Agustina de Aragon

The Thrilling Story of the Great Spanish Heroine...On July 2, 1808, a young woman from Barcelona found herself in the midst of the Siege of Zaragoza by the French. Agustina Zaragoza Domènech, who would go down in history as Agustina of Aragón, witnessed the slaughter unleashed by Napoleon's troops, and in a bold act, fired a cannon at the invaders from the Portillo battery. She became a symbol of resistance and courage--her legendary action earned the recognition of the city's defenders and elevated her to a national myth. In this definitive biography of the heroine of the Peninsular War, historian Rafael Zurita rigorously and vividly reconstructs Agustina's life--from her childhood in Barcelona to her final days in Ceuta, covering her years of struggle, her suffering during the war, her post-conflict life, and the complex relationship between her myth and history. Based on deep research and unpublished sources, Agustina of Aragón reveals not only the woman who defied the most powerful army of her time but also the myth of this great heroine. Agustina of Aragón is a gripping account that immerses us in the burning Spain of the Peninsular War, where bravery was forged on the battlefield and heroism also had a woman's face.

Rafael Zurita Aldeguer, born in Madrid, is an adopted son of Alicante and a professor of Contemporary History at the University of Alicante. In 1994, he earned his doctorate with a thesis on political clientelism during the era of Cánovas and Sagasta, and he has participated in several research projects focused on the political culture of 19th-century liberalism in Europe and Latin America. He has also taught at universities in Italy and France. In the past decade, his research has focused on social and cultural history, as well as the public history of the Napoleonic era. His notable works include Suchet in Spain: War and Society in the Lands of Southern Valencia, Europe in the Age of Napoleon, and The Spanish War of Independence: Memory, Landscapes, and Digital History (editor). He also leads projects such as War and Public History and Landscapes of War (winner of the Manuel Pérez Ledesma Award for Public Outreach, granted by the Contemporary History Association).