Manuel Fal Conde

Manuel Fal Conde, 1st Duke of Quintillo (10 August 1894 – 20 May 1975) was a Spanish Catholic activist and a Carlist politician. He is recognized as a leading figure in the history of Carlism, serving as its political leader for over 20 years (1934–1955) and heading the movement during one of its most turbulent periods. Initially he led the belligerent faction pressing anti-Republican insurgency; during the Spanish Civil War he joined the Nationalists; later on he championed the anti-Francoist strategy.

Family and youth

Manuel Lorenzo José Fal Conde descended from an upper-class family originating from Asturias;[Ana Marín Fidalgo, Manuel M. Burgueño], In memoriam. Manuel J. Fal Conde (1894-1975), Sevilla 1978, p. 19 it is not clear when the family settled in Higuera de la Sierra, a small town in the Andalusian province of Huelva. Although many of his ancestors were connected with medicine,Manuel Fal Vázquez (born 1783), José Fal Vázquez (b. 1788), Manuel Fal Reyes (b. 1818), Juan Fal Reyes (b. 1817), Juan Fal Sánchez (b. 1849); this was also the case of his cousin, Rafael Lancha Fal (b. 1885), Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 19 his father, Domingo Fal Sánchez (1857-1926),Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 23 practiced as an oculist,Javier Ugarte Tellería, Fal Conde: Carlismo y modernismo, [in:] Revista Universitaria de Historia Militar 7/13 (2018), p. 492 ran a small workshop producing cork utilitiesMarín, Burgueño 1978, p. 19 and served as alcalde of Higuera between 1900 and 1905;Alcaldes que rigieron el ayuntamiento de Higuera de la Sierra, [in:] Inquietudes y vivencias de un sexagenario blog 25.10.13, available here also later on Domingo Fal exercised influence on Higuera's life.e.g. in 1918 he launched Cabalgata de Reyes, the second oldest cabalgata in Spain, Higuera de la Sierra espera unas 35.000 visitas a su Cabalgata de Reyes en su 96 aniversario, [in:] lainformacion.com service 03.01.14, available here He married a local girl, María Josefa Conde;Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 19 the couple lived in a building housing also the workshop. The couple had four children, Manuel was the youngest and his mother died 13 days after giving birth to him.Marín, Burgueño 1978, pp. 19-20 The widowed sister of Domingo helped to look after the four children, raising them in a fervently Catholic ambience.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 19

Manuel's formal education began in the Extremaduran town of Villafranca de los Barros where he entered the local Jesuit collegefounded in 1893, see Historia [in:] Colegio San José service, available here joining his two older brothers who were already pursuing their studies at the college.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 19 The Jesuit education proved crucial in Manuel's formative years. It was Gabino Márquez, the Villafranca scholar of biblical studies, papal teaching and pedagogy,compare abebooks service available here who paid particular attention to the Manuel, who he considered a promising pupil.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 20; Fal and Marquez remained in contact until the latter's death in 1954, Ugarte Tellería 2018, p. 493 Following his bachillerato obtained in 1911with excellent marks, Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 20 the young man entered the Jesuit novitiate, but he changed his mind and began to consider the study of medicine.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 20 His father dissuaded him as his older brother, Domingo, was already pursuing that path;Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 20. For his work as a doctor Domingo was later recognized by the Higuera community by the naming of a major street after him eventually Manuel commenced law studies in Seville.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 20

At Universidad Hispalense Manuel was drawn to a circle of Manuel Sanchez de Castro,Leandro Alvarez Rey, La derecha en la II República: Sevilla, 1931-1936, Sevilla 1993, , p. 135 a Carlist, professor of natural law and moving spirit behind the emergence of militant Catholicism in Seville.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 20. compare José Calvo González, Restauración tomista y catolicismo militante en la Universidad de Sevilla (1884-1924), [in:] Anuario de filosofia del derecho 6 (1989), pp. 377-395 He graduated and passed his licenciado in 1916; following a year in Madrid he obtained the grade of a doctor.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 21; not correspondent to the current PhD, in the Spanish education system of the time the title enabled to teach in colleges In 1917 he served as soldier in the de cuotain 9. Regimiento de Infanteria of Soria, Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 21 and in 1918 he entered Colegio de Abogados de Sevilla.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 21 Following a brief internshipat the office of Enrique Porras, Ugarte Tellería 2018, p. 494 Fal Conde opened his own office on José Gestoso street.below the apartment occupied by his cousin Rafael Fal, Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 21 In parallel to his law practice Fal Conde commenced his brief teaching and academic career. He taught history, law and ethics at the Jesuit college of Villasis in Seville.Marín, Burgueño 1978, pp. 21-22, Alvarez Rey 1993, p. 135 At Universidad Hispalense he worked in the department of procedural law while pursuing research on the history of Spanish political law.Alvarez Rey 1993, p. 135, Marín, Burgueño 1978, pp. 21-22 He also briefly managed a car dealership.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 22

