Jose de Palafox y Melzi (1780-15 February 1847) was a general of the Spanish Army who fought in the Peninsular War.
Biography[]
Palafox was born to an old Aragonese family in Saragossa, and was originally a soldier in the French-controlled Spanish Army in 1808, escorting King Fernando VII of Spain to Bayonne in France for captivity. However, he later tried to free him, and when this attempt failed, he returned to Spain to fight for independence. On 25 May 1808 he was made the Captain-General of Aragon and fought against the French when they besieged Saragossa in 1809. He was captured and held prisoner until December 1813. In 1814 he was made the Governor of Aragon but retired soon after, and from 1820 to 1824 commanded the King's guard, and was dismissed for supporting a new constitution. Nevertheless, Queen Maria Cristina of Spain made him Duke of Saragossa, and he died in 1847.