The siege of the Loyola barracks ( es, Sitio del Cuartel de Loyola) was a siege and uprising at the military barracks in the Loyola neighborhood of
San Sebastián, Spain, on 21 July 1936. It was part of the
Spanish coup of July 1936 against the
Second Spanish Republic
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 ...
, which led to the start of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
.
Background
In the Basque province of
Álava
Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Álava, former medieval Catholic bishopric and now Latin titular see.
Its c ...
, the city of
Vitoria was easily seized by the rebels led by the general Angel García Benitez and the Colonel
Camilo Alonso Vega, but the rising failed in the
Biscay
Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao.
B ...
and
Gipuzkoa
Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...
provinces.
The
Basque nationalists
Basque nationalism ( eu, eusko abertzaletasuna ; es, nacionalismo vasco; french: nationalisme basque) is a form of nationalism that asserts that Basques, an ethnic group Indigenous peoples, indigenous to the western Pyrenees, are a nation an ...
supported the government, established ''Juntas de Defensa'' in all the cities and towns, arrested right-wing personalities, and requisitioned their automobiles. There was no military uprising in
Bilbao
)
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. There was an unsuccessful uprising in San Sebastián, however.
Uprising
On 19 July 1936, the military governor of
San Sebastián, Colonel León Carrasco Amilibia, was arrested, but the commander of the Loyola barracks, Colonel José Vallespín Cobián, encouraged by
Emilio Mola
Emilio Mola y Vidal, 1st Duke of Mola, Grandee of Spain (9 July 1887 – 3 June 1937) was one of the three leaders of the Nationalist coup of July 1936, which started the Spanish Civil War.
After the death of Sanjurjo on 20 July 1936, Mo ...
, decided to start the
uprising against the government.
Vallespín pointed his cannons at the civil government, and the staff inside fled. Carrasco escaped from his captors and declared a state of war. Carrasco established himself with right-wing supporters in the María Cristina hotel, and the
Civil Guard in the city supported the rising and seized the Gran Casino.
On 20 July, a column from
Eibar
Eibar ( eu, Eibar, es, Éibar) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. It is the head town of Debabarrena, one of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Gipuzkoa.
Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eusta ...
, about southeast of Loyola, led by Colonel
Augusto Pérez Garmendia, came to the city and surrounded the buildings held by the rebels. On 23 July, the Republican forces occupied the María Cristina hotel, and on 27 July, the rebels in the Loyola barracks surrendered to the besieging forces.
Spanish anarchists
Anarchism in Spain has historically gained some support and influence, especially before Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, when it played an active political role and is considered the end of the golden age of cl ...
seized the weapons inside the barracks and shot some right-wing prisoners, worsening their relations with the
Basque nationalists
Basque nationalism ( eu, eusko abertzaletasuna ; es, nacionalismo vasco; french: nationalisme basque) is a form of nationalism that asserts that Basques, an ethnic group Indigenous peoples, indigenous to the western Pyrenees, are a nation an ...
.
The nationalists occupied San Sebastián on 14 September.
See also
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Footnotes
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Loyola barracks, Siege of the
1936 in Spain
Battles of the Spanish Civil War
Conflicts in 1936
July 1936 events
San Sebastián
Sieges involving Spain
Spanish Civil War massacres