Juan Martín el Empecinado - Facts

 

This novel takes place in 1811. 

At the beginning of the novel Gabriel mentions that Napoleon wanted Valencia and sent Mariscal Suchet. Louis-Gabriel Suchet, duc d'Albuféra ( 2 March 1770 – 3 January 1826), was a French Marshal of the Empire and one of the most successful commanders of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He then launched an invasion of the region of Valencia, defeated Blake y Joyes at the Battle of Saguntum on 15 October, and received the capitulation of Valencia on 9 January 1812.

The book is about Juan Martín el Empecinado. Juan Martín Díez, nicknamed El Empecinado (5 September 1775 – 20 August 1825) was a Spanish military leader and guerrilla fighter, who fought in the Peninsular War. After the invasion, Díez organized a party of warriors composed of his friends and even members of his own family. At first, the conflict centered around the route between Madrid and Burgos. Later, he fought alongside the Spanish Army at the Cabezón de Pisuerga bridge in Valladolid and in Medina de Rioseco, Valladolid. 

One of his men was Vicente Sardina. VVicente Sardina (Sigüenza, 1774 - Salta, 1817) was a Spanish military officer. He fought as a guerrilla leader in the Independence War and fought alongside Juan Martín El Empecinado. 

Cifuentes is where Inés and Amaranta stay when they are not able to continue their journey to Madrid. Cifuentes is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Guadalajara, in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha.

Gabriel finds himself a prisoner in Rebollar de Sigüenza. The name of this site is linked to the Battle of El Rebollar, which took place on February 6 and 7, 1812, during the Peninsular War (War of Independence) against Napoleon's troops. The French forces of General Guy faced off against the guerrilla troops of Juan Martín Díez, known as "El Empecinado."The confrontation was fierce and resulted in a strategic victory for the Spanish, causing significant casualties to the French army.

Santorcaz tells Gabriel about his time in France. He was witness to the execution of Louis XVI. Louis XVI, former Bourbon King of France since the abolition of the monarchy, was publicly executed on 21 January 1793 during the French Revolution at the Place de la Révolution in Paris. At his trial four days prior, the National Convention had convicted the former king of high treason in a near-unanimous vote.

He claims to have been friends with Robespierre and Marat. 

Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre fervently campaigned for the voting rights of all men and their unimpeded admission to the National Guard. Additionally, he advocated the right to petition, the right to bear arms in self-defence, and the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.

Jean-Paul Marat (24 May 1743 – 13 July 1793) was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the sans-culottes, a radical voice, and published his views in pamphlets, placards and newspapers. 

He also saw the execution of Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine on October 16, 1793, at the Place de la Révolution in Paris, following a swift conviction for treason by the Revolutionary Tribunal. Branded "Madame Déficit," the 37-year-old former queen showed dignity during her final hours, which included being transported in an open cart and having her hair cut short before her death. 

When Gabriel escapes, he steals a horse in Algora in Guadalajara. 

The river that Gabriel has to swim is Tajuña. The Tajuña is a river in central Spain, flowing through the provinces of Guadalajara and Madrid. It is a tributary of the river Jarama which in turn is a tributary of the Tagus.

Civica is where El Empecinado is heading at some point and is in Guadalajara. 

Pedro Villacampa is another guerrilla leader with El Empecinado. Pedro Villacampa Maza de Linaza y Periel (1776–1854) was a Spanish military commander.