A Presentation Striking of a Waterloo Medal awarded to Don Miguel Ricardo de Alava, who served as Spanish Commissioner with the rank of Lieutenant-General on Wellington’s Field Staff at the Battle of Waterloo; a Captain in the Spanish Navy, he had the unusual distinction of having served, on different sides, at both Trafalgar and Waterloo

Waterloo 1815 (British Mint 8th January 1828. Viva Miguel) officially impressed in the usual style, fitted with conventional steel clip (at ‘ue’ of ‘Miguel’) and later split-ring suspension, edge bruise, otherwise extremely fine £1,800-£2,200

Don Miguel Ricardo de Alava, while in exile in England, accompanied the Duke of Wellington to an audience with King George IV on 8 January 1828. The Duke introduced him as a close friend and a loyal ally of the British Crown and a special Waterloo medal was ordered from the Royal Mint in honour of the occasion.

De Alava, who was born in Vittoria in 1770, holds the unusual distinction of having served at both Trafalgar and Waterloo on different sides. He began his service career in the Spanish Navy and rose to the rank of Captain. He transferred to the Army retaining the same rank and as an Officer of Marines he participated in the Battle of Trafalgar aboard the Santa Ana, the flagship of his uncle, Vice-Admiral Ignacio-Maria de Alava y Saenz de Navarete. At the 1809 Assembly in Bayonne he was prominent amongst those who accepted the new Constitution from Joseph Napoleon as King of Spain. Following the defeat of General Dupont at Bailen later that year, however, he joined the National Independence party who were allied with the British. He was appointed Commissary at the British headquarters by the National Cortes and Wellington, who regarded him with great favour, appointed him as one of his Aides-de-Camp. De Alava spent the remainder of the Peninsular War attached to Wellington’s staff, eventually attaining the rank of Brigadier-General. On the Restoration of Ferdinand VII in 1814 de Alava was initially jailed but swiftly released thanks to the influence of another uncle, the inquisitor Ethenard, and of Wellington. The King later appointed him as Ambassador to The Hague, geographically close to the impending Waterloo campaign. He returned to Wellington’s Field Staff as Spanish Commissioner with the rank of Lieutenant-General and was thus one of four allied Commissioners present at Waterloo.

In 1819 de Alava was recalled to Spain in recognition of the kindness he showed to banished fellow countrymen. On the outbreak of the Revolution of 1820 he was chosen as the Province of Alava’s representative in the Cortes, soon achieving prominence within the party of the Exultados and becoming President in 1822. De Alava fought with the militia to maintain the authority of the Cortes against the rebels and when the French invaded Cádiz he was commissioned by the Cortes to negotiate with the Duc d’Angoulême, thereby assisting the Restoration of Ferdinand VII. No sooner had Ferdinand regained power than he reneged on his pledges towards a liberal police and de Alava was forced into exile (ultimately to England, where he remained until the death of Ferdinand in 1833).

Following the death of Ferdinand, de Alava espoused the cause of Maria Christina against Don Carlos and was appointed Ambassador to London in 1834 and to Paris in 1835. Following the Insurrection of La Granja in 1836 he refused to sign the new constitution and retired to France, dying at Barèges in 1843.

Note: A second example of this medal is known – a specimen without suspension but believed to be identically named.