Agustín González de Amezúa y Mayo (1881-1956) was a
Spanish academic, member of
Real Academia Española
The Royal Spanish Academy ( es, Real Academia Española, generally abbreviated as RAE) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with ...
,
Real Academia de la Historia and
Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación
Real may refer to:
Currencies
* Brazilian real (R$)
* Central American Republic real
* Mexican real
* Portuguese real
* Spanish real
* Spanish colonial real
Music Albums
* Real (L'Arc-en-Ciel album), ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000)
* Real ...
. He is best known as historian of literature who specialized in
Siglo de Oro
The Spanish Golden Age ( es, Siglo de Oro, links=no , "Golden Century") is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and the Spanish Ha ...
, especially in works of
Cervantes and
Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...
. He held various important scientific posts during early
Francoism, especially in
Consejo Superior de Investigaciónes Científicas. Politically he supported the
Traditionalist
Traditionalism is the adherence to traditional beliefs or practices. It may also refer to:
Religion
* Traditional religion, a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group
* Traditionalism (19th-century Catholicism), a 19th–cen ...
cause, first as an
Integrist
In politics, integralism, integrationism or integrism (french: intégrisme) is an interpretation of Catholic social teaching that argues for an authoritarian and anti- pluralist Catholic state, wherever the preponderance of Catholics within t ...
and then as a
Carlist
Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimists (disambiguation), Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbon dynasty ...
militant; in the early 1940s he was in national executive of
Comunión Tradicionalista
The Traditionalist Communion ( es, Comunión Tradicionalista, CT) was one of the names adopted by the Carlist movement as a political force since 1869.
History
In October 1931, Carlist claimant to the Spanish throne Duke Jaime died. He was s ...
. In the mid-1920s he was member of the Madrid
ayuntamiento.
Family and youth
None of the sources consulted provides information on González de Amezúa’s distant ancestors; some authors claim that the family originated from
La Rioja. His father, Enrique González de Amezúa y Muñoz (died 1909), was a member of the mid-range Madrid
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
. At least since the late 1860s he had been working as a broker at the
stock exchange
A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...
and reportedly greatly contributed to its operations during the turbulent times of the
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
and the early
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
. Over time he became one of the most prestigious brokers; in the late 1890s he was a member of Junta Sindical of the Colegio de Agentes de Cambio y Bolsa, and in the early 20th century he became the president of the body. At an unspecified time he married Luisa Mayo Albert (died 1934), a descendant of a well-off family involved in trade and finances. Her father and Amezúa’s maternal grandfather Manuel Mayo de la Fuente originated from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
; he became a distinguished lawyer and landholder. In the mid-1860s he served two terms in the
Cortes
Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to:
People
* Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name
** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador
Places
* Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of N ...
and was Director General de Contribuciones in the
Ministerio de Hacienda.
Enrique and Luisa settled in Madrid. They had nine children, born between the mid-1870s and the late 1880s; three of them perished either in infancy or in their youth. Agustín was born as the third oldest son; all received very religious and pious educations. In the mid-1890s he frequented the
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
college in
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
, where he obtained the
bachillerato. At an unspecified time in the late 1890s he entered the faculty of law at
Universidad Central in Madrid. Some sources claim he graduated in 1901, but others point rather to 1902; his thesis was titled ''Historia de la Paz y Tratado de los Pirineos que se concluyó a 7 de noviembre de 1659''. Amezúa entered the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
and was employed in the office of "a known lawyer" in Madrid; some authors are more specific and maintain that he practiced in the firm of Luis Díaz Cobeña.
In 1911 Amezúa married Primitiva Noriega González (died 1983); there is nothing known about her or her family. The couple lived in downtown Madrid and had five children, born between the early 1910s and the late 1920s. The oldest sons, Javier and Álvaro, were killed by the
Republicans
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
during an early stage of the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
.
Ramón became an engineer and a nationally recognized organist; from 1991 to 2008 he presided over the
Real Academia de Bellas Artes and until 2007 he led the executive board of
TeleMadrid
Telemadrid is a public regional television station in the Community of Madrid, Spain, the flagship channel of the regional public broadcaster Radio Televisión Madrid (RTVM). It began its broadcast on 2 May 1989.