In 1922 Fal Conde married María de los Reyes Macias Aguilar (1904-1975),ABC 14.07.77, available here a native of nearby Sanlucar.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 22 The newlyweds initially settled in Seville on Miguel del Cid street.though in 1952, following death of his older brother, Fal inherited the family house in Higuera, he and his wife have always resided in Seville, living at 6 different locations, Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 22 The couple had seven children,José María, Mari Pepa, Domingo, Teresa, Alfonso Carlos, Javier and Pilar, see ABC 29.05.75, available here born between 1923 and 1938.Marín, Burgueño 1978, pp. 22-24, 30, 46-47; 1923 (José María), 1926 (María Pepa), 1928 (Domingo), 1930 (Teresa), 1932 (Alfonso Carlos), 1937 (Javier), 1938 (Pilar) Some were active as Traditionalist militants during the Francoist period and also in the 1970s, opposing the socialist bid of Don Carlos Hugo. Three of his sons, José Maria, Alfonso and Domingo Fal-Conde Maciasin the 1960s he was leading provincial Sevilla Carlists until deposed by the Huguistas, Francisco Javier Caspistegui Gorasurreta, El Naufragio de las ortodoxias. El carlismo 1962-1977, Pamplona 1997, , p. 100, see also Caín Somé Laserna, El tradicionalismo sevillano ante la transición hacia la democracia, [in:] Rafael Quirosa-Cheyrouze Muñoz, Luis Carlos Navarro Pérez, Mónica Fernández Amador (eds.), Las organizaciones políticas : Congreso Internacional Historia de la Transición en España, Almeria 2011, , pp. 355-368 were present as supporters of Don Sixto during the Montejurra incidents of 1976.ABC 19.05.76, available here In the 1980s Domingo Fal-Conde Macias served as head of Comunión Tradicionalista Carlista, a new united Carlist organization.José Carlos Clemente, Seis estudios sobre el carlismo, Madrid 1999, , p. 23

Early public career

It is not clear whether there were any Carlist antecedents among the ancestors of Fal Conde; some authors claim that there was none,Josep Carles Clemente, Ultima entrevista con Fal Conde, [in:] elcaballerodeltristedestino blog 01.04.12, available here while others quote his family as exemplary case of Carlism having been transmitted from generation to generation as sort of a genetic code.allegedly the ancestral family record of Fal contained "precedentes familiares donde el ideario tradicionalista, furtemente arraigado, se transmitía de generación en generación como si de una especie de herencie genética se tratase", Alvarez Rey 1993, p. 125 It is known that Fal Conde's father was a devout Catholic, but none of the sources consulted provides clear information of what exactly his political outlook was. It is possible that Traditionalist views were, if not reinforced, then implanted in the young Fal Conde during his education. At the turn of the century the Jesuits were clearly sympathizing with Ramón Nocedal and his Integrist vision of religion and Traditionalism; it is likely that his Villafranca years affected Fal Conde accordingly. He admitted juvenile fascination with an address delivered to the college audience by Manuel Senante, at that time one of key Integrist politicians.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 20; another author claims that Fal "knew and admired" Senante during his Villafranca days, Ugarte Tellería 2018, p. 493 Militant Catholicism of Manuel Sánchez de Castro is likely to have contributed further on, forming the young Fal Conde as an energetic Catholic activist, possibly along the intransigent and ultra-reactionary Integrist lines.compare his vision of Spain’s raison d’etre: "Patria española es una realidad histórica, cuya unidad indestructible fue forjada, no tanto por la comunidad de territorio, raza, o de lengua, sino ante todo y esencialmente por la unidad de Fe católica y el destino común de los diversos pueblos que concurren a formarla", quoted after Caspistegui Gorasurreta 1997, p. 5

Fal Conde commenced his public assignments during his academic years in Seville; he joined Asociación Escolar Sevillana and soon grew to be its president;no later than in 1914, Ugarte Tellería 2018, p. 494 the organization remained a fairly typical student group, though politically it tended towards "catolicismo político y social", flavored by Traditionalism in general and by pro-German World War I stand in particular.José Calvo González, Restauración tomista y catolicismo militante en la Universidad de Sevilla (1884-1924), [in:] Anuario de filosofia del derecho 6 (1989), p. 387 Following his return from Madrid he started contributing to local Catholic periodicals.Marín, Burgueño 1978, p. 21 In the 1920s he excelled in various Catholic organizations, ranging from educational associations to charity groups to trade unions to penitentiary circles, like Congregación de los Luises, Conferencias de San Vicente de Paulo, various Hermandades de Penitencia, the Jesuit-sponsored Patronato para Obreros, the Franciscan-sponsored Compañía de las Hermanas de la Cruz and a number of others.Marín, Burgueño 1978, pp. 21, 23 He also launched some initiatives himself, like the 1924-inaugurated Romería de la Reina de los Ángeles on the Peña de Arias Montano in Alájar.Marín, Burgueño 1978, pp. 22-23 Exposure to a variety of structures provided Fal Conde with experience and confirmed his enormous capacity as an organizer.