Alejandro Utrilla Belbel
Alejandro Utrilla Belbel | |
---|---|
Born | Alejandro Utrilla Belbel 1889 Spanish |
Occupation | professional officer |
Known for | military |
Political party | Carlism |
Alejandro Utrilla Belbel (1889–1963) was a
Family and youth
The family of Utrilla was initially related to Northern Spain; in the Middle Ages its representatives were related to Villaviciosa in Asturias and to the mountainous area North of Burgos.[1] One branch moved south during the Reconquista and as hidalgos settled in the town of Guadix, in the then Reino de Granada. Its first descendant known by name, a Miguel de Utrilla, in the late 16th century took residence in Alcalá la Real, a town built around an ancient fortress in what would become a province of Jaén, in Eastern Andalusia. He commenced a line of its prestigious citizens, which included local jurados, regidores and other officials. In the modern era the family grew to wealth, owned some 500 ha[2] in the neighboring county and later built numerous houses in Alcalá.[3]
Over time the family got branched; some of its less affluent descendants took state jobs, also in the uniformed services. This was the case of Alejandro's father, Juan Utrilla y Utrilla, owner of a modest house in Alcalá;
At unspecified time and most likely in the late 1910s
Junior officer
In 1910 Utrilla obtained his first service assignment, namely to Regimento de Caballería Dragones de Santiago,
In 1915 Utrilla was transferred to the Cazadores de Lusitania regiment
In September 1923 the coup of Primo de Rivera terminated the period of liberal democracy in Spain; the dictator intended to replace the perceived rotten and corrupted system with a new, efficient regime. Part of the plan was to dispatch military inspectors (delegados gubernativos) to reform local government and instill patriotism in the population;[41] they were expected to root out the patronage networks of caciques and catalyze the emergence of new, prototypical Spanish citizen through cultural and propagandistic means. In December 1923 Utrilla was nominated to such a role[42] and assigned to the Navarrese district of Aoiz.[43] Nothing is known of his endeavors at the Pyrenean foothills. However, the concept of delegados gubernativos attracted increasing criticism; some claimed that it backfired by alienating local population and generating animosity towards the army. Since mid-1924 Primo started to withdraw his delegados;[44] in December 1924 Utrilla was recalled from Navarre[45] and in early 1925 he returned to Morocco.[46]
Senior officer
Back in Africa Utrilla was posted again to lead the indigenous troops, though this time he was assigned to Fuerzas Regulares Indígenas de
In late 1927 Utrilla was transferred back to the peninsula and posted to the prestigious 2. Regimento de Lanceros Reina unit, stationed in Alcalá de Henares.[50] He served on the garrison duty slightly longer than 2 years;[51] jointly with 3 other officers in the rank of a major, he was positioned third in the command chain of the regiment.[52] In late 1929 Utrilla commenced his second spell in Navarre, though it is not clear whether this was on his request. Promoted to teniente coronel (lieutenant colonel),[53] he was moved to the Cazadores de Almansa regiment, based in Pamplona, to assume the role of second-in-command.[54] In 1930–1931, during the fall of the dictatorship, dictablanda and declaration of the Republic, he kept serving in Pamplona.
The republican government of Manuel Azaña embarked on major reform of the army. The sore point within the officer corps was the method of promotion, with so-called "africanistas" opting for combat merits, and so-called "junteros" preferring the strict seniority rule.[55] As africanistas were considered the most reactionary segment of the army Azaña sided with the junteros; strict seniority was restored and all merit promotions were retracted, subject to review. For Utrilla it boiled down to annulment of his promotion to teniente coronel; he was downgraded to comandante,[56] though this retraction was paired with reception of Cruz de Merito Militar, second class.[57] Some time in late 1931 or early 1932 Utrilla left Navarre and following 21 years returned to Catalonia; he was transferred to Barcelona, home to his new unit, 10. Regimento de Caballería.[58] The service in ciudad condal did not last long. One of the objectives of the ongoing military reform was to scale down what was perceived as an overgrown officer corps; the government deployed a scheme, partially forcing and partially encouraging officers to retire. It is not clear what mechanism worked for Utrilla;[59] in August 1932 he was declared voluntarily retired and as pensioner moved back to Alcalá la Real.[60]
In conspiracy
According to some historians many retired officers, embittered by governmental policy towards the army, used their leisure time to conspire.
