Antonio Azarola y Gresillón facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Antonio Azarola y Gresillón
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| Birth name | Antonio Azarola y Gresillón |
| Born | 1874 Tafalla, Navarre |
| Died | 4 August 1936 (aged 61–62) Executed at Ferrol, Galicia |
| Buried |
Vilagarcía de Arousa cemetery
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| Allegiance |  Spanish Republic |
| Service/ |
Spanish Republican Navy |
| Rank | .svg){kind=small} Minister of the Navy (1935-36) Rear Admiral of the Fleet |
Antonio Azarola y Gresillón (born 1874 – died August 4, 1936) was an important officer in the Spanish Navy. He was a rear admiral in the Spanish Republican Navy. He was sadly executed on August 4, 1936, at the Ferrol Naval Base in Spain. This happened because he refused to join a rebellion against the Spanish Republic. This rebellion was the start of the Spanish Civil War.
Antonio Azarola had served as the Minister of Defence for Spain. He held this important position from December 30, 1935, to February 19, 1936. This was during the time when Manuel Portela Valladares was the head of the government.
Antonio Azarola was one of the few high-ranking naval officers who stayed loyal to the Spanish Republic. This was especially true during the rebellion at the Ferrol Naval Base. Other loyal officers included Captain Juan Sandalio Sánchez Ferragut and Lieutenant Luis Sánchez Pinzón.
About Antonio Azarola
Antonio Azarola was born in Tafalla, Navarre, in 1874. He came from a family with many famous military members in Spain. Some of his family had even moved to Uruguay.
Early in his military career, Azarola was chosen twice to be the assistant to vice admiral Ricardo Fernández Gutiérrez de Celis. Azarola later married Gutiérrez de Celis's daughter, Carmen Fernández García-Zúñiga. Azarola was a man who believed strongly in his Christian faith.
Since November 1934, Azarola was the second-in-command of the Ferrol Naval Base. This was the most important Spanish Navy base in northern Spain. He also led the Naval Arsenal, which is where ships and weapons are made and stored.
Azarola was later made the undersecretary of the Naval Ministry of the Spanish Republic. This ministry managed Spain's navy and merchant ships. He then became a minister in the government led by Manuel Portela Valladares. This was from December 30, 1935, to February 19, 1936. It was the last government before the 1936 elections.
Towards the end of his time as minister, in January 1936, a new plan for the Spanish Republic's navy was created. This plan was made just before the Civil War began. It included building two new destroyers and two gunboats, along with other smaller ships.
The July 1936 Rebellion
When the rebellion by generals started in July 1936, Azarola made a clear choice. He decided to remain loyal to the Spanish Republic. When rebel officers at Ferrol asked him to join their uprising, he said his Christian beliefs were most important.
As the highest leader at the naval base, he warned the rebel officers. He reminded them that their rebellion was a serious act of high treason. They had sworn an oath of allegiance to the legal government of Spain.
Rear-Admiral Azarola was very confused by this act of betrayal. He refused to open the doors of the Arsenal to arm the trade unions and leftist groups. This action might have saved his life and stopped the rebellion in that area.
Finally, he was arrested by two navy officers, Francisco and Salvador Moreno Fernández. These brothers were lower in rank than Azarola. They were later praised as heroes by General Franco during his time as dictator.
Azarola's words to Francisco Moreno became famous. Moreno was a close friend of Azarola and later became an admiral for the rebel forces. Azarola said, "Usted también, don Francisco" (meaning "You too, don Francisco") when he was arrested.
Azarola was executed by a firing squad at 6 AM on August 4, 1936. This happened against the inner wall of the Cuartel de Dolores barracks. His body was later buried at the Vilagarcía de Arousa graveyard. He was survived by his son, Antonio Azarola Fernández de Celis.
Many years later, Rear Admiral Azarola was included in a list of victims of Franco's regime. This list was created by Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón.
See also
- Spanish Republican Navy
- Spanish coup of July 1936
- List of people executed by Francoist Spain
- Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory
