Henry O'Donnell
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Henry Joseph O'Donnell y Mareschal , Count of La Bisbal (es: Don Enrique José O'Donnell, conde de La Bisbal) (Cadiz,Spain, 1769 - Montpellier, France, 1834), Spanish soldier, was descended from Joseph O´Donnell y O´ Donnell, (1722 - 1787) Colonel of the Spanish Regiment Irlanda, Lieu - Tenant General of the Spanish Army.
Henry Joseph was the brother of Carlos O´Donnell y Mareschal, (1773 - 1830), the father of brilliant General and Politician Leopoldo O´Donnell y Jorris, (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, January 1809 - Biarritz, France, November 1867), invested as Duke of Tetouan and Count of Lucena and also of Lieutenant General of the Spanish Army Enrique O´Donnell y Jorris, (Zamora, 1800 - Madrid, 1869) both commanding sand fighting in the Spanish - Moroccan War, (1859 - 1860)
They came from the O'Donnell' s who left Ireland after the battle of the Boyne at the ends of the XVII Century, and were members of the former ruling noble dynasty of O'Donnell of Tyrconnell.
Born in Spain, he early entered the Spanish army, fighting in 1793- 1795 in the Convention War and in 1810 became general, receiving a command in Catalonia, where in that year he earned his title and the rank of field-marshal. While fighting against General Laurent de Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, (1764 - 1830), he managed to enter in besieged Girona and then moving troops to Vic . He defeated at La Bisbal d´Empordà , General Schwartz, earning thus the title of Count of La Bisbal although he was wounded in a leg.
In 1811 he was appointed Captain General of Valencia and from 22 January 1812 to 7 March 1813 he was one of the member of the III Council of Regency taking part as a sort of shady patron in the revolt in Catalunya were Captain General descending from Irish - Spanish military people, Luis de Lacy, Luis Lacy y Gauthier, (San Roque, Cádiz, Spain , 1772 – executed by firing squad, Castle of Bellver, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 5th July 1817), pretended to create a Republic.
He afterwards held posts of great responsibility under Ferdinand VII, whom he served on the whole with constancy. In the Spanish Civil War, 1820-1823 he supported the liberals despite his absolutist convictions, because he was against French intervention.
The events of 1823 compelled his flight into France to Limoges where he was interned. When King Ferdinand VII of Spain died in 1834 , he died in Montpellier on the way back to Spain.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