In early 1936 the party command nominated Utrilla Inspector General de Requeté de Navarra.
In the spring of 1936 Utrilla entered the Carlist Supreme Military Junta
At the time there was some tension between the
Civil War
During the first 4 days of
Utrilla spent most of August in Pamplona; on the last day of the month he left for the
Utrilla's whereabouts during the winter of 1936-1937 are not clear. In March 1937 he was listed in the official order of the Nationalist high command, already in the regular army service; as comandante retirado he was assigned to head Cuadro Eventual of the 6. Division, to be raised in Granada.[100] His later service record is not known; a press note from late 1937 hailed his contribution to victorious Northern campaign, but provided no details.[101] A contemporary historian speculates that Utrilla served in Jefatura de Milicias, the section of Nationalist general staff entrusted with organization of militia units, formally incorporated into the army but allowed a grade of autonomy.[102] In June 1938[103] he was – again, following the annulled 1929 elevation – promoted to coronel de caballería.[104] None of the sources consulted provides information on his assignment during final phases of the Civil War.
Post-war military career
In the
In 1947 Utrilla was nominated consejero militar of
Late Carlist engagements
There is no information on direct Utrilla's activity in Traditionalist ranks during the first post-war years. However, it is known that he maintained his party links and within the limits permitted by the regime, he tried to cultivate the Carlist identity. During his assignment in Alcalá he found the time to attend the 1941
Utrilla's relations with the party hierarchy in the 1940s are not clear. According to one source in 1943 he was appointed to the national Carlist executive, Junta Nacional,[128] but neither duration of the term nor any particular activity is known. He remained on correct terms with the regent-claimant, who in private correspondence lectured Utrilla on trappings of the Francoist “parodia del Monarquía” and warned him not to engage in the regime politically.[129] However, at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s Utrilla was increasingly leaning towards the faction led by Sivatte,[130] who criticized Don Javier for his alleged appeasement towards the dictatorship.[131] When in the mid-1950s the Sivattistas left the Javierista Carlism and created a breakaway group known as RENACE, Utrilla was considered a member of its “núcleo privado”,[132] though he refrained from public statements.
When half-retired Utrilla tried to attend the Sivattista Montserrat gatherings. One day prior to such a rally in 1959 he was courted by Capitán General de Barcelona, Pablo Martín Alonso, who offered him managerial position at a state-controlled metalworking and manufacturing company ENSIDESA, with a hefty salary package of 75,000 ptas a month included; in return Utrilla was supposed to refrain from quasi-political activity. He refused; the following day Utrilla – teniente general at the time - was detained by policía militar and driven to Alcalá la Real.[133] Also afterwards he continued to sympathize with Sivattistas, though no longer in public. As late as in the early 1960s he believed that given decay of the Javierista current, RENACE was the only guardian of genuine Traditionalist values. He invited these which “pride themselves in being named Traditionalists or Carlists" to follow “the Regency of Estella, which today is the only legitimate Carlist authority".[134]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Pacomartín, En la revista del Cristo de la Salud, [in:] Casas de Cabildo blog service, 03.09.20 [page blocked by Wikipedia, try "pacomartinrosales" blogspot with "en la-revista-del-cristo-de-la-salud-mi.html entry]
