''Ayacuchos'' is the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

given by the opponents of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

general

Baldomero Espartero Baldomero Fernández-Espartero y Álvarez de Toro (27 February 17938 January 1879) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He served as the Regent of the Realm, three times as Prime Minister and briefly as President of the Congress of Deputies ...

to the military men grouped around him and who formed a "''

camarilla A camarilla is a group of courtiers or favourites who surround a king or ruler. Usually, they do not hold any office or have any official authority at the Court (royal), royal court but power behind the throne, influence their ruler behind the sce ...

''" that had a notable influence during his regency (1840–1843) and with whom they shared the

liberal-progressive Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1925 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics there was no Liberal-Progressive Party, as such. The term generally referred to candidates endorsed by Lib ...

political orientation (among others:

José Ramón Rodil José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

, , Isidro Alaix, and , his military secretary). The name comes from the fact that all of them had participated in the

Battle of Ayacucho The Battle of Ayacucho (, ) was a decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence. This battle secured the independence of Peru and ensured independence for the rest of belligerent South American states. In Peru it is conside ...

(1824) that put an end to the

Spanish American wars of independence The Spanish American wars of independence () took place across the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. The struggles in both hemispheres began shortly after the outbreak of the Peninsular War, forming part of the broader context of the ...

, although curiously, Espartero himself did not participate in the battle of Ayacucho, as he was captured shortly after disembarking. By extension, the term was also used — although the expression "'" was preferred — to refer to the military men who played a leading role in the political life of the

reign of Isabella II of Spain The reign of Isabella II has been seen as being essential to the modern history of Spain. Isabella's reign spanned the death of Ferdinand VII in 1833 until the Spanish Glorious Revolution of 1868, which forced the Queen into exile and establis ...

, of different political orientation ( Espartero, Narváez,

O'Donnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell in Ulster in the north of medieval and early modern Ireland. Naming ...

Prim Prim may refer to: People * Prim (given name) * Prim (surname) Places * Prim, Virginia, unincorporated community in King George County *Dolní Přím, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Přím, a village and part of Javornice in ...

or Serrano).

Origin

The group of military that the anti-sparterist opposition called in a derogatory tone as the "''ayacuchos''" has its origin in the relations that the chiefs and officers under the orders of General

José de la Serna José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

, of

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

ideas, maintained during their stay in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. These military men were generals who enjoyed the maximum confidence of General

because they had fought and developed their military career with him in the Spanish-American wars of independence, and hence the name "''ayacuchos''" — in reference to the last battle of that war, a battle in which Espartero did not participate. Back in Spain the group maintained the clientelistic relations of mutual support during the

First Carlist War The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Monarchy of Spain, Spanish monarchy: the conservative a ...

around Espartero, which would continue after Espartero assumed the regency. This group of "''ayacuchos''" included, among others, General

Antonio Seoane Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

, General , General

Martín Zurbano Martín Zurbano Baras (February 29, 1788 – January 21, 1845) was a Spanish military figure. A guerrilla leader, he is considered a "martyr to Spanish liberty".José Ramón Rodil y Gayoso and General , who was Espartero's secretary. Generals

José de Canterac César José de Canterac Orlic y Donesan (July 29, 1786, Casteljaloux, Lot-et-Garone, France – January 18, 1835, Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish general of French origin who fought in the Spanish American wars of independence. In 1816 he join ...

, ,

Gerónimo Valdés Geronimo (1829–1909) was a Chiricahua Apache leader. Geronimo may also refer to: Places in the United States * Geronimo, Arizona * Geronimo, Oklahoma, a town * Geronimo, Texas, an unincorporated community and census-designated place * Gero ...

, Landazuri,

Valentín Ferraz ''Valentín'' is a 2002 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Alejandro Agresti. The film features Rodrigo Noya as Valentín and Carmen Maura as the grandmother. Director Alejandro Agresti also stars as Valentín's father. Th ...

and were also part of this group.

