Manuel Díaz Criado facts for kids

Manuel Díaz Criado (born 1898 – died 7 July 1947) was a Spanish army officer. During the Spanish Civil War, he was given a lot of power to deal with people who opposed the Nationalist military uprising. This led to many arrests and serious consequences for those who disagreed with the Nationalists in the regions of Andalucia and Extremadura.

Early Life and Army Career

Manuel Díaz Criado was born in Seville, Spain. He was the oldest of five children. His father, Manuel Díaz Gavira, was a civil administrative chief.

Manuel Díaz Criado joined the army and served in the Spanish Legion in the Spanish protectorate in Morocco. In 1925, he was promoted to captain. He became involved with groups that wanted to change the government officials who supported the Spanish Second Republic.

Role in the Spanish Civil War

Manuel Díaz Criado became very active when the Spanish Civil War began on July 18, 1936. Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, one of the leaders of the Nationalist uprising, gave him an important title: Delegado Militar Gubernativo. This meant he was the government military delegate for Andalucia and Extremadura. This title gave him almost unlimited power to handle anyone who opposed the Nationalists.

Díaz Criado worked from a police station in Seville. The local police were under his command. He made many important decisions, which included serious punishments for those who opposed the Nationalists.

However, his actions eventually caused problems for him. In November 1936, he made a big mistake. He accused the Portuguese vice-consul (a diplomat) in Seville of being a spy. But the diplomat was actually gathering information about weapons being sent to Spain from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. This information was even requested by Nicolás Franco, who was General Francisco Franco's brother.

This accusation caused a serious problem with Portugal, a country that supported the Nationalists. General Franco demanded that Díaz Criado be removed from his position right away. Queipo de Llano, who had supported Díaz Criado, was forced to apologize to Portugal. After this, Díaz Criado was sent to the Talavera de la Reina front and was promoted to commander.

Later Life and Military Awards

Manuel Díaz Criado spent the last part of his army career in the Jaén region. He worked at the front lines and later helped with moving and guarding prisoners. In March 1940, he was made the military commander of Andújar.

In 1943, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. He also received an important award called the cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild. Manuel Díaz Criado died in Seville on July 7, 1947. He was survived by his wife, Julia, and his son.

Legacy

People who knew Manuel Díaz Criado believed that his actions during the war led to the deaths of many thousands of people.

See also

In Spanish: Manuel Díaz Criado para niños