Francisco de Eguía

Francisco Ramón de Eguía y López de Letona, 1st Conde del Real Aprecio was a Spanish military commander and politician.

Early career
After seeing action against the French in the War of the Pyrenees, Eguía was promoted to field marshal in 1795. Two years later, he was appointed governor of Jaca. In 1802 he was promoted to lieutenant general, in the same promotion as other notable Spanish military commanders of the Spanish armies during the Peninsular War, including the Duke of the Infantado, Manuel Lapeña, Juan Carrafa, Francisco Castaños, Francisco Taranco, Juan Pignatelli, and Arturo O'Neill.

Peninsular War
Eguía fought under General Cuesta at Medellin (March 1809), where he was in charge of the right wing of Cuesta's army. Following Cuesta's resignation in mid-August 1809, Eguía, as Cuesta's second-in-command, was, for some weeks, interim commander-in-chief of the Army of Extremadura until the Junta appointed Juan Carlos Areizaga. Eguía incurred Wellesley's wrath while trying to persuade him to postpone the withdrawal of British troops from Spain.

In September 1809, Eguía marched three divisions of infantry and twelve or thirteen regiments of cavalry, some 25,000 men in all, of the Army of Extremadura to join Venegas's Army of La Mancha, a united force now exceeding 50,000 sabres and bayonets, with which the Junta intended to take Madrid. Venegas was then removed from the command of the united army, with Eguia again holding interim command for a few days until Areizaga arrived from Lerida to take up his command.

Post-war career
Eguía was appointed minister of war in 1814, resigning the following year due to his health, his post being taken up by Francisco Ballesteros. Later that year he was appointed captain general of Old Castile and in 1817 he was again appointed minister of war, a post he held until 1819 when, once again, he resigned due to ill health. On leaving the ministry, he was appointed captain general of the Kingdom of Granada.

Copla
The Official Chronicler of the City of Madrid from 1966 to 1983, Federico Carlos Sáinz de Robles, mentions in his essay Autobiography of Madrid, a copla popular in Madrid in 1814 and 1815 about Eguía and two other generals, Francisco Javier de Elío (executed for treason during the Liberal Triennium) and Eroles, the three of whom were considered "uncouth, fanatical and cruel":

"Eguía, Eroles, Elío... Dios te libre de los tres; porque si Dios no te libra, ¡Santíguate y muérete! ¡Santíguate y muérete! (Eguía, Eroles, Elío... God save you from the three because if God doesn't save you Make the sign of the cross and prepare to die! Make the sign of the cross and prepare to die!)"