History First years
Telemadr ...
. The youngest child,
Clara María, is a living legend of Spanish
gourmet. The best known of Agustín’s grandchildren is Mercedes González de Amezúa y del Pino, a historian of art, curator and author. Among Agustín’s siblings the oldest brother Manuel became a businessman, but he is known rather as co-founder of the
Club Alpino Español. The youngest brother Enrique entered diplomacy and served on foreign missions for the
Republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
and for
Francoist Spain. Agustín’s maternal uncle was the
Integrist
In politics, integralism, integrationism or integrism (french: intégrisme) is an interpretation of Catholic social teaching that argues for an authoritarian and anti- pluralist Catholic state, wherever the preponderance of Catholics within t ...
political leader,
Ramón Nocedal.
Man of affairs
![Arganda del rey skyline](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Arganda_del_rey_skyline.JPG)
Amezúa’s practice as a lawyer did not last long, though it is not clear exactly when he abandoned the bar and switched to business. At an unspecified time in the early 20th century he either inherited or otherwise assumed management of the La Poveda
sugar plant
Sugar Plant is a Japanese dream pop band. Unlike most rock music, their music is generally very slow, mellow and melodic, in the vein of similar American "slowcore" groups such as Galaxie 500, Bedhead
BedHead is a comedy web series created by ...
in
Arganda del Rey
Arganda del Rey () is a municipality and city of Spain located in the Community of Madrid.
Geography
Located in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula, the city lies at roughly 613 metres above sea level, not far from the junction of the J ...
, built probably by either one of his ancestors or one of his relatives. Apart from daily business, he remained fairly active also as a theorist; in 1917 he released ''La cuestión del azúcar. Observaciones sobre su tasa'', in 1918 ''La cuestión del azúcar. Informes y observaciones elevados a los poderes públicos'', and in 1924 ''Memoria de las mejoras introducidas en la Fábrica y Ferrocarriles de la Sociedad Azucarera de Madrid''. In the mid-1920s he represented Industria Azucarera Española in the Consejo de la Economía Nacional, and voiced questions related to the sugar trade with
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and numerous other issues of the sugar industry. In the late 1920s he rose to high positions in
Sociedad Azucarera de España, the Spanish sugar trust, and co-ordinated some of its projects also in the early 1930s.
At an unspecified time Amezúa engaged also in the alcohol industry. In 1932 he was among the top managers of the Asociación de Fabricantes de Alcoholes Industriales and represented the institution in the newly formed Instituto Nacional del Vino. After the war he was the managing director of the Unión Alcoholera Española S.A., and in name of the holding in 1940 he negotiated refurbishment of manufacturing premises in
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
. In the early 1940s he presided over the Organería Española. It was his son who played a part in Amezúa’s engagement in
Ferrovial
Ferrovial, S.A. (), previously Grupo Ferrovial, is a Spanish multinational company involved in the design, construction, financing, operation (DBFO) and maintenance of transport infrastructure and urban services. It is a publicly traded company ...
, the construction-transport conglomerate set up by
Rafael de Pino in 1952. Ramón was married to his sister; Pino concluded that a prestigious academic with a business background would help him open many doors, and offered Amezúa the position of president of the board. The plan worked out and the same year Ferrovial closed the first deal with
RENFE. According to one source Amezúa held some roles in the
Banco de España
The Bank of Spain ( es, link=no, Banco de España) is the central bank of Spain. Established in Madrid in 1782 by Charles III of Spain, Charles III, today the bank is a member of the European System of Central Banks and is also Spain's national ...
, but there are neither details nor confirmation provided.
