Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Theodor von Reding (5 July 1755 – 23 April 1809) was a

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

officer who served as the

Captain General of Catalonia The office of Captain General of Catalonia (; ) was created in 1713 by the Nueva Planta decrees of King Philip V of Spain to replace that of Viceroy of Catalonia. List of Captains General of Catalonia Under Philip V Under Ferdinand VI ...

in 1809.

Biography

Reding was born in

Schwyz Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''. The of ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, to Theodor Anton Reding and Magdalena Freuler. His father was a lieutenant-colonel in the Spanish Army, and both of Reding's brothers, Alois and Nazar, also served in the Spanish army. He joined the Spanish Army at age 14, and was promoted to captain in 1772, to lieutenant-colonel in 1781, and to colonel of a Swiss regiment in 1788. He led troops against the French in

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. ...

and the Basque Country during the

War of the Pyrenees The War of the Pyrenees, also known as War of Roussillon or War of the Convention, was the Pyrenees, Pyrenean front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. It pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of History ...

, a theatre of the French Revolutionary Wars, and was wounded in action multiple times. Promoted to brigadier in 1793 and to field marshal in 1795, Reding fought in the War of the Oranges against Portugal. At the outbreak of the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

in 1808, Reding was Governor of

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

. In July 1808 he fought under General Castaños at the

Battle of Bailén The Battle of Bailén was fought in 1808 between the Spanish Army's Army of Andalusia, under General Francisco Javier Castaños and the French Imperial Army's 2nd Gironde Observational Corps under Divisional-General Pierre Dupont de l'Étan ...

, where the

3rd Swiss Regiment Reding The 3rd Swiss Regiment Reding was a unit of Swiss mercenaries, Swiss soldiers in the Spanish Army and one of Swiss mercenaries#Service in the Spanish Army, several Swiss regiments serving the Spanish Crown in the 18th century. The regiment was fou ...

fought with conspicuous valour. After that, he was appointed

, where he tried to organize the Spanish forces and he was able to obtain 30,000 men for the war. He was wounded at the

Battle of Valls A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

against French forces led by Gouvion Saint-Cyr, on 25 February 1809, and died in

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...

on 23 April from consequences of his wounds.

Legacy

Numerous activities and actions are being carried out currently to honor him. The Historical Recreation Group

is one of the biggest events that honor him.

References

External links

Nota «El general Reding torna a Tarragona» (art)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reding, Theodor Von 1755 births 1809 deaths People from the canton of Schwyz 18th-century Swiss nobility Swiss generals Swiss mercenaries Spanish generals Spanish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 18th-century Swiss military personnel 18th-century Spanish military personnel Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Swiss military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People of the Peninsular War Spanish military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars