The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan is Thackeray's fictionalized account of Ramon Cabrera, a general of the Carlist forces during the Spanish Seven Year War of 1833. Noted for his valour and often-excessive cruelty (exacerbated by the execution of his mother in 1836) he achieved several notable victories, among which was the Battle of Morella for which he was granted the title conde de Morella. While the majority of Carlists accepted defeat to the liberals in 1839, Cabrera and his army of 10,000 fought on in the northern Basque and Catalonian provinces, eventually being exiled to France a year later.