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ALAVA, MIGUEL RICARDO D'. 



ALBA, DUKE OK 



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broke out in 507. In a pitched battle near Vougld, in the environs 

 of Poitiers, the result proved fatal to King Alaric, whose army was 

 eutirely defeated. Alaric fled, but was overtaken and killed. The 

 Goths made a halt at Narbonne, and quarrelled among themselves 

 about the choice of a new king. One part of them chose Gesalic, or 

 Gisolcc, the elder but bastard sou of Alaric ; and another Amalaric, 

 the lawful son of Alaric and Theudigotha. This prince being too 

 young to rule, the regency over the West Gothic kingdom was 

 intrusted to his grandfather, the East Gothic king Theodoric, who 

 drove out Gesalic, and compelled the Franks to restore their con- 

 quests. A proof that Alaric was peaceful because he appreciated the 

 blessings of peace, and that he was able to consolidate that peace 

 by a regular system of legislation, is the code called Breviarium 

 Alaricianum. 



(Cassiodorus, Variar. 3, ep. 1, &<x; Gregorius Turonensis, ii. 36; 

 Procopius, De Sell Outh. ii. 12; Jornandez, DC Reb. Goth. p. 129; 

 Mascou, Hist, of the Ancient Germans, translated by Lediard; Asch- 

 bach, GetcMchte der Westgothen.) 



ALAVA, MIGUEL RICARDO D', was born at Vitoria, in Spain, 

 in 1771. He first entered the naval service of his country, in which 

 he attained the rank of captain of a frigate, which he then exchanged 

 for a corresponding rank in the army. At the beginning of the 

 French occupation of Spain in 1807, Alava, as a member of the 

 assembly of Bayonne, signed the new constitution given on the 

 nomination of Joseph Bonaparte as king of Spain ; and he subse- 

 quently accompanied Joseph to Madrid. He soon however saw reason 

 to be dissatisfied with the side he had taken, and he joined the army 

 of the independents. In the progress of the war the Duke of Wel- 

 lington appointed him one of his aides-de-camp, in which capacity, 

 after the battle of Vitoria, he was enabled to save his native town 

 from pillage ; he ultimately attained the rank of general of brigade. 

 When Ferdinand VII. was restored, he remembered Alava's first 

 defection more vividly than his recent services, and he was thrown 

 into prison, but the intervention of the Duke of Wellington procured 

 his liberation within a few days. Alava at length succeeded in ingra- 

 tiating himself with Ferdinand, who appointed him ambassador to 

 the Netherlands, where his kindness to his banished countrymen 

 occasioned, it is said, his recal in 1319. At the commencement of 

 the revolution of 1820 he was elected member of the Cortes for the 

 province of Alava, and was President in May 1822. When in June of 

 that year the insurrection took place against the Cortes, he fought 

 with Ballastcros and Murillo against its enemies at Madrid, and 

 followed the Cortes to Cadiz, whither they had conveyed the king. 

 When Cadiz was invested by the French army in 1823, Alava was 

 commissioned by the Cortes to negociate with the Due d'Angouleme, 

 and under the assurance of the Due that he would use his influence 

 to obtain from Ferdinand (whose liberty was first stipulated for) a 

 constitution insuring the freedom of Spain. Ferdinand was conveyed 

 to the quarters of the French general, having previous to his leaving 

 Cadiz repeated the assurances in proclamations published in his name. 

 Arrived in the French camp, Ferdinand lost no time in declaring the 

 promises null, as well as all the acts of the government during his 

 captivity. Alava, with many other members of the Cortes, retired to 

 Gibraltar, and thence to England. After the death of Ferdinand VII. 

 he returned to Spain, embraced the cause of the Queen Dowager and 

 her daughter against Don Carlos, was appointed ambassador to 

 London in 1S34, and to Paris in 1835. After the insurrection of La 

 Granja he refused to take the oath of allegiance to the constitution 

 of 1812, retired to France, and died at Bareges in 1843. 



(Nouvelle Biographic Universelle, 1852.) 



ALBA, or ALVA, FERNANDO ALVAREZ DE TOLEDO, DUKE 

 OF, General of the imperial army, and Minister of State of Charles V., 

 was born in 1 508. He was the son of Don Garcia, and grandson of 

 Don Fadrique, or Frederic, who was first-cousin of King Ferdinand 

 the Catholic, and the second Duke of Alba de Tormes. His father 

 having lost his life in an engagement against the Moors of Gelvez, 

 his grandfather superintended his education. He entered very young 

 into the service of the emperor, and accompanied him in his expe- 

 ditions to Algiers, Tunis, and Pavia. He afterwards followed him to 

 Hungary ; and it is said that the emperor promoted him to the first 

 rank in the army, more as a mark of favour than from any considera- 

 tion of his military talents. His reserved disposition, and the pecu- 

 liar bent of his mind to politics, had at first given an unfavourable 

 idea of his talents as a general. On the emperor wishing to know 

 his opinion about attacking the Turks, he advised him rather to build 

 them a golden bridge than offer them a decisive battle. Through his 

 wise measures, however, the emperor obtained a complete victory 

 over Frederic of Saxony at Muhlberg, where the elector was made 

 prisoner. Alba subsequently commanded at the siege of Mentz. 



