The Requeté (; , ) was a Carlist organization, at times with paramilitary units, that operated between the mid-1900s and the early 1970s, though exact dates are not clear.
The Requeté formula differed over the decades, and according to its changes, the history of the movement falls into several phases: 1) heterogeneous youth organisation (mid-1900s to mid-1910s); 2) urban street-fighting squads (mid-1910s to early 1920s); 3) dormant structure with no particular direction (early 1920s to early 1930s); 4) paramilitary party militia (1931–1936); 5) army shock units (1936–1939); 6) party branch in-between youth and ex-combatant organisation (1940s–1950s); 7) internal "order of the faithful" (1960s).
The Requeté played a major role in Spanish history in the early months of the Civil War, when its units were critical for ensuring Nationalist advantage on some key frontline sections. It is not clear whether there is any Requeté network operational today.
Background
Apart from academic associations, until the end of the 19th century there were no youth organisations in Spain. They started to emerge in the early 1900s as branches of various political movements; in 1903, a first youth socialist group appeared in Bilbao, and in 1906, Federación de Juventudes Socialistas staged its national congress.González Calleja, Eduardo; Sandra Souto Kustrín, "De la dictadura a la república. Orígenes y auge de los movimientos juveniles en España", [in:] Revista española de historia 67/225 (2007), p. 76. In 1904, the Basque nationalists set up Juventud Vasca.González, Souto 2007, p. 80. The same year in Barcelona the radical republicans founded Juventud Republicana, operating under a colloquial name of "jóvenes bárbaros"; in 1911 they formed Federación de Juventudes Radicales.for details, see Joan B. Culla, Ni tan jóvenes ni tan bárbaros; las juventudes en el republicanismo lerrouxista barcelonés, [in:] Ayer 59 (2005), pp. 51–67. In the early 1910s, youth conservative Maurista groups started to emerge.González, Souto 2007, p. 78. At that time also non-political organizations began to appear; the first Boy Scouts group was recorded in 1911,González, Souto 2007, p. 77. in its Catalanized version as "Exploradores de Barcelona" born in 1912.Barba, C.; et al., Organizaciones infantiles y juveniles de tiempo libre, Madrid 1994, , p. 98. Though in the early 20th century there were already various sporting, tourist, or other leisure associations operational in Spain, they were oriented towards young adult males and were not specifically intended to group minors.
The first Carlist youth formations started to emerge in the early 1900s, but their origins are highly unclear. Groups named Batallones de la Juventud were recorded in Madrid (1902) and Barcelona (1903) when staging marches and parades, apparently intended to demonstrate prowess of Traditionalism and perhaps also to intimidate political enemies.González, Souto 2007, p. 77. Some scholars see these initiatives not as part of freshly born political mobilization among the urban youth, but rather as a continuation of the old Carlist "tradition of direct action". They claim that "abortive resumption of violence at the turn of the century" – i.e. a series of minor disturbances, staged mostly in Catalonia in 1900 – as their important consequence produced loose "armed squads of Carlists", which engaged in petty urban violence during the following years.Blinkhorn, Martin (2008). Carlism and Crisis in Spain 1931–1939, Cambridge, , p. 39. These gangs were easily suppressed by forces of order, yet their emergence demonstrated a new phenomenon: mostly urban Carlist militancy, independent of official movement structures and oriented towards street violence.
It is not clear whether the birth of Juventud Carlista, a party youth organisation, was supposed to take emerging violence under control or was rather an attempt to institutionalize and enhance the violent strategy. Its first branch was set up at unspecified time in Madrid; since 1903 the organization operated in Barcelona and proved particularly dynamic in the urban Catalan milieu.by some authors these organisations are named "precursores de los famosos Requetés, Melchor Ferrer, Historia del tradicionalismo español, vol. XXVIII/1, Sevilla 1959, pp. 273–274. It soon turned out that Catalonia in general and Barcelona in particular by far outpaced other regions in terms of mobilization of Carlist youth. At that time the region was rapidly undergoing massive social transformation, turning from a mountainous rural area to a region dominated by the industrialized, urban coastal belt; profound social changes proved fertile soil for the growth of new urban phenomena.social transformations as background of emergence of youth Catalanist movement are discussed in initial chapter of Genís Samper i Triedu, Joventut fa Catalunya: 1900–1985, Barcelona 1987, Mushrooming and loosely organized groups of Juventud engaged in military drills; they also got increasingly involved in street clashes with hit-squads related to left-wing politics, especially the Radicals and the Anarchists.Aróstegui, Julio (2013). Combatientes Requetés en la Guerra Civil española, 1936–1939, Madrid, , p. 53.
