Ramón Nocedal Romea (1842–1907) was a Spanish politician, first member of the Neocatólicos, then of the Carlists, and finally of the Integrists. He is known as the leader of a political current known as Integrismo (1888–1907) and a chief representative of Catholic fundamentalism when applied to politics.
Family and youth
Ramón Ignacio Nocedal Romea was born to a distinguished and well-off Madrid family. His paternal grandfather, José María Nocedal Capetillo,Ángel Ramón del Valle Calzado, Desamortización eclesiástica en la provincia de Ciudad Real, 1836-1854, Murcia 1995, , 9788488255846, p. 221 was a member of the emerging liberal bourgeoisie. He was an exemplary representative of the class which benefitted from Mendizabal's desamortización,Valle Calzado 1995, p. 275 purchasing a number of estates in Ciudad Real provinceValle Calzado 1995, pp. 125, 145 and in Madrid, where he became one of the largest urban proprietors of the mid-19th century.Valle Calzado 1995, p. 221 An important member of radical Partido Progresista, over time he turned to its major opponent, Partido Moderado.Valle Calzado 1995, pp. 221-2 José María sustained financially Milicia Nacional of MadridValle Calzado 1995, p. 267 and was one of its commanders, in the late 1830s heading the 4th battalion.Juan Sisinio Pérez Garzón, Milicia nacional y revolución burguesa: el prototipo madrileño, 1808-1874, Madrid 1978, , 9788400037857, p. 414 He was elected to the Senate in 1844see the official Senado service available here and 5 times voted into the Cortes between 1841 and 1857.From Ciudad Real and Madrid, see the official Cortes service available here
Ramón's father, Cándido Manuel Patricio Nocedal Rodriguez de la Flor (1821-1885), was one of the key politicians of Partido Moderado, its long-time parliamentary representative and briefly (1856-1857) the Minister of Interior. Over time he assumed more and more conservative positions, in the 1860s forming part of the neocatólicos. Ramón's mother, Manuela del Pilar Zoila Romea Yanguas (1824-1875), was the daughter of Mariano Romea, a radical liberal. During the Trienio Liberal he made his name as Capitán de las Milicias Patrióticas de Murcia; following the absolutist restoration he had to seek refuge in Portugal;see Julián Romea entry [in:] Región de Murcia Digital service, available here, also Pedro Soler, Dos siglos del nacimiento de Julián Romea, [in:] ababol service, available here back in Spain, he was administrator of Murcian landholdings of marqueses de Espinardo.Pedro Soler, Dos siglos del nacimiento de Julián Romea Ramón's maternal uncle, Julián Romea Yanguas, was one of the best known Spanish actors and sort of celebrity of his time.for most detailed account available see Antonio de los Reyes, Julián Romea, el actor y su contorno (1813-1868), Murcia 1977, Ramón's maternal aunt, Joaquina Romea Yanguas, was married to the moderado prime minister, holder of various ministerial posts and Isabel II's lover, Luis Gonzalez Bravo.see Inventory Piece CE1577 of Museo Nacional del Romanticismo at Ministerio de educación, cultura y deporte site, available here; her portrait features as Inventory Piece CE0154, available here
Ramón and his two younger siblings, María del ConsueloMatías Fernández García, Parroquia madrileña de San Sebastián: algunos personajes de su archivo, Madrid 1995, , 9788487943393, p. 49 and José,María Asunción Ortiz de Andrés, Masonería y democracia en el siglo XIX: el Gran Oriente Español y su proyección político-social (1888-1896), Madrid 1993, , 9788487840210, p. 169 were from their early childhood growing amongst political and artistic personalities of mid-19th century Spain. In the early 1860sexact dates of his university years are unknown Ramón studied derecho civil y canonico in Madrid and was recognized as excellent student, gaining prizes and hailed in the press.La España 09.10.1861, available here In 1873 he married Amalia Mayo Albert (1853-1922);Fernández García 1995, p. 49 her grandfather was one of the Royal Company of the Philippines managers;ABC 04.06.52, available here her father, born in Manila, was a lawyer and landholder.Fernández García 1995, p. 266; though he left Philippines at the age of 9 months, in Spain he published some works about the islands, see Enrique Arias Anglés, Relaciones artísticas entre España y América, Madrid 1990, , 9788400070656, p. 469 The couple had no issue,José María Moreno Royo, Ramón Nocedal y Manises, [in:] Las Provincias 24.11.65, available also here though their relationship is described as “enamoradísimo”;Agustín Fernández Escudero, El marqués de Cerralbo (1845-1922): biografía politica [PhD thesis], Madrid 2012, pp. 99-100 Amalia is reported as supporting Ramón in his political decisions and at times even pushing him towards intransigence.Fernández Escudero 2012, p. 100 Nocedal's nephew, Ramón García Rodrigo Nocedal, was a well-known journalist and aspiring Maurista politician. Another nephew, Agustín González de Amezúa y Mayo, was an academic and historian of literature, one of key intellectuals of early Francoism.
