Don Sebastião Gabriel of Bourbon and Braganza

This is the third of my Carlist general vignettes. I have Don Carlos himself still to do, but unfortunately one of his arms snapped off during undercoating, so he's going to have to wait a bit. In the meantime, we have this chap, who I'm just going to call "Don Sebastian" for short (as per the Perries' website). He was born in 1811, the only child of Maria Teresa of Portugal, the daughter of King John VI. His father, Don Pedro Carlos, was a the grandson of King Charles III of Spain and Queen Maria I of Portugal. His mother was a fervent believer in the Carlist cause, as Don Carlos himself was her uncle. The young Don Sebastian no doubt saw an opportunity for adventure and, presumably as a result of his grand-uncle's patronage, took command of the Carlist Army of the North in December 1836. 

He won a famous victory over combined Isabelino and British Auxiliary Legion forces at Oriamendi on 16 March 1837. However, he consequently led his army on an expedition down to Madrid, which was not a success. He appears to have been removed from command in 1837 and it's difficult to find out what he got up to subsequently. Having been stripped of all his titles as a result of joining Don Carlos, he was reinstated as a Spanish prince in 1859. He died in 1875.

In this vignettes, Don Sebastian is accompanied by an ensign in the uniform of what Conrad Cairns' book describes as a "volunteer lancer" and a priest (all Perry figures). I think the Don Sebastian figure looks a bit old for the 25 year old who won the Battle of Oriamendi; or maybe that's just the result of my painting! The pack of priests is a good source of figures to add to vignettes; I've saved a couple to add to Don Carlos' stand when I get around to it.      

Three figures. Painted December 2025. Flag from Adolfo Ramos.