![Edificio Príncipe de Vergara 135 (Madrid) 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Edificio_Pr%C3%ADncipe_de_Vergara_135_%28Madrid%29_01.jpg)
Amezúa was fairly successful as a businessman and already in the early 1920s he was an affluent member of the Madrid bourgeoisie. In 1924 he contracted Luis Gutiérrez Soto, at the time the Chief Architect of the Ministry of Public Instruction, to design his house in the prestigious so-called Triángulo Cultural quarter in Madrid. It was completed by other architects as a ''palacete'' with eclectic, historicist, regionalist, and baroque features; the front was occupied by a giant, two-storey library. Amezúa lived there during the following thirty-two years; currently the building serves as Casa de Galicia, the property of regional
Galician authorities. In 1940 Gutiérrez Soto designed also the refurbishment of Amezúa’s property near his sugar plant in Arganda del Rey, known as ''Vilches'', which was further upgraded in 1956. Amezúa owned also another rural estate, his favorite summer getaway, named ''Dehesa de Cid'' and located in the village of
Sanchorreja near
Ávila
Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila.
It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...
.
Historian of literature
![Cervantes Jáuregui](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Cervantes_J%C3%A1uregui.jpg)
Though a lawyer by profession, Amezúa developed an interest in letters and history. He was inspired mostly by his erudite uncle Ramón Nocedal and his guests met during weekly intellectual sessions, mostly
Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo; despite the age difference, the two became close friends. In his research Amezúa focused almost exclusively on the so-called
Siglo de Oro
The Spanish Golden Age ( es, Siglo de Oro, links=no , "Golden Century") is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and the Spanish Ha ...
and became an acknowledged
cervantista. Already in 1909 the Real Academia de la Lengua rewarded him with the Medalla de Oro for a critical edition of ''
El casamiento engañoso'' and ''
El coloquio de los perros'' by Cervantes, to be published in 1912. However, his key work is ''Cervantes creador de la Novela corta española'' (1956), a multi-volume edition of Cervantes’ stories with innovative and massive analytical introduction. He also prologued or contributed to a number of studies or re-editions and published a handful of shorter articles on the author of
Don Quijote in the popular press.
Another of Amezúa’s favorite authors was
Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...
. The work which stands out is ''Epistolario de Lope de Vega Carpio (1935-1943)'', a four-volume publication of Lope’s correspondence accompanied by an extensive and rigorous analytical study. Far smaller was ''Una colección manuscrita y desconocida de comedias de Lope de Vega Carpio'' (1945), an edition of previously unpublished theatrical pieces. ''Un enigma descifrado. El raptor de la hija de Lope de Vega'' (1934) was a historiographic-literary study upon a mysterious episode from Lope’s life. His opus was complete with a number of minor works, published as prologues to re-edited Lope de Vega works or as articles in scientific reviews or in daily newspapers.
![LopedeVega](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/LopedeVega.jpg)
Among studies dealing with other authors of the Siglo de Oro the one of particular weight was ''Formación y elementos de la novela cortesana'' (1929), the study on the emergence of a genre that he dubbed “courtly novel”; he listed three of its typical features, namely urban setting, aristocratic characters, and "erotically motivated" plot. He also studied, edited, and published works of somewhat forgotten authors, like
Juan Rufo (1923),
Juan Enríquez de Zúñiga (1932),
Antonio de Torquemada
''For other people with this surname, see Torquemada''
Antonio de Torquemada (circa 1507, León, Spain - 1569), was a Spanish writer of the Renaissance.Coordinators: Alonso, Juan / Matas, Juan Caballero / Trabado, José (2005) ''La maravilla es ...
(1943),
Alonso de Meneses (1946),
Andrés Rey de Artieda (1947),
Juan Pérez de Montalbán Juan Pérez de Montalbán (1602 – 25 June 1638) was a Spanish Catholic priest, dramatist, poet and novelist.
Biography
He was born at Madrid. At the age of eighteen, he became a licentiate in theology. He was ordained priest in 1625, and appointe ...
(1949),
Diego de San Pedro
Diego de San Pedro (c. 1437 – c. 1498) was a Castilians, Castilian writer. Little is known about him, besides what is included in his works. Scholars also rely on what they infer from the context in which he wrote and the many nobles to whom he ...