- ^ the total area attributed to the family at one point reached 652 fanegas, equivalent to slightly below 500 ha, Pacomartín 2020
- ^ in Alcalá the family owned houses at calle de la Monjas ad at calle Utrilla; in the neighboring county they owned estate near Fuente de la Lancha, Moraleja, Chaparral de Nubes, Llano de los Muchachos, Cantera Blanca, Rábita and elsewhere, Pacomartín 2020
- ^ see the GoogleMaps service, available here
- ^ La Correspondencia de España 17.06.12, available here. At the time postal service formed part of the Ministry of Interior
- ^ Francisca was born in 1860; the oldest child of the couple, Juana, was born in 1885, Francisca de Paula Belbel Tapía entry, [in:] Geneanet service, available here
- ^ Ideál 05.08.1989, p. 12
- ^ Anuario Militár de España 1911, available here
- ^ Juana, Rita and Francisco, Francisca de Paula Belbel Tapía entry, [in:] Geneanet service, available here; see also La Voz 06.09.24, excerpts available at Biblioteca Municipál “Lope de Vega” de Fuente Obejuna, available here
- ^ Ideál 05.08.1989, p. 12
- ^ a Fernando Utrilla Utrilla, born 1861 and originating from eastern Andalusia, entered military service in 1878; in the 1920s he rose to coronel. His later fate is not known, see e.g. Anuario Militar de España 1921, available here. The brother of Alejandro, Francisco Utrilla Belbel, also joined the army and served in its medical branch; the last information on him comes from the mid-1920s, when he served with the rank of a captain
- ^ La Correspondencia Militar 20.05.07, available here
- ^ Anuario Militar de España 1908, available here
- ^ Anuario Militar de España 1909, available here
- ^ Heraldo Militar 18.07.10
- ^ Utrilla's wife was born in 1895; their child was born in 1920
- ^ her father, Rafael León Avilés (born 1870), originated from Cordoba and served as a doctor; her mother, Dolores Brezosa Tablares, was a schoolteacher and originated from Valladolid, Manolo Rodriguez Burgos, Genealogia de la Familia Burgos service, available here
- ^ Alejandro Utrilla Belbel entry, [in:] Geneanet service, available here
- ^ ABC 13.02..63, available here
- ^ Mediterráneo 27.05.76, available here
- ^ for Alejandro de Utrilla Palombi see e.g. Quien es quien en la Operación Púnica, [in:] RTVE service 02.09.19, available here, Elena de Utrilla Palombi was concejal de obras in the Madrid ayuntamiento, see El País 21.12.04, available here, and deputy to Asamblea de Madrid, see Asamblea de Madrid service, available here. For Mario de Utrilla Palombi, the alcalde of Sevilla la Nueva, see El Mundo 11.05.16, available here, for his role in Asamblea de Madrid see El Mundo 11.05.16, available here
- ^ BOE 31.01.02, available here
- ^ José Acebal Utrilla tried his hand also as author, see his El libro de paciente (1989). For Alejandro Lizaur Utrilla see e.g. Universitas Miguel Hernández service, available here
- ^ for Leopoldo Lizaur Utrilla, a lawyer and businessman, see e.g. Abogados de Madrid service, available here
- ^ La Correspondencia Militar 21.07.10, available here
- ^ Fernando Mogaburo López, Historia orgánica de las grandes unidades (1475-2018), Madrid 2017, p. 42
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1911, available here
- ^ La Correspondencia de España 08.11.11, available here
- ^ La Correspondencia Militar 28.07.12, available here
- ^ Diario Oficial del Ministerio de la Guerra 29.01.13, available here
- ^ El Globo 18.07.13, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1915, available here
- ^ Juan Delapuerta Cano, Estructura orgánica y desarrollo histórico del Regimiento de Caballería Lustiania (1709-2010) [PhD thesis Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU], Valencia 2015, p. 87
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1916, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1919, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1920, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1921, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1922, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1923, available here
