Sagunto remembers José Romeu 214 years after his execution in Valencia
On 12 June 1812, Sagunto-born guerrilla commander José Romeu y Parras was hanged in Valencia after refusing a Napoleonic pardon; today the city council marked the anniversary at his monument.
José Romeu y Parras was born in Sagunto in 1778 and financed the armed resistance against Napoleon's troops in Valencia out of his own pocket. As commander of the Murviedro Urban Militias, he organised guerrilla operations and led the defence of Sagunto Castle in 1811. Captured at Sot de Chera, he was offered a pardon by Marshal Suchet on condition of swearing loyalty to Joseph Bonaparte; Romeu refused and was executed at the Plaza del Mercado in Valencia at the age of 34. Two hundred and fourteen years later, Mayor Darío Moreno led the tribute ceremony at Plaza Cronista Chabret: a student from the Municipal Theatre School recited a poem, pianist Aarón Doménech performed a work written for the occasion, and a laurel wreath was placed at the foot of the statue. Culture Councillor Ana María Quesada outlined Romeu's life story. Moreno announced the tribute will be held every year from now on. Information from Sagunto City Council.