Valentín Ferraz y Barrau

Valentín Ferraz y Barrau (Huesca, Spain, 1792 – Madrid, Spain, 1866) was a Spanish military commander and politician. After fighting in the Peninsular War and in the Peruvian War of Independence Valentín engaged in the chaotic politics of the post-war reign of Isabella II of Spain, serving as Prime Minister of Spain in 1840 and holding other important offices such as Mayor of Madrid.

Born into a noble family established in the twelfth century around the Benasque Valley, Huesca, the family produced several illustrious clerics, politicians, lawyers and military strategists. He was the nephew of Antonio Cornel and Ferraz, the Spanish Minister of War for Charles IV of Spain and first cousin of Jose Ferraz and Cornel, Spanish Minister of Finance For Queen Isabella in 1840, and Francisco Javier Ferraz and Cornel, Lieutenant General and Chief Military Justice, also during the reign of Isabella II.

In 1808 as a cadet in the King's Dragoon Regiment in the city of Zaragoza at the beginning of the second phase of the Napoleonic invasion,Valentín was captured after the surrender of the city following two months of fierce fighting in the streets. However he managed to escape and rejoin the Spanish army which exploit earned him promotion to lieutenant in 1809. That same year he fought in the campaign of Valencia, then threatened by the French army of Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet. He engaged in constant battles and skirmishes that took place until the fall of the city of Valencia to the French, but a combination of fortuitous invents were to follow. First, the withdrawal of most French troops from Spain to reinforce Napoleon's Russian campaign and then the offensive of the Duke of Wellington was launched from Portugal. These factors helped the Allies to expel the French from Spain.

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