(1810—1885), Spanish marshal and statesman, was born in the island of Leon at Cadiz on the I7th of December
    1810. His father was a general officer and a Liberal Serrano began his studies at Vergara in the Basque provinces,
   became a cadet in 1822, cornet in 1833 in the lancers of Sagunto, passed into the carabineers in 1829, and when the
    Carlist agitation began in 1833 he exchanged into the cuirassiers. ‘He formed part of the escort’which accompanied
             Don Carlos, the first pretender and brother of Ferdinand VII, to the frontier of Portugal. As aide-de-camp
   of Espo~ y Mina, then under the orders of Generals Cordoba and Espartero, in the armies of Queen
   Isabella, Serrano took such an active part in the Carlist War from 1834 to 1839 that he rose from the rank of captain
    to that of brigadier-general. His services obtained for him the Cross of San Fernando and many medals. In 1839 he
     was elected a member of Cortes for thg first time by Malaga, and in 1840 he was made a general of division and
     commander of the district of Valencia, which he relinquished to take his seat in congress. From that day Serrano
   became one of the chief military politicians of Spain. In 1841 he helped Espartero to overthrow the regency of Queen
   Christina; in 1843 at Barcelona he made a pronunciamiento against Espartero; he became minister of war in the Lopez
    cabinet, which convoked the Cortes that declared Queen Isabella of age at fifteen, served in the same capacity in an
     Olozaga cabinet, sulked as long as the Moderados were in office, was made a senator in 1845, captain-general of
   Granada in 1848, and from 1846 to 1853 lived quite apart from politics on his Andalusian estates or travelling abroad.
   He assisted Marshal O’Donnell in the military movemer~ts of 1854 and 1856, and was his staunch follower for twelve
    years. O’Donnell made him marshal in 1856 and captain-general of Cuba from 1859 to 1862; and Serrano not only
   governed that island with success, and did good service in the war in Santo Domingo, hut he was the first viceroy who
   advocated political and financial reforms in the colony. On his return to Spain he was made duke de la Torre, grandee
     of the first class, and minister of foreign. affairs by O’Donnell. Serrano gallantly exposed his life to help O’Donnell
    quell the formidable insurrection of the 22nd of June 1866 at Madrid, and was rewarded with the Golden Fleece. At
     the death of O’Donnell, be became the chief of the Union Liberal, and as president of the senate he assisted Rios
    Rosas to draw up a petition to Queen Isabella against her Moderado ministers, for which both were exiled. Nothing
     daunted, Serrano began to conspire with the duke of Montpensier, Prim and Sagasta; and on the 7th of July 1868
   Gonzalez Bravo had Serrano and other generals arrested and taken to the Canary Isles. There Serrano remained until
     Admiral Topete sent a steamer to bring him 10 Cadiz on the 18th of September of the same year. On landing he
   signed the manifesto of the revolution with Prim, Topete, Sagasta, Martos and others, and accepted the command of
      the revolutionary army, with which he routed the troops of Queen Isabella under the orders of the, marquis of
      Novaliches at the bridge of Alcolea. The queen fled to France, and Serrano, having entered Madrid, formed a
     Provisional Government, convoked the Cortes Constituyentes in February 1869, and was appointed successively
   president of the executive and regent. He acted very impartially as a ruler, respecting the liberty of action of the Cortes
    and cabinets, and bowing to their selection of Amadeus of Savoy, though he would have preferred Montpensier. As
    soon as Amadeus reached Madrid, after the death of Prim, Serrano consented to form a coalition cabinet, but it kept
   together only a few months. Serrarfo resigned, and took the command of the Italian king’s army against the Carlists in
      North Spain. He tried to form one more cabinet under King Amadeus, but again resigned ,when that monarch
     declined to give his ministers dictatorial powers and sent, for Ruiz Zorilla, whose mistakes led to the abdication of
      Amadeus on the I Ith of February 1873. Serrano would have nothing to do with the federal republic, and even
   conspired with other generals and politicians to overthrow it on the 23rd of April 1873; but having failed, he had to go
    to France until General Pavia, on the eve of his coup d’etat of the 3rd of January 1874, sent for him to take the head
    of affairs. Serrano assumed once more the title of president of the executive; tried first a coalition cabinet, in which
     I’ilartos and Sagasta soon quarrelled, then formed a cabinet presided over by Sagasta, which, however, proved
    unable to cope with the military and political agitation that brought about the restoration of the Bourbons by another
    pronunciamienio at the end of December 1874. During the eleven months he remained in office Serrano devoted his
    attention chiefly to the reorganization of finance, the renewal of relations with American and European powers, and
     the suppression of revolt. After the Restoration, Serrano spent some time in France, returned to Madrid in 1876,
   attended palace receptions, took his seat as a marshal in the senate, coquetted a little with Sagasta in 1881, and finally
   gave his open support to the formation of a dynastic Left with a democratic programme defended by his own nephew,
   General Lopez Dominguez. He died in Madrid on the 26th of November 1885, twenty-four hours after Alphonso XII.