(1952) and
Juan de Flores Juan de Flores (c. 1455 - c. 1525) was a Spanish courtier, knight, administrator, diplomat and author, most known for two "sentimental novels": ''Grimalte y Gradissa'' and ''Grisel y Mirabella'', both probably written between 1470 and 1477 and publi ...
(1954). Other minor works include studies dedicated to Menendez Pelayo,
typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), and ...
, polemical debates, the Spanish reception of
Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
and other topics. Amezúa’s contribution to the history of Spanish literature consists also of his documentary passion. He inherited Nocedal’s massive collection of old prints and enlarged it in the course of the following decades, purchasing manuscripts, old books, and acquiring private collections, e.g. the correspondence between
Benito Pérez Galdós
Benito Pérez Galdós (May 10, 1843 – January 4, 1920) was a Spanish Spanish Realist literature, realist novelist. He was the leading literary figure in 19th-century Spain, and some scholars consider him second only to Miguel de Cervantes ...
and
Emilia Pardo Bazán. He donated the entire collection to the Real Academia Española in 1953.
Historiography, ''periodismo'' and political theory
![Isabel de Valois2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Isabel_de_Valois2..jpg)
Historiography was, after literature, another field where Amezúa contributed with some high quality works. The most significant one is a multi-volume study on the Spanish
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
queen
Isabel de Valois (1949); the same ruler was offered also a minor article. Another major study was ''La
batalla de Lucena y el verdadero retrato de Boabdil'' (1915), a 200-page analysis of an episode from the very late period of the
Reconquista
The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...
. Mid-size works are ''Andanzas y meditaciones de un procurador castellano en las Cortes de Madrid'' (1945) and ''Un modelo de estadistas.
El marqués de la Enseñada'' (1917), the latter uniquely going beyond the Golden Age period. Minor contributions are articles scattered across scientific periodicals and dealing with various aspects of 17th century Spain, including municipal regulations, early police forces, distinguished personalities or travelling. Amezúa also prologued a number of publications, including sets of modern era documents, reprints of older books or bibliographical collections.
![El Siglo Futuro retablo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/El_Siglo_Futuro_retablo.png)
From the early 1900s till the 1930s Amezúa published some thirty culture-focused articles in ''
El Siglo Futuro
''El Siglo Futuro'' was a Spanish Traditionalist/Integrist daily newspaper, published in Madrid between 1875 and 1936.
Organisational history
It was founded by the Carlist politician and thinker Cándido Nocedal; the first issue came out on Mar ...
'', usually unsigned or signed with a pen-name "Zeuma". In the 1940s and 1950s he contributed some 100 pieces to ''
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
'' and ''
La Vanguardia
' (; , Spanish for "The Vanguard") is a Spanish daily newspaper, founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan (Spanish copy is automatically translated into Catalan). It has its headquarters in Barcelona and i ...
''; apart from a few exceptions they all dwelled on the history of literature and culture, though some contained political undertones, e.g. related to
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
. His particular focus was on
lexicology
Lexicology is the branch of linguistics that analyzes the lexicon of a specific language. A word is the smallest meaningful unit of a language that can stand on its own, and is made up of small components called morphemes and even smaller element ...
and revealed that he aspired to a normative role; Amezúa campaigned against foreign words or regionalisms and advocated the purity of the language; he tried to invent words supposed to replace foreign intrusions, e.g. "navideña" instead of "Christmas" (adjective) and "popularismo" instead of "folklore". A contemporary scholar describes him as "amante del español castizo, cultivador de un estilo arcaizante".
Another area of Amezúa’s publishing activity was political theory; like in literature and historiography, he excelled in editorial work and providing introductory or analytical commentary. This was the case with ''Obras de don Ramón de Nocedal'' (1907-1914), which gathered articles, manuscript works, and Cortes addresses by the master of his youth. Another example is a prologue to ''Política general'' by
Juan Vázquez de Mella
Juan Vázquez de Mella y Fanjul (1861–1928) was a Spanish politician and a political theorist. He is counted among the greatest Traditionalist thinkers, at times considered the finest author of Spanish Traditionalism of all time. A politician ac ...
