Died 30 January 1824, Madrid, Spain | ||
Martín García-Loygorri (born García-Edge) e Ichaso (5 June 1759 in Corella, Navarra, Spain – 30 January 1824 in Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish soldier and reformer of Spanish Artillery.
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Early life
Loygorri belonged to a noble family that were possibly descended from the kings of Navarre.
Military
He got engaged at age thirteen as a cadet at School of Artillery. His first major battle was the Siege of Melilla (1774) against the troops of the Sultán of Morocco. From 1801 to 1807, he participated in campaigns in Portugal. He actively participated in thirty-two military operations including five sieges.
As a result of his decisive intervention in the battle of Alcañiz against the French (1809), he was promoted to field marshal and received the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand, created by the Cádiz Cortes. In this battle, he used nineteen pieces of artillery to repulse the French attack. He was awarded the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand, Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild, and Order of Santiago.
He was appointed General Director of Artillery and of the Royal School of Artillery. During 1810 to 1822, Loygorri brought to the classroom as all the lessons learned after the Spanish War of Independence. He expanded and improved his teams and installations, inaugurating a chemistry laboratory and another of natural sciences. He purchased the Cabinet of Mineralogy of the naturalist Casimiro Gómez Ortega, one of the most renowned in Europe at the time.
In 1816 he published Treatise of Artillery, which had significant influence on several generations of artillerymen.