Jenaro Quesada, 1st Marquis of Miravalles

He was the son of General Vicente Genaro de Quesada, a Conservative officer who was killed and mutilated outside Madrid by a revolutionary crowd in the early days of Queen Isabella's reign.

[1] As Quesada belonged to an ancient family connected with the Dukes of Fernan Nuñez, he was made a cornet when only six years old, was educated at the seminary for nobles and in 1833 was promoted to Lieutenant in the 1st Foot Guards.

When his father was assassinated in 1836 he resigned, went to France, got employment in a merchant's office and was only induced to return to the army in 1837 by his relatives, who got him a company in the guards.

With the assistance of another officer who also had never dabbled in pronunciamientos, General O'Ryan, Quesada restored discipline in the armies confronting Infante Carlos, and for twelve months concerted and conducted the operations that forced the pretender to retire into France and his followers to lay down their arms.

Though he was a strict, stern disciplinarian of the old school and an unflinching Conservative, Catholic and royalist, even his political and military opponents respected him, and were proud of him as an unblemished type of the Castilian soldier and gentleman.