The Madrid Distinction () was one of the highest military awards of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

. It was a decoration related to the Laureate Plate of Madrid. which was established by the

in order to reward courage. In the same manner as the Laureate Plate it was named after

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, the capital of Spain, owing to the city symbolizing valour and the defence of the Spanish Republic during the long

Siege of Madrid The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Second Spanish Republic, Republican-controlled Spain, Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, ...

throughout the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

.Second Spanish Republic 23 January 1938 Decree

History

The ''Distintivo de Madrid'' was first awarded in January 1938 to certain warships of the loyalist fleet as well as to their crew members for their role in the Battle of Cape Palos. Meanwhile the admiral of the Spanish Republican Navy, Luis González de Ubieta, was awarded the Laureate Plate of Madrid for the same action. The war ended in April the following year with the defeat of the Spanish Republic by the rebel faction, which meant the end of the short existence of this military award. Unlike the Laureate Plate of Madrid, the Madrid Distinction displayed the former

coat of arms of Madrid The main components of the Coat of arms of Madrid (the Cantabrian bear, bear and the Arbutus unedo, strawberry tree) have their origin in the Middle Ages. The different coats of arms have experienced several modifications, losing for example moti ...

and not the

red star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. ...

, a symbol often associated with

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

ideology.

Awardees

Vessels

The following Spanish Republican Navy ships would fly the ''Distintivo de Madrid'' special pennant. *Cruiser ''Libertad'' *Cruiser ''Méndez Núñez'' *Destroyer ''Lepanto'' *Destroyer ''Almirante Antequera'' *Destroyer ''Sánchez Barcáiztegui''

Persons

All the crew members of the ships that took part in the Cape Palos naval battle were awarded the ''Distintivo de Madrid''. They were issued a special cloth badge to wear on their uniforms.Enrique García Domingo, ''Recompensas republicanas por el hundimiento del Baleares,'' Revista de Historia Naval, 1997, Año XV no. 59, pg. 70

References

{{reflist

External links

Placa Laureada de Madrid
1938 establishments in Spain 1939 disestablishments in Spain