Álava y Esquivel, Miguel Ricardo de

▪ Spanish soldier and statesman

born 1771, Vitoria, Spain

died 1843, Barèges, Fr.

      soldier in the Napoleonic Wars and statesman. Álava was an aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington (Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of, marquess of Douro, marquess of Wellington, earl of Wellington, Viscount Wellington of Talavera and of Wellington, Baron Douro or Wellesley) and the Spanish commissary at the duke's headquarters during the Peninsular War. On the restoration of Ferdinand VII to the throne of Spain, he lost favour because of his liberal ideas but was appointed ambassador to The Netherlands (1815–22). He was president of the Spanish Cortes (parliament) in 1822–23 and later served as ambassador to Great Britain and France.

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