The Madrid Distinction ( es, Distintivo de Madrid) was one of the highest

military awards A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

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 ...

. It was a decoration related to 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 ...

. which was established by the

in order to reward courage. In the same manner as the Laureate Plate it was named after

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 ...

, the capital of Spain, owing to the city symbolizing valour and the defence of the Spanish Republic during the long

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 ...

throughout 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 ...

.Second Spanish Republic 23 January 1938 Decree

History

The ''Distintivo de Madrid'' was first awarded in January 1938 to certain warships of the loyalist fleet as well as to their crew members for their role in the Battle of Cape Palos. Meanwhile the admiral of the

Spanish Republican Navy The Spanish Republican Navy was the Navy, naval arm of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. History In the same manner as the othe ...

Luis González de Ubieta Luis González de Ubieta y González del Campillo (1899 – 1950) was an admiral of the Spanish Republican Navy during the Spanish Civil War. He died in exile as the captain of the Panama, Panamanian merchant vessel ''Chiriqui'', refusing to b ...

, was awarded the Laureate Plate of Madrid for the same action. The war ended in April the following year with the defeat of the Spanish Republic by the

rebel 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 ...

and this meant the end of the short existence of this military award. Unlike the Laureate Plate of Madrid, the Madrid Distinction displayed the former

coat of arms of Madrid The main components of the Coat of arms of Madrid (the bear and the tree) have their origin in the Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries ...

and not the

red star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. I ...

, a symbol often associated with

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

ideology.

Awardees

Vessels

The following

ships would fly the ''Distintivo de Madrid'' special pennant. *Cruiser ''Libertad'' *Cruiser ''Méndez Núñez'' *Destroyer ''Lepanto'' *Destroyer ''Almirante Antequera'' *Destroyer ''Sánchez Barcáiztegui''

Persons

All the crew members of the ships that took part in the Cape Palos

naval battle Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large lan ...

were awarded the ''Distintivo de Madrid''. They were issued a special cloth badge to wear on their uniforms.Enrique García Domingo, ''Recompensas republicanas por el hundimiento del Baleares,'' Revista de Historia Naval, 1997, Año XV no. 59, pg. 70

References

{{reflist

External links

Placa Laureada de Madrid
1938 establishments in Spain 1939 disestablishments in Spain