Joaquín Milans del Bosch
Encyclopedia
Joaquín Milans del Bosch y Carrió (in Catalan, Joaquim Milans del Bosch i Carrió) (Barcelona
, 1854 - Madrid
, 1936) was a Spanish
military officer of Catalan
origin. The change in the ideological orientation of the Milans del Bosch family was completed with his generation; traditionally, they had been liberal military officers, but during the twentieth century they aligned themselves with reactionary forces.
His father died when he was three years old. He was raised under the protection of his uncle, Lorenzo Milans del Bosch. He joined the calvary army at a young age and lived through the Restoration
, embracing the cause of Alfonso XII. He fought in the Third Carlist War
, in Melilla
(1893) and in the Phillipines (1897-1898), where he coincided with the future dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera
. Following the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato
, he returned to Spain where, after a few different military and diplomatic posts, he was named assistant to Alfonso XIII and Gentilhombre de camara con ejercicio
. Closely linked to the king, he was later posted to Madrid and Morocco
, where he was elevated to the rank of lieutenant general
.
(CNT), organized itself and fought the gunmen of the Employers' Association (Patronal). Milans del Bosch gave his support to the employers' association and used military methods to repress social conflicts. He felt he had the support of the upper classes of Catalan society and did not quit his post until Alfonso XIII, prodded by the Cortes
, directly ordered his resignation in 1920. During his tenure, he was invited to ceremonies and wedding banquets by the Barcelona aristocracy. The king, in compensation for his obediency and years of service, named him head of the Casa Militar de la Casa Real.
. Together with the minister of governance and the captain general of Catalonia, he carried out a fierce anti-Catalanist campaign. He closed the stadium of Futbol Club Barcelona and the Orfeó Català (1925), banned cultural and hiking organizations, and suspended publication of and fined Catalan newspapers and magazines. He was removed from office upon the fall of the dictatorship and retired to Madrid.
From October 1927 to February 1930, he was a member of the Asemblea Nacional Consultiva by designation of the dictator Primo de Rivera.
of 18 July 1936 that started the Spanish Civil War
, though he had the option of taking refuge in the Turkish embassy, because his son Mariano had been imprisoned. He was detained by militiamen on August 30 and executed the following day at the Cementerio de la Almudena
.
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, 1854 - Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, 1936) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
military officer of Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
origin. The change in the ideological orientation of the Milans del Bosch family was completed with his generation; traditionally, they had been liberal military officers, but during the twentieth century they aligned themselves with reactionary forces.
His father died when he was three years old. He was raised under the protection of his uncle, Lorenzo Milans del Bosch. He joined the calvary army at a young age and lived through the Restoration
Spain under the Restoration
The Restoration was the name given to the period that began on December 29, 1874 after the First Spanish Republic ended with the restoration of Alfonso XII to the throne after a coup d'état by Martinez Campos, and ended on April 14, 1931 with the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic.After...
, embracing the cause of Alfonso XII. He fought in the Third Carlist War
Third Carlist War
The Third Carlist War was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is very often referred to as the Second Carlist War, as the 'second' had been small in scale and almost trivial in political consequence....
, in Melilla
Melilla
Melilla is a autonomous city of Spain and an exclave on the north coast of Morocco. Melilla, along with the Spanish exclave Ceuta, is one of the two Spanish territories located in mainland Africa...
(1893) and in the Phillipines (1897-1898), where he coincided with the future dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, 22nd Count of Sobremonte, Knight of Calatrava was a Spanish dictator, aristocrat, and a military official who was appointed Prime Minister by the King and who for seven years was a dictator, ending the turno system of alternating...
. Following the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato
Pact of Biak-na-Bato
The Pact of Biak-na-Bato, signed on December 14, 1897, created a truce between Spanish Colonial Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera and Emilio Aguinaldo to end the Philippine Revolution...
, he returned to Spain where, after a few different military and diplomatic posts, he was named assistant to Alfonso XIII and Gentilhombre de camara con ejercicio
Gentilhombres de camara con ejercicio
The Gentilhombres de camara con ejercicio was a palatial class of honorary royal servants of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain, who acceded to that class as an honor awarded by the Monarch...
. Closely linked to the king, he was later posted to Madrid and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, where he was elevated to the rank of lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
.
Captain General of Catalonia (1918-1920)
After the end of the First World War (1918), he was named Captain General of Catalonia. The situation in Catalonia was very tense due to the economic crisis caused by the halting of exportations to belligerent countries and by rising prices. The workers' movement, led by the Confederación Nacional del TrabajoConfederación Nacional del Trabajo
The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions affiliated with the International Workers Association . When working with the latter group it is also known as CNT-AIT...
(CNT), organized itself and fought the gunmen of the Employers' Association (Patronal). Milans del Bosch gave his support to the employers' association and used military methods to repress social conflicts. He felt he had the support of the upper classes of Catalan society and did not quit his post until Alfonso XIII, prodded by the Cortes
Cortes
Cortes is surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin. Cortes or Cortés may also refer to:-Institutions:* The Cortes , the national legislative assembly of Spain...
, directly ordered his resignation in 1920. During his tenure, he was invited to ceremonies and wedding banquets by the Barcelona aristocracy. The king, in compensation for his obediency and years of service, named him head of the Casa Militar de la Casa Real.
Civil Governor of Barcelona (1924-1930)
Three months after leaving his post at the Casa Militar in 1924, Milans del Bosch was named civil governor of Barcelona by his friend Miguel Primo de RiveraMiguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, 22nd Count of Sobremonte, Knight of Calatrava was a Spanish dictator, aristocrat, and a military official who was appointed Prime Minister by the King and who for seven years was a dictator, ending the turno system of alternating...
. Together with the minister of governance and the captain general of Catalonia, he carried out a fierce anti-Catalanist campaign. He closed the stadium of Futbol Club Barcelona and the Orfeó Català (1925), banned cultural and hiking organizations, and suspended publication of and fined Catalan newspapers and magazines. He was removed from office upon the fall of the dictatorship and retired to Madrid.
From October 1927 to February 1930, he was a member of the Asemblea Nacional Consultiva by designation of the dictator Primo de Rivera.
Death
Milans del Bosch elected not to leave Madrid following the attempted coup d'étatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
of 18 July 1936 that started the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, though he had the option of taking refuge in the Turkish embassy, because his son Mariano had been imprisoned. He was detained by militiamen on August 30 and executed the following day at the Cementerio de la Almudena
Cementerio de la Almudena
The Cementerio de Nuestra Señora de La Almudena is a cemetery in Madrid, Spain. It is the largest in Madrid and one of the largest in Western Europe...
.