Filangieri was one of the three captains-general slain by mobs following the Madrid Uprising (2 May 1808), the other two being Francisco Solano, 2nd Marquis de Socorro in Cádiz, and Count Torre del Fresno, in Estremadura.
In 1796, following his service during the War of the Pyrenees, Filangieri was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed military commander of Catalonia.
[3] Following the Dos de Mayo Uprising, on 29 May 1808, Filangieri was named Captain-general of Galicia in substitution of Francisco de Biedma y Zayas who had only held the post since 11 May, having been appointed upon the death of Francisco Taranco y Llano[4] and who had been in favour of allowing the French troops to occupy Galicia.
[5] Towards the end of June 1808, Filangieri, as commander in chief of the Army of Galicia, entered Benavente.
The divisions were as follows: Given his frail health, Filangieri was substituted in the command by Blake on 20 June,[7] just days before being killed by an angry mob of soldiers.