Pedro Velarde y Santiyán (19 October 1779 – 2 May 1808) was a Spanish artillery captain famous for his heroic death in the Dos de Mayo uprisings against the French occupation of Madrid.

He became a popular hero and martyr figure for Spain's subsequent war of independence from the French Empire.

[1] Velarde returned to the Artillery College after the war and worked as an instructor in mathematics and ballistics, in which he became something of an expert.

When the mass uprisings broke out against the French occupiers on May 2, 1808, Velarde took up arms and rallied his men.

Acting on orders from the local junta, Velarde along with his comrade Luís Daoíz de Torres led 20 soldiers and around 80 volunteers, including women, to defend the Monteleón artillery barracks against 2,000 French troops.