The Guías de Navarra (, "

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

Guides") were a

Carlist Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Don Carlos, ...

battalion of 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 ...

, created by Zumalacárregui in 1834. Their name was a

misnomer A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the nam ...

: they were neither Navarrese nor guides, but captured Liberal troops from

La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural region, natural and historical region in the provinces of Spain, Spanish provinces of province of Albacete, Albacete, province of Cuenca, Cuenca, province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real and province of Toledo, Toledo. It ...

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and other places who had been made prisoners at the Battle of Alsasua (April 22, 1834). After this battle, they had been faced with the choice of joining the Carlist troops or being executed. They were given distinctive red

berets A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of Spain, specifically in ...

that had initially been rejected by other Carlist troops as headgear. The Carlist troops had lacked a regular uniform and had used instead the black beret that was already worn in the Basque region. Zumalacárregui gave these troops distinctive red berets, purchased in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, as a type of uniform. At first, the red berets were accepted with joy by Carlist officers, but they then realized that Liberal

sharpshooters A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with "marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" i ...

found the red berets to be a good target. The red berets were thus retired and hidden in a house in Eulate. When he created the Guías de Navarra, Zumalacárregui ordered that these red berets be brought to him and given to this new battalion, which was, in any case, used for the most dangerous missions. The battalion was officered by Carlist volunteers from abroad. The Guías de Navarra were utilized for the most dangerous or risky missions, and Zumalacárregui soon favored them. Serving the battalion as an officer soon became considered an honor by the Carlists. After the death of Zumalacárregui, the prestige accorded this battalion meant that it was no longer used for the most dangerous missions. They participated in the

Battle of Alegría de Álava The Battle of Alegría de Álava (''Acción de Alegría de Álava'' or ''Batalla de Alegría''), a battle of the First Carlist War, occurred on October 27, 1834 at a field in Chinchetru, next to Alegría de Álava (Alegría-Dulantzi), Álava, Spa ...

(October 27, 1834). The Guías de Navarra were fully integrated in 1836 into the Carlist army as a regular battalion.

Description, equipment, and uniforms

The ''Álbum de las tropas carlistas del ejército del norte'' states that they were a battalion of 800 men and that their uniform consisted of a gray ''casaquilla'' (a kind of short and loose jacket with sleeves, which was worn over other clothes) with a yellow series of holes for the buttons on the breast of the check; a red beret; a bag; and '' alpargatas'', a sort of light sandal made of

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

. Their weapons were a

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

, and

bandolier A bandolier / bandoleer or a bando is a pocketed belt (clothing), belt for holding either individual Cartridge (firearms), cartridges, belt (firearms), belts of ammunition or United States 40 mm grenades, grenades. It is usually slung sash-styl ...

. According to Alexis Sabatier, their yellow buttonholes on their gray cloaks caused soldiers from the other battalions to call the Guías de Navarra ''sardinas'' ("

sardines Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it come ...

").

Sources

* ''Álbum de las tropas carlistas del ejército del norte''.

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, sin fecha. (184?). * Juan Antonio Zaratiegui. ''Vida y hechos de don Tomás de Zumalacárregui''.

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, 1946. * C.F. Henningsen. ''Campaña de doce meses en Navarra y las Provincias Vascongadas con el General Zumalacárregui''. Madrid 1935. *Alexis Sabatier. "Tío Tomás". Burdeos 1836 First Carlist War Military units and formations of Spain Military history of Spain {{DEFAULTSORT:Guias De Navarra