, (1932), already calibrated as a
Traditionalist
Traditionalism is the adherence to traditional beliefs or practices. It may also refer to:
Religion
* Traditional religion, a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group
* Traditionalism (19th-century Catholicism), a 19th–cen ...
propaganda publication with contributions of
Conde Rodezno,
Víctor Pradera,
Salvador Minguijón or
Miguel Fernandez Peñaflor; there are also other minor pieces. Most of his smaller works, including these from the history of literature, were re-published or published in three volumes of the ''Opúsculos Histórico-Literarios'' (1951-1953). One scholar writing in 1958 identified his seventy-nine works in total, but recently another student arrived at 250 titles.
Academic
![Real Academia de la Lengua, 1929](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Real_Academia_de_la_Lengua%2C_1929.jpg)
Since the late 1900s Amezúa focused almost entirely on science, and in 1909 his treatise on Cervantes, to be published few years later, earned him the Medalla de Oro of the Real Academía de la Lengua. In 1912 he became the librarian of the Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación. In 1914 he was the moving spirit behind the setup of Sociedad de Bibliófilos Españoles and later labored to publish many of its luxurious publications. In 1929 he entered the Real Academia de la Lengua, the highest Spanish authority in the world of letters; his entry lecture was ''Formación y elementos característicos de la novela cortesana''. In the name of RAE he worked to reclaim the original
house of Lope de Vega in Madrid; when successful in 1930, he managed the refurbishment works. In 1935 he entered the Junta Protectora de las Bibliotecas y Archivos Ecclesiásticos, a body set up by the Church and entrusted with protection of its written heritage.
In 1938 Amezúa was nominated treasurer of the Insituto de España, a freshly created Francoist body intended to replace
Junta de Ampliación de Estudios
Junta may refer to:
Government and military
* Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones
** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...
. It was soon replaced by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciónes Científicas; within CSIC he later presided in perpetuity over a sub-section named Patronato Saavedra Fajardo. In 1939 he became the treasurer of the Real Academia Española and soon afterwards he was nominated to the Junta de Patronato de la Biblioteca Nacional. In 1940 he emerged as ''hermano mayor'' of the newly created Pontificia y Real Asociación de Represión de la Blasfemia. In 1941 he took management of the Centro de Estudios de Lope de Vega, his personal brainchild intended to protect Lope’s patrimony and to study and propagate his works; however, the institution operated briefly and was later incorporated into the RAE structures. In 1942 Amezúa was elected to the Real Academia de la Historia; he took his seat in 1944 with the lecture ''Una reina de España en la intimidad: Isabel de Valois''.
![Real Academia de la Historia (España) 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Real_Academia_de_la_Historia_%28Espa%C3%B1a%29_02.jpg)
In 1945 Amezúa entered the third royal academy, this time the Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación; his entry lecture was ''Andanzas y meditaciones de un procurador castellano en las Cortes de Madrid de 1592 a 1598''. In 1951 he was among the founding members of the Instituto de Estudios Madrileños; according to some authors he served as its president until his death and according to some until the mid-1950s. In 1951 he travelled to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
as head of the Spanish delegation for the I Congreso de Academias de la Lengua Española and worked to create the Asociación Internacional de Academias de la Lengua Española. From 1951 to 1956 he presided over the Comisión Permanente del Congreso de Academias de Lengua. In 1952 Amezúa was among the founding fathers of the Sociedad Española de Publicistas. In 1953 he was elected director of the Real Academia de Historia and directed it until his death. In 1956 he was active preparing the II Congreso de Academias da la Lengua Española; shortly before his death he assumed management of ''
Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia''.
