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Álvaro de Figueroa, 1st Count of Romanones facts for kids

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The Count of Romanones
Count of Romanones Bassano.png
Portrait by Bassano, 1914
Prime Minister of Spain
In office
14 November 1912 – 27 October 1913
Monarch Alfonso XIII
Preceded by Manuel García Prieto
Succeeded by Eduardo Dato
In office
5 December 1918 – 14 April 1919
Monarch Alfonso XIII
Preceded by Manuel García y Prieto
Succeeded by Antonio Maura
Personal details
Born
Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres-Sotomayor

15 August 1863
Casa de Cisneros, Madrid, Spain
Died 11 September 1950(1950-09-11) (aged 87)
Madrid, Spain
Political party Liberal Party
Spouse
Casilda Alonso-Martínez Martín
(1888⁠–⁠1950)
Children 7
Parent
  • Ignacio Figueroa y Mendieta (father)
Alma mater Central University
Collegio di Spagna
University of Bologna
Signature

Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres-Sotomayor, 1st Count of Romanones (born August 9, 1863 – died September 11, 1950) was an important Spanish politician and businessman. He served as Prime Minister three times between 1912 and 1918. He also held many other high-ranking positions. These included being the head of the Spanish Senate and Congress, and even the Mayor of Madrid.

Romanones was a member of the Liberal Party. He was known for building a large political network. He had a strong influence on politics in the province of Guadalajara for many years. He was also a talented writer, creating several history essays.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Álvaro de Figueroa was born on August 15, 1863, in the Casa de Cisneros in Madrid, Spain. His father, Ignacio Figueroa y Mendieta, was a very rich man who inherited money from mining companies. His mother, Ana de Torres y Romo, came from a noble family. He had four siblings.

When he was a child, Álvaro had an accident with a horse-drawn carriage. This accident broke his right leg and made him limp for the rest of his life. People sometimes made fun of his limp in jokes and cartoons.

He studied Law at the Central University of Madrid and finished in 1884. He then went to the University of Bologna in Italy. There, he earned a special degree in law in 1885. Even with this degree, he never worked as a lawyer.

Starting in Politics

Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres, conde de Romanones
Romanones as Mayor of Madrid, in his thirties

In 1888, Romanones became a member of the Congress of Deputies. This is like being a member of parliament or congress in other countries. He represented the area of Guadalajara. He was elected in a special election to fill an empty seat. He was just under 25 years old, which was the minimum age to be a lawmaker, but he managed to keep this a secret.

Soon after, on September 21, 1888, he married Casilda Alonso Martínez in San Sebastián. She was the daughter of a government minister. They had seven children together.

In 1889, he became a city council member in Madrid. He worked on different city services, like schools and public works. He left this job in 1892.

He was involved in some heated arguments during his political career. In 1892, he had a disagreement with the Mayor of Madrid, which led to a duel. He also had another duel with the Marquis of Valdeiglesias.

In 1894, he was appointed as the Mayor of Madrid. Later, in 1896, he bought a newspaper called El Globo. He changed its focus from supporting a republic to supporting a liberal monarchy. In 1903, he started a new political newspaper called Diario Universal.

Government Roles and Prime Minister

Romanones served as the Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts from 1901 to 1902. In this role, he made an important change. He made sure that primary school teachers' salaries were paid by the government, not by local towns. This helped teachers be more independent.

He also served as Minister of Development, Justice, and Interior in later governments. He helped José Canalejas become a top leader in the Liberal Party. As a reward, Romanones became Minister of Public Instruction again in 1909. In 1912, he became the head of the House of Representatives.

After Canalejas was assassinated, Romanones became a very important figure in the Liberal Party. He was appointed Prime Minister for the first time from 1912 to 1913. During this time, he worked with France on a treaty about Morocco.

During World War I, Spain officially stayed neutral. However, Romanones supported France and the Allies. This caused problems with the government and conservative politicians who favored Germany. When he became Prime Minister again from 1915 to 1917, he tried to make Spain's foreign policy closer to the Allies. He even challenged Germany after German submarines attacked Spanish ships. He resigned because he couldn't solve Spain's social problems and faced criticism from the pro-German press.

Gobierno de Romanones (2)
The 1918 cabinet led by Romanones

He later served as Minister of Instruction and Justice in a coalition government in 1918. He also briefly led another government in December 1918. This government faced challenges from independence movements in Catalonia and labor strikes. He left office in April 1919 after introducing the Eight Hour Workday Decree, which set a maximum workday length.

He was Minister of Justice again from 1922 to 1923. In 1923, he became the head of the Senate. He was in this position when Miguel Primo de Rivera took power in a military coup on September 13, 1923.

Romanones avec Ángel Pestaña. Agence Rol. BNF Gallica
Romanones with Ángel Pestaña (left) in 1922

During Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, Romanones mostly stayed out of politics. However, he was involved in a secret plan against the government, for which he was fined.

In 1931, he became Minister of State in a new government. But elections showed that the monarchy was not popular. Romanones advised King Alfonso XIII to leave Spain. He spoke with the leaders of the new republican government and helped arrange a peaceful transfer of power. This ensured the safety of the royal family.

Later Life

El Conde de Romanones en el hipódromo de Lasarte (1 de 1) - Fondo Car-Kutxa Fototeka
Romanones attending the hippodrome of Lasarte in 1932

During the Second Spanish Republic, Romanones continued to represent Guadalajara as a deputy.

When the Civil War began, he was in San Sebastián. He managed to cross into France with help from the French ambassador. In 1937, he moved to the side that supported Francisco Franco. He became a strong supporter of Franco. He even signed a report that tried to justify Franco's military uprising in 1936.

After the war, he wrote his life story (memoirs). He also became the president of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, which is a royal academy for fine arts. He was also a member of other important academies.

He passed away on September 11, 1950, in Madrid.

Works and Views

Romanones was a very active writer. He wrote his memoirs during the Second Republic. He also wrote several biographies and essays about politics.

Even though he was Catholic, he believed in religious freedom. He was against the church having too much influence in government. This often led to disagreements with religious leaders. For example, in 1905, he supported a law that allowed people to get married without declaring their religion. He also strongly supported the idea of keeping the church and state separate.

Honours

Romanones received many honours during his life:

He was given the title of Count of Romanones in 1893. In 1911, he became a Grandee of Spain, which is a very high noble rank. He also became the 7th Count of Yebes in 1922.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Conde de Romanones para niños

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