About 1556 Pope Paul IV. had deprived the house of Colonna of 

 their states, and added them to the territory of the church. The 

 French favoured the Pope ; and the duke was ordered by Philip II. 

 to proceed thither against the united French and papal army. Having 

 obtained the title of Lieutenant of all the Austrian dominions in 

 Italy, with unlimited power, he entered the Italian territory. Imme- 

 diately upon his arrival, he obliged the Count of Brisac to raise the 

 siege of Ulpian ; placed Milan in a state of security ; and, proceeding 

 to Naptai, where the Pope by his intrigues had caused serious distur- 



BIO'.. DIV. VOL. I. 



bances, he restored tranquillity, and secured respect for the Spanish 

 authority. He then entered the Papal States, and made himself 

 master of the Campagna of Rome, with a determination to humblo 

 both the Pope and the French; but having received fresh orders from 

 his court, he was obliged to conclude an honourable treaty of peace 

 with the Pope, not without telling his master that timidity and scru- 

 pulousness were incompatible with the policy of war. This proud 

 warrior, before whom the bravest trembled, was subjected to the 

 humiliation of asking the Pope's pardon; and, as he himself cou- 

 fessed, was so struck with awe at the ceremony, that he could scarcely 

 utter a word. 



About 1560 the Flemish provinces of Spain began to manifest 

 symptoms of discontent. Philip, a bigoted Catholic, was determined 

 to maintain the Roman religion in all its purity throughout his 

 dominions. He disliked the Belgians as much as his father had been 

 well-disposed towards them ; and his whole conduct was calculated 

 rather to alienate than to gain their affection. He attempted to 

 destroy their liberty and privileges, and to establish the Inquisition at 

 any hazard. When one of his ministers represented to him, that if 

 he did not abolish the inquisitorial edicts, he exposed himself to the 

 risk of losing the states, he answered, that he " would rather have 

 no subjects at all than have heretics for his subjects." A rebellion 

 was the result of this ungenerous policy. To quell it, Alba was 

 furnished with troops and money, and invested with unlimited powers. 

 He set sail from Spain in '1567, and landed at Geuoa, where he 

 strengthened his army with some Italian troops, and proceeded to 

 Brussels. On his arrival, the country, which, through the mild and 

 conciliatory measures adopted by the amiable regent, Margaret of 

 Parma, was comparatively tranquil, became full of alarm. Events 

 proved that the fears of the people were not unfounded. The Priuco 

 of Orange fled to Germany, and in vain urged the counts of Egmont 

 and Horn to do the same. Alba summoned a council of state to his 

 house, to consult about the best means of restoring tranquillity and 

 repressing sedition. The two counts came as councillors, when Alba 

 seized them, with the secretary, Cassenbrot, and put them in prison. 

 The princess-regent, seeing herself deprived of her authority, retired 

 to Italy, and left the government of the country in the hauds of 

 the duke. 



Immediately upon the imprisonment of D'Egmont, Alba instituted 

 a council, composed of twelve judges, whom ho named ' Judges of 

 the Tumults ; ' by his victims they were called the ' Court of Blood.' 

 He was himself president. He summoned the Prince of Orange, and 

 all the other nobles and citizens who had fled from the country, to 

 appear before his tribunal, under the penalty of confiscation of their 

 property. All the prisons were filled with victims, who were speedily 

 condemned and executed. The principal cities were fortified, and 

 filled with soldiers; and a country which had hitherto enjoyed all 

 the benefits of rational liberty, under one of the mildest governments 

 of Europe, was now converted into a military camp. More than 

 30,000 persons sought refuge in the neighbouring countries. All the 

 laws which curb the strong and protect the weak, were virtually 

 abolished : there was no other rule but the will of the tyrant 



The Prince of Orange had collected an army in Germany, with 

 which he advanced into Friesland, and defeated a body of Spaniards 

 at Groningen. The news of this reverse exasperated the duke. He 

 hurried the trials of the counts of Egmont and Horn to a speedy 

 conclusion. They were condemned and beheaded; and the secretary 

 of D'Egmont was torn alive by four horses. The Prince of Orauge 

 was desirous to give battle to the Spaniards, but the duke avoided an 

 engagement ; and by his prudent movements, without losing a single 

 man, he caused the patriot army to disband. Alba returned co 

 Antwerp to carry on the fortifications of the citadel. The works 

 were soon finished ; and in the middle of the fortress the duke 

 caused his />wn statue in brass to be erected. This statue represented 

 him in full armour, and at his feet a two-headed monster, referring 

 allegorically to the nobility and the people. The whole was sup- 

 ported by a pedestal of marble, with the following inscription : " In 

 honour of the Duke of Alba, for having restored the Belgians to 

 their allegiance to the king and the church, and the country to tran- 

 quillity, peace, and justice." This insult was greater than a nation 

 could endure. It was so revolting, that it alienated even his friends ; 

 and from that moment his dictatorship was virtually ended. His fall 

 was hastened by the cruelty practised towards the inhabitants of 

 Haarlem, where he caused more than 2000 persons to be executed, 

 after having led them to expect forgiveness if they surrendered. 



He now began to encounter misfortunes and disappointments on 

 every side. His health was in a weak state ; the greater part of 

 Holland had openly revolted, and proclaimed the Prince of Orange 

 stadtholder ; his armies had ceased to be invincible ; and he earnestly 

 requested to be recalled. In December, 1573, he published a general 

 pardon, and left a country which he had rendered desolate ; iu which 

 he had delivered into the hands of the executioners 18,000 victims, 

 and kindled a war which raged for thirty-seven years, and cost Spain 

 the blood of her Best troops, immense treasures, and the final loss of 

 some of her richest provinces. The first act of his successor's 

 authority was to demolish his statue ; so that nothing remained in 

 Flanders after his departure but the memory of hia cruelty. 



On his arrival iu Spain, far from being well received at court, he 



