Baldomero Espartero

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The Most Excellent Baldomero Espartero Prince of Vergara
Espartero in 1865
Regent of Spain
In office 17 October 1840 – 23 July 1843
Monarch	Isabella II
Preceded by	Maria Christina
Prime Minister of Spain
In office 18 August 1837 – 18 October 1837
Monarch	Isabella II
Preceded by	José María Calatrava
Succeeded by	Eusebio Bardají
In office 11 September 1840 – 10 May 1841
Monarch	Isabella II
Preceded by	Vicente Sancho
Succeeded by	Joaquín María Ferrer
In office 18 July 1854 – 14 July 1856
Monarch	Isabella II
Preceded by	Ángel Saavedra
Succeeded by	Leopoldo O'Donnell
President of the Congress of Deputies
In office 28 November 1854 – 4 December 1854
Monarch	Isabella II
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel
Succeeded by	Pascual Madoz
Minister of War of Spain
In office 29 July 1837 – 30 August 1837
Monarch	Isabella II
Prime Minister	José María Calatrava
Preceded by	Ildefonso Díez de Rivera
Succeeded by	Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel
In office 16 December 1837 – 17 January 1838
Monarch	Isabella II
Prime Minister	Count of Ofalia
Preceded by	Jacobo María Espinosa
Succeeded by	José Carratalá
Personal details
Born	Joaquín Baldomero Fernández-Espartero y Álvarez de Toro (1793-02-27)27 February 1793 Granátula de Calatrava, Spain
Died	8 January 1879(1879-01-08) (aged 85) Logroño, Spain
Resting place	Co-Cathedral of Logroño
Political party	Progressive Party
Spouse	María Jacinta Martínez de Sicilia [es] ​ ​ (m. 1827; died 1878)​
Signature

Baldomero Fernández-Espartero y Álvarez de Toro (27 February 1793 – 8 January 1879) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He served as the Regent of the Realm, three times as Prime Minister and briefly as President of the Congress of Deputies. Throughout his life, he was endowed with a long list of titles such as Prince of Vergara, Duke of la Victoria, Count of Luchana, Viscount of Banderas and was also styled as "the Peacemaker".

A "self-made man", Espartero was an exceptional case of social mobility.^[1] With a humble origin, son of a cart-maker from a small village, he was originally destined to the priesthood yet he finally opted for a military career, taking part in the Peninsular War. He would become a champion for the Liberals after taking credit for the victory in the First Carlist War and replaced Maria Christina as regent of Spain in 1840.

Associated with the Progressive Party, he was one of the so-called espadones ("big swords"), general-politicians who dominated much of the political life of the country during the reign of Isabella II. He was ousted from the regency in 1843, temporarily distancing from politics. He was called to government after the 1854 revolution, opening the two-year period known as the Bienio Progresista.

Despite retiring from political life after his exit from government in 1856, Espartero maintained a cult following largely nurtured by the popular classes throughout the 1860s and, following the 1868 Glorious Revolution and subsequent overthrow of Isabella II, he emerged as popular candidate to become the head of state of the country, either as president of a republic or as king.^[2]