence of his uncle Ethenard, the Inquisitor, and of Wellington secured his speedy release. He soon contrived to gain the favour of the King, who appointed him ambassador to [[The Hague]] in 1815. As a result of this, he was present at the Battle of Waterloo with Wellington's staff.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}} Álava stuck close to the Duke during the Battle. Like Wellington, and unlike many of his staff, Álava survived the battle without sustaining any wound although Wellington and his staff were in the thick of the action, with the Duke declaring to Alava: "The hand of Almighty God has been upon me this day".{{sfn|Summerville|2007|pp=4–5}} Álava is presumed to have been the only man on the Coalition side who was present at both Waterloo and Trafalgar.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}} {{efn|Christopher Summerville mentions that the French General [[Antoine Drouot]] was also present at both battles,{{sfn|Summerville|2007|p=5}} and Bernard Cornwell has pointed out that at least one battalion of French soldiers present at Waterloo had served as marines at Trafalgar.{{sfn|Cornwell|2015|p=42}} }}
==Politician and diplomat==

On the breaking out of the [[Trienio Liberal|revolution of 1820]], he was chosen by the province of Álava to represent it in the Cortes, where he became conspicuous in the party of the Exaltados, and in 1822 was made President. In the latter year, he fought with the militia under [[Francisco Ballesteros]] and [[Pablo Morillo]] to maintain the authority of the Cortes against the rebels. When the French invested Cádiz, Álava was commissioned by the Cortes to treat with the [[Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême|Duc d'Angoulême]], and the negotiations resulted in the restoration of Ferdinand, who pledged himself to a liberal policy. No sooner had the King regained power, however, than he ceased to hold himself bound by his promises, and Álava found it necessary to retire first to Gibraltar and then to England.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}} There, he was given a house on the Duke of Wellington's [[Hampshire]] estate [[Stratfield Saye House|Stratfield Saye]] and introduced to his bank [[Coutts]]: "This is my friend, and as long as I have any money with your house, let him have it to any amount he thinks proper to draw for".{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

On the death of Ferdinand, he returned to Spain, and espousing the cause of [[Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies|Maria Christina]] against [[Infante Carlos, Count of Molina|Don Carlos]] was appointed ambassador to London in 1834, and to Paris in 1835. Proposed as [[List of Prime Ministers of Spain|Prime Minister]] in September 1835, he rejected his nomination. After the {{ILL|insurrection of La Granja|es|Motín de La Granja de San Ildefonso}} he refused to sign the [[Spanish Constitution of 1837]], declaring himself tired of taking new oaths, and was consequently obliged to retire to France, where he died at [[Barèges]] in 1843.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}}

==Legacy==

[[File:Vitoria - Diputacion Foral Alava12.JPG|thumb|Bronze sculpture of Álava at Diputación Foral de Álava, Vitoria, Spain]]

Both the relationships established with high-ranking military personnel during the Peninsular War and his diplomatic work as ambassador in London and Paris gave Álava access to a wide network of prominent contacts that, in some cases, went beyond the strictly professional sphere.

Thus, in September 1813, [[William II of the Netherlands]], at the time [[Prince of Orange]], with whom he fought during the Napoleonic campaigns, congratulated him on his impending marriage and asked him, in a relaxed tone, to invite him to the ceremony, which Álava happily did. The French queen consort, [[Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily|María Amalia]], wrote to him about her daughter's future wedding and other family concerns. Nonetheless, it was the Duke of Wellington who was probably Álava's greatest admirer and friend, who gained the Iron Duke's trust when he served as his [[aide-de-camp]] during the fight against the French.

The novelist Ildefonso Arenas wrote a historical novel about the intervention of General Álava as Wellington's aide-de-camp in the [[Battle of Waterloo]], ''Álava en Waterloo'', published in [[Barcelona]] in 2012.

Frequent and honourable mention of Álava is made in [[William Francis Patrick Napier|Napier's]] ''History of the Peninsular War'', and his name is often met both in lives{{clarify|date=May 2017}} of the Duke of Wellington and in his correspondence.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=478}}

There are currently three monuments dedicated to him, namely the Monument to the Battle of Vitoria in [[Plaza de la Virgen Blanca]] and two statues, at the Diputación Foral de Álava and Museum of the Armoury, all of them in Vitoria, Spain.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{citation|last=Cornwell|first=Bernard|title=Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z6N3CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT42|date=23 February 2015|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-312-92522-9|page=42}}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}
*{{citation |last=Summerville |first=Christopher J. |chapter=Alava |year=2007|title=Who was who at Waterloo: A Biography of the Battle |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_cXSrh0C_IC&pg=PA4 |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-0-582-78405-5 |pages=4–5}}
*{{citation|last=Swinton |first=Georgiana |year=1893|title=A Sketch of the Life of Georgiana, Lady de Ros: With Some Reminiscences of her friends, including the Duke of Wellington |url=https://archive.org/details/asketchlifegeor01rosgoog |location=London |publisher=John Murry}}

'''Attribution'''
*{{EB1911 |wstitle=Álava, Don Miguel Ricardo de |volume=1 |page=487}}

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{{S-bef|rows=2|before=[[José María Queipo de Llano, 7th Count of Toreno|The Count of Toreno]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of Prime Ministers of Spain#Kingdom of Spain (1700-1873)#Prime Ministers (Presidents of the Council of Ministers)|Prime Minister of Spain]]|years=14 September 1835 – 4 October 1835}}
{{S-aft|rows=2|after=[[Juan Álvarez Mendizábal]]}}
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{{S-ttl|title=[[List of Foreign Ministers of Spain#Kingdom of Spain (1705-1873)#Ministers of State (1834-1873)|Minister of State]]|years=14 September 1835 – 4 October 1835}}
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{{Napoleonic Wars}}
{{SpanishPrimeMinisters}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alava, Miguel De}}
[[Category:1770 births]]
[[Category:1843 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Vitoria-Gasteiz]]
[[Category:Spanish untitled nobility]]
[[Category:Progressive Party (Spain) politicians]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Spain]]
[[Category:Foreign ministers of Spain]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Spain]]
[[Category:Members of the Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Politicians from the Basque Country (autonomous community)]]
[[Category:Spanish generals]]
[[Category:Diplomats for Spain]]
[[Category:Spanish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Spain to France]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Spain to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]