Rafael del Riego, mártir en vida

Abstract

The fact that Rafael del Riego became a «martyr to freedom» following his trial and his particularly ferocious and vengeful execution is undeniable. His sacrificial death enabled him to be immortalised as the most emblematic victim of tyranny, and this status was widely used by the defenders of liberalism and later on by republicans. The question raised by this article is whether he obtained the title of «martyr» even before the 7th of November 1823. It will do so through terminological considerations, evoking the vicissitudes of his life during the Trienio period and examining sources of the time to see how Riego’s defenders, contemporaries of the events, began to represent him not only as a hero of the cause, but also as a living martyr.

Keywords

• Trienio liberal
• Rafael del Riego
• Heroism
• Political Martyrdom