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.

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.

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.

[1] Members of the family subsequently served in the militia, including Don García Garcés D´Aoiz who fought at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, a decisive Christian victory and a turning point in the Reconquista.

[2] Luis's great grandfather, Joaquín D´Aoiz, was sheriff of Gibraltar in 1704 when the territory was captured and occupied by Anglo-Dutch forces, the family subsequently moving to El Puerto de Santa María and changing their surname to Daoíz.

[2] He was educated at the Colegio de San Hermenegildo Jesuit college in Seville up to the age of 15, when his parents decided that he would become an officer in the Spanish Army, which their families considered a career suitable for a gentleman.

[2][5] At the school Daoíz excelled at mathematics and sports, in particular saber fencing and was able to speak French, English, Italian and Latin in addition to his native Spanish.

[2][4] After the Peace of Basel ended the war between France and Spain on 22 July 1795, Daoíz was released and made his way back to El Puerto de Santa Maria.

On 11 July 1797, Daoíz was placed in charge of a gunboat in the defence of Cádiz under by Admiral Jose de Mazarredo y Salazar against a blockading squadron of the British Royal Navy.

[1] He did not enjoy the long trips away from Spain and requested a land based posting, serving initially as a lieutenant in the infantry before joining the newly formed 3rd Artillery Regiment of Seville on 7 July 1802.

[4] There he sat on a committee, headed by Brigadier Maria Vicente Maturana, to decide the design and oversee the production of new light guns for horse artillery units.

[10] According to Hunter, when the first French troops advanced up the street to take possession of the barracks, they were fired upon and several were killed before they halted to await reinforcements and occupy neighbouring buildings.

[11] The dying Daoíz was dragged away by his men, who continued to fight within the barracks buildings before surrendering at the request of Spanish Captain-General the Marquis de San Simón.

[11] Marshal Murat convened a military tribunal, chaired by General Emmanuel Grouchy, that morning to summarily try and sentence anyone found in possession of a potential weapon.

The ashes of Daoíz and Velarde, with those of others involved in the Dos de Mayo uprising, were transferred to the Monumento a los Caidos por España in Madrid after its construction in 1840.