The Battle of Alcolea took place on 28 September 1868, over a bridge above

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in the town of Alcolea, Córdoba,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In this battle, revolutionary forces led by General Francisco Serrano y Domínguez defeated Queen

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

's governmental forces commanded by general Manuel Pavía, forcing her to leave

and be exiled in

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Background

Under Isabelle II's reign, a monopoly of the Government by the

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was supported. In order to end this system, alternative forces like the Progressive Party and Democratic Party signed the Ostend Agreement in 1866, in which they were committed to depose Queen Isabella II.

Development of the battle

Generals Prim and Topete led the insurrection against Isabel II and began a march towards Madrid. They were met by the royalist troops of Manuel Pavía y Lacy, Marquis of Novaliches, who advanced as far as Andalusia. The army of General Pavía was composed of two

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...

, a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

division, an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

with 32 field guns, a

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and some minor auxiliary units, with a total of approximately ten thousand men. The rebels, under the command of General Serrano, formed an army of similar size, although with less

. Pavía planned his deployment in two columns, one along the road on the right bank of the

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to fall back from the bridge in the town of Alcolea defended by the troops of General Serrano, fortified in the knowledge that the circumstances prevailing in the rest of Spain at that time were in their favour. The other royalist column advanced along what today is the old National Road IVfrom the station of El Carpio, Las Cumbres, the station of Los Cansinos and the Vega de Alcoleato reach the bridge head on. On September 28, 1868 both armies met. General Pavía made a frontal attack that was contained by Serrano's rebel troops. To avoid demoralizing his troops, Pavía himself decided to go to the vanguard, being seriously wounded in the face by shrapnel. General of Staff Jiménez de Sandoval then took command and at nightfall, ordered the troops to withdraw and began negotiations. In total, there were about a thousand casualties between dead and wounded.

References

Battles involving Spain History of the province of Córdoba, Spain {{spain-battle-stub