Luis Miguel Limia Ponte y Manso de Zúñiga, eighth ''Marqués de Bóveda de Limia'' (1882-1952) was a Spanish military leader who participated in the military uprising 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 Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...

which developed into 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 a member of the Board of National Defense and held the position of Chief of State of the

Nationalist faction The Nationalist faction ( es, Bando nacional) or Rebel faction ( es, Bando sublevado) was a major faction in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939. It was composed of a variety of right-leaning political groups that supported the Spanish Coup ...

between July 24 and October 3, 1936, and held the rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Biography

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

and landowner, in 1924 he was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

. In 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed, serving as

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, he requested his retirement from active duty. On August 10, 1932, Ponte participated in the failed

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

of José Sanjurjo, and in the face of defeat, fled to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. Upon the 1936 Coup, he collaborated with General Andrés Saliquet to assume control of Military Region VII (which corresponded to

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 ...

). During the war, he was in charge of the 5th Infantry Division and later the Commander in Chief of Corps I and V of the rebel army. In December 1942 he paid a visit to Gibraltar. He arrived by car and crossed the frontier, and he inspected a British Guard of Honour. He was accompanied throughout his visit by British Lieutenant-General Mason MacFarlane. The General with Major-General Sir Colin Jardine and Major R Capurro, aide-de-camp to His Excellency. They saw the firing practice with Valentine tanks. Ponte was a ''procurador'' (see

Deputy (legislator) A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

) of 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 ...

in 1943 and 1949, in addition to being President of the Supreme Council of Military Justice. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ponte, Miguel 20th-century Spanish people 1882 births 1952 deaths