Between Integrism and Carlism
Amezúa’s parents politically supported the Traditionalist branch, since the 1880s known as
Integrism. As a young man Agustín was particularly influenced by its leader and his maternal uncle, the charismatic Ramón Nocedal. The families lived closely and Amezúa spent hours in Nocedal’s enormous library; he also at least witnessed intellectual sessions staged there and naturally absorbed the Integrist outlook. Already during Nocedal’s lifetime he started to edit and publish his works; after Nocedal’s death in 1909 he completed the task in 1914. Since 1905, and during the 1910s and 1920s he kept contributing to the flagship Integrist newspaper, the Madrid-based ''El Siglo Futuro''. He signed only a few pieces. Most are unsigned or signed with pen-names. However, in his contributions he stayed clear of politics and ideology; some thirty articles focused rather on culture and grand Spanish literature.
Amezúa’s first steps in politics are not clear. In 1924 he entered the Madrid
ayuntamiento; during the
Primo de Rivera Primo de Rivera is a Spanish family prominent in politics of the 19th and 20th centuries:
*Fernando Primo de Rivera (1831–1921), Spanish politician and soldier
*Miguel Primo de Rivera (1870–1930), nephew of Fernando, military officer and dictat ...
dictatorship its members were not elected but nominated by the civil governor. None of the sources consulted clarifies what mechanism got him elevated to the town hall. He remained a rather active
councilor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
, especially after he entered and then assumed the presidency of the Comisión de Hacienda. Amezúa worked to re-organize municipal economic structures, especially with regards to
tenancy and city-controlled companies; he remained engaged in the development of the
local tram network and was behind improvements to the
Canal de Isabel II Canal de Isabel II (CYII) is the only company that manages the water supplies for Madrid, Spain. It is owned by the Autonomous Community of Madrid.
History
The '' Y'' in the abbreviated form of the company's name is from the old spelling ''Ysabel'' ...
, the urban water supplier. His term expired in 1927; it is not clear whether he resigned or was not re-appointed. His only official engagement prior to the fall of the monarchy was the 1930 appointment to the Comisión Mixta Arbitral Agraria, an arbitrary board set up by the Ministerio de Trabajo y Previsión.
![Flag of Cross of Burgundy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg)
The advent of the
Second Republic produced rapprochement between various Traditionalist branches. At the turn of 1931 and 1932 the Integrists merged within the Carlist organisation, the Comunión Tradicionalista; Amezúa was among a strong and robust Integrist contingent. He focused on culture. In 1933 he started publishing single pieces in an ambitious Carlist review, entitled ''Tradición''; and two years later he entered its
editorial board. In 1934 he was nominated to the Consejo de Cultura, a body designed as guardians of Traditionalist orthodoxy, kept contributing to the now semi-official Carlist daily ''El Siglo Futuro'' and delivered lectures at Carlist gatherings, e.g. during the Congreso Nacional de Juventudes Tradicionalistas. In 1935 the claimant
Alfonso Carlos nominated him to another body, the Consejo de Hacienda, supposed to look after the party finances. Amezúa’s stand with regard to dilemmas of Carlist politics is not clear; however, in 1934 he was a member of the Junta Directiva of
Acción Española, a platform which advanced dynastical reconciliation and united some Carlists and some
Alfonsists.
Between Carlism and Francoism
![Javier de Borbón Parma con boina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Javier_de_Borb%C3%B3n_Parma_con_boina.jpg)
Amezúa was at least aware of the anti-Republican conspiracy of 1936, as his two oldest sons were actively engaged in the Madrid ''
requeté'' preparations. In the chaos which engulfed the capital on July 18/19 Javier and Álvaro failed to make it to the
Montaña barracks
Montana or Montaña is the surname of:
* Allison Montana (1922–2005), New Orleans cultural icon who acted as the Mardi Gras Indian "chief of chiefs"
* Amber Montana (born 1998), American actress
* Billy Montana (born 1959), American country ...
and soon had to go into hiding, to be captured and killed later. Amezúa also soon decided to seek shelter in an unidentified foreign legation. He was evacuated from the
Republican zone some time in 1937, as in early 1938 he was already nominated to the Francoist Instituto de España, based in
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...
; he returned to Madrid in 1939.
Amezúa remained engaged in the semi-legal, independent Carlist current. When ''Misión'', the party review styled as a generic Catholic periodical, was in 1940 moved from
Pamplona
Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region.
