Benito Fontcuberta

Benito Fontcuberta y Pardo (4 January 1843 – 21 November 1904) was a Spanish journalist, pharmacist and professor who served as a Carlist commander on the Third Carlist War.

Having led the rebel forces of Maestrazgo and Tarragona, after his military retirement Fontcuberta remained an influential figure of Spanish traditionalism through his Integrist newspaper Semanario de Tortosa.

Fontcuberta studied Latin, Philosophy and Theology from 1855 to 1867 at Tortosa, and was awarded a baccalaureate with the rank of nemine discrepante. He traveled later to Tarragona to study land surveying and Fine Arts. After obtaining outstanding qualifications he was sent to the Universidad de Barcelona to study Pharmacy on 1868, finishing his career on 1871.

After the dethronement of Isabel II he was commissioned by fellow carlist chiefs to organize the revolutionary forces of the district of Valderrobres and the bordering towns of Gandesa and Alcañiz. Between 1870 and 1872 he was assigned to different military tasks until his formal adherence to the Carlist uprising in September 1873 under Tomás Segarra's command.

Leading a minor squad of 200 Aragonese volunteers, Fontcuberta achieved a series of minor-scale victories against liberals at Maella, Batea and Ulldecona forcing their capitulation. He defeated general Santa Pau at Morella and played an important role with his men at the victory of the acción de Ares the 25 November 1873.

Commanding 150 foot soldiers and 50 cavalrymen he fought the liberal forces of Amposta and Tortosa, and was finally assigned to 4 rebel compañías with which he successfully sieged Vinaroz in February 1874, being ascended to Commander afterwards.

As a commander he led the 5th Battalion of Maestrazgo, laid siege to Gandesa in June 1874 and was awarded at Villafranca del Cid the Second Class Red Cross of Military Merit. While directing the chemistry lab at the Hospital of Horta he was made a prisoner on 1875, but was soon released through an exchange. Once free he joined the Carlist Army of the North, led a rebel compañía at Puente la Reina and was made a lieutenant colonel shortly before the war finished. After the war he was imprisoned by the government at Tortosa, where he would reside until his death once being acquitted.

Fontcuberta founded and directed the traditionalist newspaper Semanario de Tortosa from 1882 to 1888. He sided with Ramón Nocedal on the Carlist schism, being expulsed from the Traditionalist Communion after expressing his support for an Integrist newspaper at Pamplona. He kept writing for other newspapers and became a local leader of the Integrist Party.