José Miaja Menant (20 April 1878 in

Oviedo Oviedo (; ast, Uviéu ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located ap ...

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

– 14 January 1958 in

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 ...

) was a General of 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 Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...

Early life

He entered the Infantry Academy at Toledo in 1896. His first post was in Asturias. Miaja was later transferred to

Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

where he served in the Moroccan War of 1900, achieving the rank of major comandante in 1911, and rising to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

in 1932. Despite Miaja's membership of the right-wing Unión Militar Española, in 1935 conservative minister of War,

José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones de León (Salamanca, 27 November 1898 – Madrid, 13 September 1980) was a Spanish politician, leader of the CEDA and a prominent figure in the period leading up to the Spanish Civil War. He served as Mi ...

, sent him to

Lérida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

, a relatively obscure posting far from the capital, an indication that he did not have the full confidence of the government.

Spanish Civil War

At the start of the military rebellion that led to 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, lin ...

, he was stationed in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, remaining loyal to the Republican government, and was appointed Minister of War. In November 1936, he was named commander of the '' Junta de Defensa de Madrid'' (Madrid Defense Council), when the government evacuated the capital before the imminent arrival of fascist troops. With

Vicente Rojo Lluch Vicente Rojo Lluch (8 October 1894 – 15 June 1966) was Chief of the General Staff of the Spanish Armed Forces during the Spanish Civil War. Early life He was the posthumous son of a military man who fought against the Carlists and in t ...

as chief-of-staff, he managed to halt the Nationalists at the river Manzanares at the

Battle of Madrid The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Republican-controlled Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The city, besieged from Octo ...

. As a

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Repú ...

commander of the Central Zone, he directed the battles of the Jarama,

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

and

Brunete Brunete () is a town located on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain with a population of 10,730 people. History There was no military garrison in Brunete and there was no rebel attempt to seize the city during the coup of July 1936. Brunete remain ...

. He later supported the

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

led by

Segismundo Casado Segismundo Casado López (10 October 1893 – 18 December 1968) was a Spanish Army officer; he served during the late Restoration, the Primo de Rivera dictatorship and the Second Spanish Republic. Following outbreak of the Spanish Civil W ...

against the government of prime minister

Juan Negrín Juan Negrín López (; 3 February 1892 – 12 November 1956) was a Spanish politician and physician. He was a leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español, PSOE) and served as finance minister and ...

in March 1939, serving as President of the National Defence Council ''(Consejo Nacional de Defensa)''. He was awarded the

Laureate Plate of Madrid The Laureate Badge of Madrid ( es, Placa Laureada de Madrid) was the highest military award for gallantry of the Second Spanish Republic. It was awarded in recognition of action, either individual or collective, to protect the nation and its citi ...

for his role during the

Siege of Madrid The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Republican-controlled Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The city, besieged from Octo ...

.Antonio López Fernández (1975). ''General Miaja, defensor de Madrid.'' Editorial Gregorio del Toro, Madrid

Exile

After the end of the Civil War, he went to

Gandia Gandia ( es, Gandía) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa del Azahar (or ''Costa dels Tarongers''), south of Valencia and north of Alicante. Vehicles can acce ...

, where he boarded a plane to

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

that took him into exile, first to

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, then to

, where he died on 14 January 1958.

References

Bibliography

* Alpert, Michael ; ''El Ejército Republicano en la Guerra Civil'', Siglo XXI de España, Madrid, 1989 * * Carlos Engel, ''Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del Ejército Popular de la República'', Ed. Almena. Madrid 1999, * Ramón Salas Larrazábal, ''Historia del Ejército Popular de la República''. La Esfera de los Libros S.L. * Suero Roca, M. Teresa; ''Militares republicanos de la Guerra de España''. Ediciones Península Ibérica, Barcelona, 1981. * Thomas, Hugh. ''The Spanish Civil War.'' Penguin Books. 2001. London {{DEFAULTSORT:Miaja, Jose 1878 births 1958 deaths People from Oviedo Spanish generals People of the Rif War Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction) Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in Mexico Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in France