thumb|Manuel Pavia
Manuel Pavia y Rodriguez de Alburquerque (2 August 1828 – 4 January 1895) was a Spanish general, who was an important part of Spanish political life during the second half of the 19th century. He participated in the Revolution of 1868, which removed Isabella II from power, and led the coup d'état which brought down the First Spanish Republic, giving way to the Restoration and the rule of Isabella's son Alfonso XII.
Early career
He was born on 2 August 1828 in Cádiz. His military career began in 1841, when he entered the Royal Artillery College at Segovia. He became a lieutenant in 1846 and a captain in 1855. The deputies did not obey the order and remained in their seats, although they ended up doing so when a crew of the Civil Guard presented in the chamber and evicted them, dissolving the Cortes and ending the republican parliamentary regime.
After the coup d'état, Pavía convened all the political parties—except Cantonalists and Carlists—to form a government of national concentration, which would give power to general Serrano, beginning like this a republican dictatorship that would culminate with the restoration of the monarchy in the person of Alfonso XII.
For a few months he was general in chief of the Central Army, but on 28 September 1874 the Minister of War Francisco Serrano Bedoya chose Joaquín Jovellar y Soler to replace him. Jovellar joined the preparations of the Sagunto pronouncement, led by General Arsenio Martínez Campos to restore the House of Borbón to the throne.
Death
During his last years of life, he was promoted to captain general, was president of the "Consejo Supremo de Guerra y Marina" and wrote military histories. Manuel Pavía died on 4 January 1895.
References
- Some information has been taken from a book called Historia de España Nº13-Revolución y Restauración from a collection of El Mundo newspaper.