The liberal, José María Torrijos (1791-1831), accompanied by his companions, is executed by the absolutist troops of Fernado VII (1784-1833) on the beach at Málaga.
This masterpiece of nineteenth-century Spanish history painting was commissioned in 1886 directly by the liberal government of Praxedes Mateo Sagasta (1825-1903) during the regency of Queen María Cristina of Austria (1806-1878), as an example of the defense of freedom for future generations.
The soldier, José María Torrijos (1791-1831) became field marshal of Valencia and field marshal and minister of war during the Liberal Triennium (1820 - 1823). Following three attempts from England to provoke an uprising against the absolutists, he was the victim of an ambush prepared by Governor Vicente González Moreno, who had assured him that the rebellion would succeed.
(José María Torrijos y Uriarte; Madrid, 1791 - Málaga, 1831) Militar liberal español. Combatió en la guerra de la Independencia y, tras la revolución de 1820, fue jefe del Estado Mayor y ministro de la Guerra en 1823. Después del triunfo absolutista se refugió en Londres, desde donde organizó expediciones revolucionarias a España. En la tercera de ellas (1831), fue apresado cerca de Málaga y fusilado.