Generals who were members of the "''Ayacuchos''"

File:Estado Mayor General del Ejército Español-antonio van halen.jpg, Antonio Van Halen. File:Retrato del general Rodil (Dionisio Fierros Álvarez).jpg,

. File:JosedeCanterac.png,

. File:Gerónimo Valdés.jpg,

File:GarcíaCamba.jpg, . File:Ferraz.JPG,

. File:GonzálezVillalobos.JPG, . File:Martín Zurbano.jpg,

Martín Zurbano Martín Zurbano Baras (February 29, 1788 – January 21, 1845) was a Spanish military figure. A guerrilla leader, he is considered a "martyr to Spanish liberty".moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...

and progressive parties that his policy of military appointments—and in some cases also civilian—favored only the members of his military ''

'' known by his opponents as the "''ayacuchos''". To the favoritism towards the "''ayacuchos''" was added the uneasiness of the army due to the delays in the payments to the officers and the difficulties they had to promote and develop their military career. But this was not Espartero's fault, but rather the existence of an underlying problem: the excessive number of officers, chiefs and generals at that time, a product of the almost permanent wars in which Spain had been involved between 1808 and 1840. A problem notably aggravated by the

Convention of Vergara The Convention of Vergara (, ), entered into on 31 August 1839, was a treaty successfully ending the major fighting in Spain's First Carlist War. The treaty, also known by many other names including the Embrace of Vergara (), was signed by Bald ...

that allowed the entrance in the army of the Carlist officers, and to which many of them had been welcomed. Thus, the State was unable to face the economic cost of an army with an inflated staff, which the republican defined some years later as "the most expensive in the world". Thus "pay became more and more sporadic and the army became a source of protests. One regiment even went on strike in 1841". According to Juan Francisco Fuentes, "this created a vicious circle that was very difficult to break: the military wanted to collect their pay, prosper in their career and have a destination in accordance with their rank. The rulers, for their part, whether civilian or military, lacked the political courage to address the necessary reform of the army, which required a drastic reduction in the ranks, but by maintaining such a state of affairs, they perpetuated the discontent of the military and their willingness to participate in all kinds of political adventures". He also encouraged the creation of a

corporatist Corporatism is an ideology and political system of interest representation and policymaking whereby corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, come together and negotiate contracts ...

and

militarist Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

discourse through the newspapers with such significant names as '' El Grito del Ejército'', or '' El Archivo militar'', which he even wrote in his issue of September 30, 1841:

We cannot and do not want to say: the State is us, but we will say: the homeland, or if you please, the purest part of the homeland is us.

Later "''Ayacuchos''" and "''espadones''"

The sabre rattling during the

Spanish Transition The Spanish transition to democracy, known in Spain as (; ) or (), is a period of History of Spain, modern Spanish history encompassing the regime change that moved from the Francoist dictatorship to the consolidation of a parliamentary system ...

was a constantly present element, which only materialized in the coup d'état attempts, the most spectacular of which was the 23 F. Also decisive was the role of the military democrats in different governments ( Gutiérrez Mellado and ).

Javier Cercas Javier Cercas Mena (born 1962) is a Spanish writer and professor of Spanish literature at the University of Girona, Spain. Awards he has won for his novels include the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for '' Soldiers of Salamis'' (translated ...

, ''

The Anatomy of a Moment ''The Anatomy of a Moment'' (Spanish: ''Anatomía de un instante'') is a 2009 non-fiction book by Javier Cercas, which won the National Prize for Narrative Writing. An English translation by Anne McLean appeared in 2011. Initially, Cercas writ ...

''.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Cite book , last=Fuentes , first=Juan Francisco , title=El fin del Antiguo Régimen (1808-1868). Política y sociedad , publisher=Síntesis , year=2007 , isbn=978-84-975651-5-8 , location=Madrid , language=es Military history of Spain 1840 in Spain Progressive Party (Spain) 19th century in Spain