Luis Daoíz y Torres

Captain Luis Daoiz y Torres (10 February 1767 – 2 May 1808) was a Spanish Army officer who was one of the leaders of the Dos de Mayo Uprising which resulted in the outbreak of the Spanish War of Independence. His surname was derived from the town of Aoiz in Navarre and he was descended from a long line of Spanish gentry with military service dating to the Reconquista. Daoíz's great grandfather married the daughter of the Count of Miraflores de los Angeles and he spent much of his early life in palaces owned by the family.

Born in Seville, after receiving a Catholic education Daoiz trained at the Royal School of Artillery in Segovia. He saw action against Moroccan forces in North Africa, where Daoiz was commended for his bravery and promoted to lieutenant. After serving against the French in the short-lived War of the Pyrenees, he was captured. After refusing to serve in the French army, Daoiz was imprisoned.

After his release he served on secondment to the Spanish Navy during the Anglo-Spanish War, participating in the defence of Cádiz and on convoy duty in the Atlantic Ocean, for which Daoiz was promoted to captain. Tiring of naval service, he rejoined his artillery regiment. His subsequent duties included assisting in the manufacture of new guns for horse artillery units, attending the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau with France and participating in the invasion of Portugal in 1807.

Daoiz returned to Madrid in 1808 and was a leader of the uprising on 2 May in which he assisted civilians resisting French efforts to forcibly relocate the Spanish royal family. His defence of the barracks at Monteleón was the only instance on that day in which the Spanish army fought the French and, although ultimately unsuccessful, it inspired a country-wide uprising against France. Daoiz died in the fighting and was subsequently commemorated as a national hero.