Lying at near above ...
to Madrid, he entered its broad editorial board. In 1943 he co-signed the so-called ''Reclamación del Poder'', a letter by key Carlist pundits addressed to
Franco; the signatories demanded introduction of the traditionalist monarchy. The same year the regent-claimant
Don Javier nominated him to the Junta Nacional, the collegial executive. However, at the time Amezúa again demonstrated some leaning towards some sort of dynastic reconciliation. In 1944 he supported the suggestion of the Navarrese leader
Jesús Elizalde that the Alfonsist claimant
Don Juan be cautiously approached. In 1945 he seemed sympathetic towards the proposal of
Araúz de Robles, namely that a collective Regencia Nacional be set up.
In 1946 it was already clear that “within the Carlist structures there was a pro-juanista current, which though not significant numerically, remained quite active especially given political weight of its representatives, principally José M. Arauz de Robles and Agustín González de Amezúa.” The same year he wrote a lengthy memorandum addressed to
Conde Rodezno, the chief Juanista at the time already beyond the party discipline. Amezúa’s suggestions bordered loyalty to the regent; he advocated nomination of new the Junta Nacional, clarification of the regency question, forging a specific and clear line versus the regime and other monarchist currents, re-organizing Comunión and approaching Don Juan with a view of him adopting the traditionalist principles. According to the Carlist political leader Manuel Fal Conde the solutions advanced in the memorandum were tantamount to "liquidar nuestra existencia, cancelar un siglo de sustentación de verdad".
There is no follow-up known and it seems that Amezúa decided to remain loyal to Fal and Don Javier, yet he apparently withdrew into the back row ; there is no information on his party activities in the late 1940s and the early 1950s. Though a member of the highest scientific institutions of early Francoism, Amezúa did not engage in the regime politically. He remained the advocate of dynastic reconciliation and Don Juan as the future Carlist king. In 1955 he met Don Javier when the regent briefly stayed in Madrid. When in early 1956 the claimant visited Spain and resided in
San Sebastían, Amezúa travelled there, met him and once more endorsed the Juanista option, apparently with the regent increasingly leaning towards it.
Reception and legacy
![Open books stacked](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Open_books_stacked.jpg)
In the 1910s and 1920s Amezúa was known only by a limited circle of ''El Siglo Futuro'' readers and by some scholars of literature. He gained nationwide recognition upon his 1929 entry to the Real Academia de la Lengua, which was acknowledged in a number of major press titles. However, until the outbreak of the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
he was not a nationwide acknowledged public figure. It was only upon his entry to the Real Academia de Historia and the Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación in the mid-1940s that he became “uno de los prohombres de la intelectualidad franquista”, one of the top intellectuals of early Francoism. His funeral was attended by many distinguished personalities including the president of the RAE, Ramón Menendez Pidal; obituary notes were written by – among others -
Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal (; 13 March 1869 – 14 November 1968) was a Spanish philologist and historian."Ramon Menendez Pidal", ''Almanac of Famous People'' (2011) ''Biography in Context'', Gale, Detroit He worked extensively on the history of t ...
,
Ramón Pérez de Ayala
Ramón Pérez de Ayala y Fernández del Portal (9 August 1880, in Oviedo – 5 August 1962, in Madrid) was a Spanish writer. He was the Spanish ambassador to England in London (1931-1936) and voluntarily exiled himself to Argentina via Fr ...
, and
Gregorio Marañón
Gregorio Marañón y Posadillo, OWL (19 May 1887 in Madrid – 27 March 1960 in Madrid) was a Spanish physician, scientist, historian, writer and philosopher. He married Dolores Moya in 1911, and they had four children (Carmen, Belén, María ...
.
Since the 1960s Amezúa was gradually falling into oblivion. None of his works has been reprinted. Today they might be either briefly mentioned or merely footnoted in studies on Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Zayas, Quevedo, prints in old Spain or even more distant works on slavery and communication. His most important scientific contribution is supposed to be the term ''novela cortesana'', the courtly novel, a category accepted and reproduced by present-day historians of literature; some even admit that it triggered an “astonishingly productive new direction in Golden Age studies, it has survived a half century of scrutiny and debate”. In historiography some scholars recommend his documentary compilations or works on Isabel de Valois.
