Antonio Begines de los Ríos
# Antonio Begines de los Ríos

Antonio Begines de los Ríos was a Spanish military commander during the Peninsular War.

The December 1810 decree (published 11 January 1811), which re-structured the Spanish Army into seven armies, incorporated the area of Campo de Gibraltar into the 4th Army, under the command of Lieutenant general, the Marquis de Coupigny, with two vanguard divisions under Zayas and Lardizabal. Begines was appointed commander of the Campo de Gibraltar, subsituting the Marquis de Portago.

Following the Battle of Barrosa (March 1811), Begines, with three battalions, was based around the mountains of Ronda. On the 8th, at Medina Sidonia, they repulsed a French column of 600 men that had come to occupy the town. However, the following day they were forced to withdraw towards San Roque and Algeciras when a whole brigade approached.

On 3 June 1811, at Dehesa de Gaena, between Olvera and Morón, Begines, at the head of 400 infantry and 250 horse ambushed a battalion of 500 Polish troops on their way to reinforce the French troops at Ronda.

At the end of August 1811, he was substituted as commander of the Campo de Gibraltar by Lieutenant general [[Francisco Ballesteros]. However, Ballesteros proved himself very unpopular in Andalusia and the regency received several complaints about him. Matters came to a head when Ballesteros refused to accept Wellington's appointment as commander-in-chief of the Spanish Army and was relieved of his command. Begines, now a field marshal, was appointed the prosecutor for the court martial.

