Logbook · 12 places

Juana Galán, "la Galana"

Valdepeñas, La Mancha, Ciudad Real

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Activities · 3 Curiosities · 4 Historical milestones

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Juana Galán, "la Galana"

Historical milestone · Valdepeñas, La Mancha, Ciudad Real

Juana María Galán Heredia, known as Juana Galán or la Galana, was born in Valdepeñas on 25 October 1787, the eldest of seven siblings in a family that ran an inn and tavern at the entrance to the town. On 6 June 1808, during the battle of Valdepeñas against Napoleonic troops, she urged the women to throw boiling water and oil from the balconies while she herself armed herself with a club to fight against the French cavalry; thanks to this resistance the French abandoned La Mancha, which contributed to the Spanish victory at Bailén. For this Valdepeñas received the title of Muy Heroica. She married in 1810 and died in 1812 as a result of her last childbirth, on the very day La Mancha was declared liberated.

1808

Photo: Carmen Escobar Carrio (CC BY 2.0)

What to see and do in Valdepeñas