![Casa Lope Madrid 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Casa_Lope_Madrid_02.jpg)
Today González de Amezúa has dedicated short biographical notes on websites of the Real Academia Española, the Real Academia de la Historia and the Instituto de Estudios Madrileños. He has earned few brief monographs, apart from bibliographical queries, chiefly an article focused on his contribution to IEM. In Spanish public discourse he is rather absent; his memory was eclipsed by the personality of his children, especially Ramón in the world of arts and Clara María in the world of gourmet. If recalled, it is to emphasize the work of
Antonio Rodríguez Moñino
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
, a Republican who saved his library during the civil war. Some works referring to Amezúa’s contribution of historian of literature stigmatize him as an
anti-Semite
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
or a ''
machista
Machismo (; ; ; ) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". Machismo is a term originating in the early 1930s and 1940s best defined as hav ...
''. An American scholar lambasted him as “crítico fascista”, who, driven by his own personal experience – especially the Catholic upbringing and the Jesuit college frequented – entirely misrepresented Cervantes and focused on marginal threads of his works and lifetime, e.g. the Valladolid spell; he does not spare damning qualifications like “fascist”, “catolicismo jesuita de Amezúa” or “crítico bajo el techo del franquismo”. Few works note him as a protagonist of Carlism in the early Francoist era. In Madrid there is a large plaza named after him, though there were attempts to rename it in line with the
Historical Memory Law
Law 52/2007 That recognises and broadens the rights and establishes measures in favour of those who suffered persecution or violence during the Civil War and the Dictatorship (in Spanish: ''Ley 52/2007 por la que se reconocen y amplían derechos ...
.
[Esther Mucientes, ''¿Quiénes son los 'franquistas' que Carmena quiere borrar?'', n:''El Mundo'' 05.06.17, availabl]
here
/ref>
See also
* Carlism
Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty – one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – ...
* Integrism (Spain)
Integrism was a Spanish political philosophy of the late 19th and early 20th century. Rooted in ultraconservative Catholic groupings like Neo-Catholics or Carlists, the Integrists represented the most right-wing formation of the Restoration pol ...
* Traditionalism (Spain)
Traditionalism ( es, tradicionalismo) is a Spanish political doctrine formulated in the early 19th century. It understands politics as implementing the social kingship of Jesus Christ, with Catholicism as the state religion and Catholic religiou ...
Footnotes
Further reading
* John Beuerstein, ''El origen de “El coloquio de los perros” según Amezúa: Un ajuste de cuentas con un crítico fascista'', n:''eHumanista/Cervantes'' 3 (2014), pp. 117-123
* David González Ramírez, ''Divulgación y lexicología: Agustín González de Amezúa y su labor periodistica'', n:''Boletín de la Real Academia Española'' XCVI (2016), pp. 429-469
* David González Ramírez, ''Marcelino Menéndez Peyalo: ‘Nació prodigo; vivió como un sabio; expiró como un santo’; recuerdos personales de Agustín González de Amezúa'', n:''AnMal'' XXXIV/2 (2011), pp. 579-596
* David González Ramírez, ''Itinerario bibliográfico de un estudioso del Siglo de Oro: Agustín G. de Amezúa y Mayo'', n:''Boletín de la Biblioteca de Menéndez Pelayo'' LXXXVII (2011), pp. 221-240
* Juana de José Prades, ''Necrologia. Agustín González de Amezúa y Mayo'', n:''Revista de Filologia Española'' XLII/4 (1958-9), pp. 355-360
External links
González de Amezúa at RAE service
González de mezúaA at RAEH service
González de Amezúa at Instituto de Estudios Madrileños service
former Amezúa's house in Madrid
''Por Dios y por España''; contemporary Carlist propaganda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez de Amezua y Mayo, Agustin
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1881 births
1956 deaths