Sent to France, he remained there until January 1814, when he managed to escape and make his way to England, where he joined a unit of foreign soldiers raised by the British government to send to Spain.

Riego's troops marched through the cities of Andalusia with the hope of starting an anti-absolutist uprising, but the local population was mostly indifferent.

On 4 September 1821, because of a failed republican revolt, he was demoted and transferred to barracks at Lleida and, later, to Castelló de Farfaña.

Riego resigned from the presidency of the Cortes[2] and took command of the Third Army,[citation needed] which never actually entered into combat.

Despite asking for clemency from the King, having approached religion[citation needed] and repented of his "constitutional crimes" during his imprisonment, completely retracting at the last minute his political convictions to the delight of the absolutists, Riego was found guilty of high treason against altar and throne, as he was one of the members of parliament who voted in favor of taking the power from the King.