Eugenio Vegas Latapie
Encyclopedia
Eugenio Vegas Latapie was a Spanish
monarchist
writer, activist and conspirator who was noted for the extremism of his monarchist beliefs. A native of Irun
, he was a leading member of the Acción Española
group.
, his son Juan and grandson Juan Carlos
, to whom he was a tutor, as he felt that they were not monarchist enough. A hard-line supporter of the Roman Catholic Church
he nonetheless was prepared to criticise the Papacy for not reaching his own standards, notably in a series of articles published in the Acción Española journal in 1931 and 1932 in which he attacked the supposedly conciliatory attitude towards the republicans in France
.
in 1936 Vegas Latapie and his brother Pepe instigated a plot to murder Manuel Azaña
in a revenge attack, although the plan was scuppered when they took it to their allies in the army as they were already in an advanced stage of planning the uprising that precipitated the Spanish Civil War
. His idea rejected, Vegas Latapie then decided to launch a suicide attack on the Congress of Deputies by entering the building whilst carrying a supply of mustard gas although this plan too was abandoned as he feared incriminating his brother Florentino who worked for the only producer of the gas in Spain.
and had exhorted them to greater violence in the early days of the Spanish Civil War
. Alongside this, however, he had a fraught relationship with José Antonio Primo de Rivera
as he did not approve of the Falangist leader's high living private life. The two were estranged not long before Primo de Rivera's death when Vegas Latapie attacked his "social frivolity" whilst Falangists were being killed.
He sat on the National Council of the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista until the 4th March 1938 when Francisco Franco
, seeking to remove potential troublemakers, removed the abrasive and uncompromising Vegas Latapie from his position. The action led to a freezing of relations between Franco and Acción Española as many activists saw this as a slight on their leader and so ended co-operation. Deprived of his office he entered into a series of conspiracies against Franco with Juan Antonio Ansaldo
although, as neither man was particularly popular or had good contacts, these came to nothing. He became a public critic of the Franco regime to such an extent that he was forced into exile in Switzerland
for a time in June 1942.
, José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones
, Julio López-Oliván and General Antonio Aranda
, all of whom were involved in trying to secure restoration for the prospective king. Within this group Vegas Latapie and Sainz Rodríguez were noted to be the most extreme and anti-democratic members.
His autobiography Memorias politicas.El suicidio de la monarquia y la Segunda Republica appeared in 1983 and revealed his disillusionment with his political career.
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...
monarchist
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
writer, activist and conspirator who was noted for the extremism of his monarchist beliefs. A native of Irun
Irun
Irun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
, he was a leading member of the Acción Española
Acción Española
Acción Española or AE was a Spanish far right Alfonsist monarchist organisation active before and during the Spanish Civil War, and a political magazine of the same name, published by the former...
group.
Monarchism
A founder member of Acción Española, Vegas Latapie was noted for his extreme monarchism to the point that he lost faith variously in Alfonso XIIIAlfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
, his son Juan and grandson Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
, to whom he was a tutor, as he felt that they were not monarchist enough. A hard-line supporter of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
he nonetheless was prepared to criticise the Papacy for not reaching his own standards, notably in a series of articles published in the Acción Española journal in 1931 and 1932 in which he attacked the supposedly conciliatory attitude towards the republicans in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Conspiracies
Following the assassination of José Calvo SoteloJosé Calvo Sotelo
José Calvo Sotelo, 1st Duke of Calvo Sotelo was a Spanish politician prior to and during the Second Spanish Republic...
in 1936 Vegas Latapie and his brother Pepe instigated a plot to murder Manuel Azaña
Manuel Azaña
Manuel Azaña Díaz was a Spanish politician. He was the first Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic , and later served again as Prime Minister , and then as the second and last President of the Republic . The Spanish Civil War broke out while he was President...
in a revenge attack, although the plan was scuppered when they took it to their allies in the army as they were already in an advanced stage of planning the uprising that precipitated 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...
. His idea rejected, Vegas Latapie then decided to launch a suicide attack on the Congress of Deputies by entering the building whilst carrying a supply of mustard gas although this plan too was abandoned as he feared incriminating his brother Florentino who worked for the only producer of the gas in Spain.
Under Franco
Vegas Latapie had been close to the FalangeFalange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
and had exhorted them to greater violence in the early days of 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...
. Alongside this, however, he had a fraught relationship with José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, 1st Duke of Primo de Rivera, 3rd Marquis of Estella , was a Spanish lawyer, nobleman, politician, and founder of the Falange Española...
as he did not approve of the Falangist leader's high living private life. The two were estranged not long before Primo de Rivera's death when Vegas Latapie attacked his "social frivolity" whilst Falangists were being killed.
He sat on the National Council of the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista until the 4th March 1938 when Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, seeking to remove potential troublemakers, removed the abrasive and uncompromising Vegas Latapie from his position. The action led to a freezing of relations between Franco and Acción Española as many activists saw this as a slight on their leader and so ended co-operation. Deprived of his office he entered into a series of conspiracies against Franco with Juan Antonio Ansaldo
Juan Antonio Ansaldo
Juan Antonio Ansaldo y Vejerano was a Spanish aviator and monarchist activist and conspirator. A great admirer of Charles Maurras and Action Française, he flirted with various shades of far right politics before and during the Spanish Civil War....
although, as neither man was particularly popular or had good contacts, these came to nothing. He became a public critic of the Franco regime to such an extent that he was forced into exile in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for a time in June 1942.
Later years
In 1946 he formed part of a coterie of advisors around Don Juan, which included the likes of Pedro Sainz RodríguezPedro Sainz Rodríguez
Pedro Sainz Carlos Rodríguez was a Spanish writer, philologist, publisher and politician, an adviser to Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and one of the main architects of the reign of Juan Carlos I of Spain and the Spanish transition to democracy...
, José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones
José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones
José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones was a prominent Spanish politician in the period leading up to the Spanish Civil War....
, Julio López-Oliván and General Antonio Aranda
Antonio Aranda
Antonio Aranda Mata was a military officer who fought on side of the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.During the Morocco wars Aranda earned an outstanding record as an engineer and geographer. He participated in the suppression of the Asturias Revolt of 1934 and rose to the rank of Colonel...
, all of whom were involved in trying to secure restoration for the prospective king. Within this group Vegas Latapie and Sainz Rodríguez were noted to be the most extreme and anti-democratic members.
His autobiography Memorias politicas.El suicidio de la monarquia y la Segunda Republica appeared in 1983 and revealed his disillusionment with his political career.