Emergence (1907)
Exact origins of requeté organization are not clear. In the early 1900s loose Carlist groups in Catalonia referred to themselves as "requeté",La Libertad 19.09.03, available here a name that dates back to the crack battalion of Navarre in the First Carlist War, distinguished by general Zumalacarregui for their gallantry.Walton, William (1837). The Revolutions of Spain, from 1808 to the End of 1836, vol. 2, London, p. 438, available here; the name was also used by some Carlist units in the Third Carlist War, see e.g. Las Provincias 15.11.01, available here. Also, some correspondents of Traditionalist press used the term as their pen-name.El Tradicionalista 08.12.04, available here It seems that the first attempts to create a Carlism-flavored framework for juvenile and youth activities were related to the city of Manresa. In 1907, a local review, Lo Mestre Titas, was referred to as "portavoz del requeté escolar"El Tradicionalista 04.04.07, available here and present-day scholars also consider it an unofficial mouthpiece of local juvenile Carlism.Canal i Morell, Jordi (2006). Banderas blancas, boinas rojas: una historia política del carlismo, 1876–1939, Madrid, , p. 38. Historians often repeat a theory that the first organization named "Requeté" was set up in Manresa in 1907 by a 37-year-old publisher and propagandist Juan María Roma.Canal, Jordi (2000). El carlismo, Madrid, , p. 265 The first press reference is dated 1908, and it points to "Requeté Carlí de Manresa", but does not mention Roma.two years later the Manresa requeté president was Jaime Rius y Godayol, La Bandera Regional 12.03.10, available here The principal objective of the organisation was defined as "fem propaganda" and called "joves carlins de Catalunya" to follow suit.La Bandera Regional 03.10.08, available here Indeed, soon groupings from other locations like SabadellLa Bandera Regional 31.10.08, available here or GironaLa Bandera Regional 14.11.08, available here notified setup of their own requeté branches.
There is not a single case of provincial or regional Carlist juntas having been mentioned as involved in the buildup of the requeté cells. It seems that their emergence was related to or inspired by Juventud Carlista; its members were at times referred to as "older brothers" of "jovencitos" from requeté,La Bandera Regional 13.02.09, available here requeté was approached as sort of preparatory stage for entry into JuventudLa Bandera Regional 26.12.08, available here and at times the organization was named "Requeté de la Juventud Carlista".La Bandera Regional 04.12.09, available here Sporadically requeté was explicitly referred to as "organized under the Juventud auspices".in Tarrasa the local branch was to "organizar bajo la base de la Juventud tradicionalista un requeté", El Eco de Navarra 16.11.12, available here Most geographical references to requeté were related either to Cataloniain 1909–1913 the requeté cells were noted in Badalona, Barcelona, Blanes, Girona, Igualada, Lérida, Manresa, Olot, Plá de Cabra, Reus, Sabadell, Tarragona, Tarrasa, Tortosa, Vich and other Catalan locations or Levante.in 1909–1913 the requeté cells were noted in Alcoy, Castellón, Orihuela, Valencia, Villarreal, Cartagena and other Levantine locations Since 1910 there were notes related also to Madrid,El Salmantino 02.12.10, available here since 1911 to Andalusia,for Córdoba see Diario de Córdoba 07.08.11, available here Aragón, Galicia,for Orense see El Noroeste 06.06.11, available here Old Castilefor Palencia see La Bandera Regional 28.10.11, available here and Vascongadas,for Bilbao see La Bandera Regional 12.08.11, available here and since 1912 to Navarrefor Pamplona see El Norte 16.05.12, available here and Canarias.for Santa Cruz de Tenerife see El Progreso 08.11.12, available here However, in various parts of Spain, local cells were perceived as an emulation of "‘Requeté’ al estilo de Barcelona".El Correo Español 19.01.10, available here
A party document from somewhat later period claims that originally requeté was intended for older children and younger teenagers aged 12–16, who could not enlist to Juventudes; other notes specify the age limits as 8–15. Historians describe the organization of its constitutive phase as "pacífico y infantil", similar to later Pelayos of the 1930s rather than to a paramilitary organisation.Canal 2000, p. 265. Indeed, press from the era used to describe requeté members as "jovenes", "jovencitos", "chicos", "niños", "infantiles", "muchachos", or "chiquillos". Purpose and objectives of requeté were described vaguely as "mature, learn, and train to be a soldier of God" though growing in peace, but also "prepared for war". Early notes suggest that a requeté member had to be a good Christian, but did not necessarily have to be a Carlist.La Bandera Regional 26.12.08, available here Initially some naming confusion ensued; members of the organization could have been named "requetés", "requeténs" or "requetenistas".Diario de Córdoba 07.05.21, available here
Early phase (1907–1913)