- ^ e.g. in May 1923 the africanistas from Grupo de Larache discussed mutual support in terms of their promotions, Antonio Atienza Peñarrocha, ‘Africanistas’ y ‘junteros’: el ejército espanól en Africa y el oficial José Enrique Varela Iglesias [PhD thesis Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU], Valencia 2012, p. 458
- ISBN 9781789976755, pp. 147-176
- ^ Utrilla officially remained “Disp. y Del. Gub. de Aoiz”, Annuario Militar de España 1924, available here
- ^ El Sol 08.12.23, available here
- ^ their number was being reduced between late 1924 and 1927 from the peak of 523 to merely 79, Gow 2019, p. 176
- ^ Diario Oficial del Ministerio de la Guerra 13.12.24, available here
- ^ La Libertad 30.01.25, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1925, available here
- ^ El Liberal 07.02.26, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1927, available here; see also Guía Oficial de España 1927, available here
- ^ La Correspondencia Militar 27.07.27, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1929, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1929, available here
- ^ on June 4, 1929, Annuario Militar de España 1930, available here
- ^ Annuario Militar de España 1930, available here
- ISBN 9780299136741, pp. 91-92
- ^ La Libertad 31.05.31, available here
- ^ El Imparcial 11.07.31, available here
- ^ La Vanguardia 01.07.32, available here
- ^ premature retirement was forced also upon some other officers involved in Carlism, like Ricardo Rada Peral and Ignacio Romero Osborne
- ^ Heraldo de Madrid 20.08.32, available here
- ISBN 9780684130798, p. 75
- ^ it is not clear whether the choice was determined by his camaraderie with Varela, earlier spells and personal acquaintances made in Navarre or there were some other factors in play
- ^ El Siglo Futuro 12.12.35, available here, see also El Siglo Futuro 11.11.35, available here
- ^ on June 25, 1935, the local daily Eco de Jaén published Utrilla's piece on the 19th-century Carlist hero, Recuerdos de otras gestas. La gentes de Zumalacarregui, Melchor Ferrer, Domingo Tejera, José F. Acedo, Historia del tradicionalismo español vols. 5-8, Seville 1943, p. 298
- ISBN 9788487863783, p. 285
- ISBN 9788499709758, p. 86
- ^ Diario de Burgos 13.02.63, available here
- ^ História contemporánea, Bilbao 1994, p. 49
- ISBN 9780521207294, p. 222
- ISBN 9788499700465, pp. 466, 487, 505, 666, 829
- ^ Antonio de Lizarza Iribarren, Memorias de la conspiración: Cómo se preparó en Navarra la Cruzada, 1931-1936, Pamplona 1954, p. 63.
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, p. 351
- ^ Tercio de Pamplona entry, [in:] Requetés service, available here
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, p. 87
- ^ a strictly military body headed by general Muslera, it was supposed to act as general staff during the planned rising, Blinkhorn 2008, p. 237
- ISBN 9788461705504, p. 163
- ^ Gonzalo Jar Couselo, La Guardia Civil en Navarra (18-07-1936), [in:] Príncipe de Viana 52/192 (1991), p. 287
- ^ Utrilla and Sanz de Lerín “fueron maestros consumados en la táctica del despiste de su actuaciones en la organización. Supieron trabajar, a pesar de la vigilancia a que estuvieron sometidos”. Other author claims he “particularmente desarrolló em Navarra una labor impresionante”, ingenious, calm and patient”, Jar Couselo 1991, p. 287
- ISBN 9788478260805, p. 304
- ISBN 9788484241607, p. 119
- ISBN 9788470305313, p. 103
- ^ “talante sobrio, firme y su dotes de mediación”, also “hombre llano, bueno, honrado, rasero, sencillo y que captó la confianza y la voluntad de todos nosotros” as described by Jaime del Burgo, Ugarte Tellería 1998, p. 103
- ^ Ugarte Tellería 1998, p. 102
