Eugenio Vegas Latapié facts for kids

Eugenio Vegas Latapie (1907–1985) was a Spanish writer and activist. He was known for strongly supporting the idea of a monarchy, which means having a king or queen as the head of a country.

Born in Irun, Spain, he was a key member of a group called Acción Española. Later in his life, Vegas Latapie became an important advisor to Don Juan de Borbón. Don Juan was the father of Juan Carlos I, who later became the King of Spain. Eugenio Vegas Latapie also helped with Juan Carlos's early education.

What is a Monarchist?

Eugenio Vegas Latapie was a founding member of Acción Española. He was known for his very strong belief in monarchy. A monarchist is someone who believes a country should be ruled by a king or queen.

He sometimes felt that even the royal family members, like King Alfonso XIII, his son Don Juan, and his grandson Juan Carlos, were not strong enough in their support of the monarchy. He also strongly supported the Roman Catholic Church. However, he would even criticize the Papacy (the Pope and the Vatican) if he felt they weren't meeting his high standards. For example, he wrote articles in 1931 and 1932 criticizing the Church's attitude towards republicans in France.

Involvement in Spanish Politics

After a politician named José Calvo Sotelo was killed in 1936, Vegas Latapie and his brother were involved in plans for revenge. However, their plans were stopped because a bigger uprising was already being planned. This uprising soon led to the start of the Spanish Civil War.

Working with Franco

Eugenio Vegas Latapie was close to the Falange political party. He even encouraged them to be more forceful during the early days of the Spanish Civil War. However, he had a difficult relationship with José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the leader of the Falange. Vegas Latapie did not approve of Primo de Rivera's personal life.

Their friendship ended before Primo de Rivera's death. Vegas Latapie criticized his "social frivolity" while other Falange members were dying in the war.

Vegas Latapie was part of the National Council of the Falange party until March 4, 1938. At that time, Francisco Franco, who was the leader of Spain, removed him from his position. Franco wanted to get rid of people who might cause trouble. This action made relations between Franco and Acción Española very cold. Many activists felt it was an insult to their leader and stopped working with Franco.

After losing his job, Vegas Latapie became involved in plots against Franco. He worked with Juan Antonio Ansaldo, but these plans did not succeed. He became a public critic of Franco's government. Because of this, he was forced to live in Switzerland for a time in June 1942.

Later Life and Writings

In 1946, Eugenio Vegas Latapie joined a group of advisors around Don Juan. This group included important figures like Pedro Sainz Rodríguez and José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones. They all worked to try and bring the monarchy back to Spain. Within this group, Vegas Latapie and Sainz Rodríguez were known as the most extreme members.

His autobiography, called Memorias politicas. El suicidio de la monarquia y la Segunda Republica, was published in 1983. In this book, he shared his feelings of disappointment with his political career.

See also

In Spanish: Eugenio Vegas Latapié para niños