Manuel Goded Llopis (15 October 1882 – 12 August 1936) was a

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

general who was one of the key figures in the July 1936 revolt against the democratic government of

Manuel Azaña Manuel Azaña Díaz (; 10 January 1880 – 3 November 1940) was a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain, Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1933 and 1936), organizer of the Popular Front in 1935 and the la ...

. Having unsuccessfully led an attempted insurrection in Barcelona, he was captured and executed by the Republican government. Previously, Goded had distinguished himself in the Battle of Alhucemas of the

Rif War The Rif War (, , ) was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several ...

Early life

He was born in the city of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, the capital of

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, then a Spanish colony. There, he received his primary and secondary education. His family moved to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

after Puerto Rico became a possession of the

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by the

Treaty of Paris of 1898 The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, was signed by Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the ...

, which ended the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. In Spain, he enrolled and was accepted in the Academy of Infantry.Historia

Rif War

Goded graduated from the academy and was assigned to various posts. In 1907, when 25 years old, he held the rank of captain. In 1919, a rebellion against Spanish colonial rule took place in Spanish Morocco, a Spanish protectorate. The rebel leader in what is also known as the

was Abd-el-Krim. The Riffians, as the rebels became known, annihilated the army of Spanish General

Manuel Fernández Silvestre Manuel Fernández Silvestre (December 16, 1871 – July 22, 1921) was a Military of Spain, Spanish general. Manuel Fernández Silvestre was the son of a lieutenant colonel of artillery, Victor Fernández and Eleuteria Silvestre. In 1889, he enr ...

at the

Battle of Annual The Battle of Annual was fought on 22 July 1921 at Annual, Morocco, Annual, in northeastern Morocco, between the Spanish Army and Rifians, Rifian Berbers during the Rif War. The Spanish suffered a major military defeat, which is almost always ref ...

in 1921 and were poised to attack the Spanish enclave of

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. Generals Jose Millan Astray and

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

, who founded the Spanish Foreign Legion, fought against the Riffians on land. In 1925, Goded led an amphibious landing at Alhucemas Bay (now Al Hoceima Bay) in what is known as the Battle of Alhucemas. It was considered as the beginning of the end of the Rif Rebellion. By 1927, the rebellion had ended, and Spain recaptured her lost territory. Goded was promoted to brigadier general and soon was named chief of staff of the

Spanish Army of Africa The Army of Africa (, , Tarifit, Riffian; ''Aserdas n Tefriqt''), also known as the Army of Spanish Morocco ('), was a field army of the Spanish Army that garrisoned the Spanish protectorate in Morocco from 1912 until History of Morocco#Independ ...

Dictatorship and Second Republic

Goded at first supported the right-wing dictatorship of

Miguel Primo de Rivera Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, Grandee, GE (8 January 1870 – 16 March 1930), was a Spanish dictator and military officer who ruled as prime minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during the last years of the Resto ...

, which was established in 1923 with the consent of King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...

. However, Goded's eventual criticism of the government led to his removal from the post. He collaborated in the 1932 coup d'état attempt, after which he was forced to distance from the Armed Forces, but was called to return in 1934 to lead the repression of the Asturias revolt. In May 1936,

became the second and last

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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. ...

. Goded was named Chief of Staff of the Central Army but was again relieved of his position after a conflict with the government. When right-wing officers suspected of plotting against the government were reassigned, he was exiled to a remote and inconsecuential post on the

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Revolt and execution

When right-wing generals rebelled against the Popular Front government of the Second Republic in July 1936, Goded unsuccessfully led troops in the Catalan capital, Barcelona, after he had taken control of

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

and

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Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, being among the most industrialised regions of Spain, was a stronghold of the organized left, and Goded's local operations failed. He was captured by government forces on August 11 and held on the

prison ship A prison ship, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoner of war, prisoners of war or civilian internees. Some prison ships were hulk (ship type), hulked. W ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

''. Goded was tried by a Republican military court for treason and compelled to order his remaining troops, via radio, to surrender. Goded was sentenced to death by firing squad. He was executed the next day at Montjuïc Castle in Barcelona. Goded's death not only decapitated the Nationalist revolt in Barcelona and greater Catalonia but also removed one of the key personal and political rivals to the movement's eventual leader,

. Payne, SG ''The Franco Regime, 1936–1975'' Madison: University of Wisconsin, 1987 p.101, note 27.

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