Bust of Diego de Alvear and Ponce de León - Cadiz - Andalusia

Diego Estanislao de Alvear y Ponce de León (Montilla, Córdoba, November 13, 1749 - Madrid, January 15, 1830) was a brigadier in the Spanish Navy and an important winemaker (grandson of the founder of Bodegas Alvear, de Montilla, Córdoba, Spain) .

In August 1807, Alvear was put in charge of the artillery units in defense of Cádiz , a position from which he took part in the city's defenses against the French troops that had invaded Spain in 1808, turning from ally to enemy

Diego de Alvear will organize the defense of the city against the French, one of his first acts of arms against the French Rosilly fleet, which until then had been interned in the Bay of Cadiz (let's not forget that). one and a half before allied France surrendered in June 1808. Another major contribution of our character was the reorganization of the Militia of Cádiz , a body of two thousand volunteers called the "Distinguished Volunteers of Cádiz".

In March 1810, Diego de Alvear was appointed politico-military governor of the island of León (modern-day San Fernando) and his role in defending Cádiz earned him the appointment of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of San Hermenegildo. The writer José de Espronceda will later dedicate a poem to Diego de Alvear: "To Don Diego de Alvear".

Willem Vandenameele