- ^ for entire text of the 1936 instruction see Melchor Ferrer, Historia del tradicionalismo español vol. XXX/2, Sevilla 1979, pp. 102-103
- ^ Ugarte Tellería 1998, p. 291, Blinkhorn 2008, p. 249
- ISBN 8487863523, p. 174
- ^ e.g. on July 22 Utrilla delivered an address to Tercio de Lacar volunteers, just prior to their departure for the Gipuzkoan front; some were led to believe that Utrilla was actually the commander of the unit, Aróstegui 2013, p. 195
- ^ Ugarte Tellería 1998, pp. 104-105
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, p. 405
- ^ e.g. at one point, when the train was blocked by technical problems, Utrilla threatened the railwaymen with execution in case they do not sort things out, Aróstegui 2013, p. 406
- ISBN 9788498926613, p. 103
- ^ Montejurra IV/26 (1963), available here
- ISBN 9788474600353, pp. 63-63
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, p. 408
- ^ Ugarte Tellería 1998, p. 298
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, pp. 293-4
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, p. 301
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, p. 410
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, p. 412
- ^ BOE 29.03.37, available here
- ^ El Progreso 27.10.37, available here
- ^ Aróstegui 2013, p. 788
- ^ in November 1937 Utrilla was provisionally nominated ("habilitando para dicho empleo") coronel, Diario de Burgos 10.11.37, available here
- ^ Pensamiento Alaves 30.11.38, available here
- ^ Diario de Burgos 16.09.39, available here
- ^ BOE 212 (1940), available here
- ^ Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 02.06.41, available here
- ^ BOE 15.06.41, available here
- ^ El Avisador Numantino 29.07.42, available here
- ^ BOE 6 (1944), available here
- ^ in June 1944 it was commanded by Juan Asensio Hernández Cienfuegos, Imperio 16.06.44, available here
- ^ Hoja Oficial de Lunes 06.08.45, available here, see also BOE 126 (1945), available here
- ^ El Adelanto 09.02.46, available here
- ^ one source mentioned his role of “ayudante de campo del General de División”, Diario Oficial del Ministerio del Ejército 14.02.47, available here
- ^ Diario de Burgos 10.01.47, available here
- ^ Diario Oficial del Ministerio del Ejército 20.05.48, available here
- ^ La Vanguardia 24.11.49, available here
- ^ in 1950 Utrilla still served in Valladolid, see Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 23.01.50, available here; also in 1952 he was reported there, Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 31.03.52, available here
- ^ Diario de Burgos 20.11.52, available here
- ^ BOE 314 (1952), available here
- ^ Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 28.12.53, available here, also BOE 362 (1953), available here
- ^ in October 1955 the commander of the unit was general Esteban Infantes, Imperio 14.10.55, available here
- ^ BOE 232 (1959), available here
- ^ Manuel Martorell Pérez, La continuidad ideológica del carlismo tras la Guerra Civil [PhD thesis in Historia Contemporanea, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia], Valencia 2009, p. 224
- ISBN 9788416558711, pp. 135-136
- ISBN 8493109797, pp. 51-52. Utrilla was present during the 1942 Montserrat aplec, but he did not speak, Manuel de Santa Cruz, Apuntes y documentos para la historia del tradicionalismo español: 1939-1966, p. 4-5, p. 107
- ^ Martorell Pérez 2009, p. 253
- ISBN 9788487863714, p. 190
- ^ Alcalá 2001, pp. 156-157
- ISBN 9788416558407, p. 75
- ^ Alcalá 2001, p. 98
- ^ Alcalá 2001, pp. 98-99
- ^ Alcalá 2001, pp. 155-156
- ISBN 9788431315641, p. 175
Further reading
- César Alcalá, D. Mauricio de Sivatte. Una biografía política (1901-1980), Barcelona 2001, ISBN 8493109797
- Julio Aróstegui, Combatientes Requetés en la Guerra Civil española, 1936-1939, Madrid 2013, ISBN 9788499709758
- Antonio Lizarza, Memorias de la conspiracion, Pamplona 1986, ISBN 9788486169381