Neocatólico
The Nocedals have always remained mutual closest collaborators, demonstrating also similar political style and perfectly fitting the like father like son scheme.Jordi Canal i Morell, La masonería en el discurso integrista español a fines del siglo XIX: Ramón Nocedal y Romea, [in:] J. A. Ferrer Benimeli (ed.), Masonería, revolución y reacción vol. 2, Alicante 1990, , p. 773 When commencing his public activities in the early 1860s Ramón has followed his parent; at that time, Cándido Nocedal has already departed from the moderados camp and formed part of the neocatólicos. The movement, with its foundations laid in early Isabelline years,by Jaime Balmes and Donoso Cortés; Ramón Nocedal admitted both of them his intellectual masters, together with Joseph De Maistre, see Begoña Urigüen, Orígenes y evolución de la derecha española: el neo-catolicismo, Madrid 1986, , 9788400061579, p. 54 strived to politically accommodate orthodox Roman Catholicism within the framework of the liberal monarchy; in the 1860s Cándido acted as one of its leaders.together with Navarro Villoslada, Gabino Tejado, Ramón Vinader and Aparisi y Guijarro, see José Luis Orella Martínez, El origen del primer catolicismo social español [PhD thesis at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia], Madrid 2012, p. 35
Having obtained excellent marks upon graduation,La Época 05.11.64, available here in 1864 Ramón engaged in setting up La Armonía, a Catholic cultural society. With all neocatólicos pundits taking part, it was created as a response to krausism; its principal aim remained confronting heterodoxy in education. Lambasting the leading krausist Sanz del Rio, La Armonía promoted Catholic orthodoxy as a backbone of public education.Urigüen 1986, pp. 215-6 It was at its sitting that Ramón delivered his first public lecture, Rute.Urigüen 1986, p. 217 In 1867 he set up La Cruzada, “semanal de ciencias, literatura y artes”.La Época 11.03.67, available here This short-lived weekly served as a tribune for publishing his highly militant articles, often re-printed in other ultraconservative periodicals;La Esperanza 10.10.67, available here underlining the role of Christianity, they turned against the idea of krausist “examen libre”.La Esperanza 11.09.67, available here Also in 1867 he became secretary of Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation.presided by his father, see La Correspondencia de España 08.04.67, available here
In late 1867 neocatólicos mounted a last-minute attempt to resuscitate the Isabelline monarchy by building a grand counter-revolutionary partyUrigüen 1986, p.280 and launching a new daily La Constancia as part of the project.owned by Cándido Nocedal, see La España 21.11.67, available here Ramón became member of the editorial boardLa Época 21.11.67, available here and contributed with militant articles, which were already becoming his personal trademarkHe wrote: “un periódico no es un tribunal, ni una cátedra, ni un libro: es un arma de combate, es un soldado, ó á lo sumo un pelotón de soldados”, quoted after Urigüen 1986, s. 551 and which immediately elicited return fire from the liberal press.“El artículo desde la primera línea hasta la última, es un tegido de apreciaciones equivocadas, según nuestra pobre opinion; pero está escrito con analogía, sintaxis, prosodia y ortografía. Saludamos corteamente al nuevo periodista, olvidándonos solo para este caso, de todos los desatinos, desvergüenzas y suciedades que contenia el número de La Constancia da anteayer”, see El Imparcial 19.12.67, available here Due to his intransigence always loved by lampooners, he was first mocked in 1867.Gil Blas 24.11.67, available here Ramón blamed the Carlists for leaving Isabel II no option but to have allied with the liberals; this error, however, was still rectifiable by creating a strong, conservative alliance.Urigüen 1986, pp. 277, 298 Demonstrating some degree of dynastical indifference, he underlined that ideas come first and people later, and pointed that for the Carlists, this order was reversed.Urigüen 1986, p. 278; both threads were rebuffed by the Carlist titles like La Esperanza or La Perseverancia, Urigüen 1986, p. 279 Political project of the neocatólicos crashed with the Glorious Revolution;Urigüen 1986, p. 285 La Constancia ceased to appear as its premises were ransacked.by the so-called partido de la porra, see Eduardo González Calleja, La razón de la fuerza: orden público, subversión y violencia política en la España de la Restauración (1875-1917), Madrid 1998, , p. 27
In 1868 both Nocedals were among co-founders of Asociación de Católicos,Urigüen 1986, p. 331-2 Ramón acting as secretary of its comité organizador.Urigüen 1986, p. 360 The organization served as electoral alliance prior to the 1869 elections,La Esperanza 28.12.68, available here and indeed Ramón was reported as running in Granada and Motril.La Esperanza 15.01.69, available here In 1869 he joined Juventud Católica and became head of its education detachment,La Discusión 01.02.69, available here already recognized not only as a writer, but also as a great speaker.Revista de España 1870, p. 152, available here In 1869-1870 he made his name as author of theatrical plays,La Discusión 12.02.70, available here, also La Época 12.02.70, available here, in La Esperanza 12.02.70, available here, La Época 16.02.70, available here; two best known Nocedal’s dramas are El juez de su causa (1868) and La Carmañola (1869), released under the pen-name Un Ingenio de Esta Corte, see Germán Bleiberg, Maureen Ihrie, Janet Pérez, Dictionary of the Literature of the Iberian Peninsula, vol. 2, Westport 1993, , 9780313287329, p. 1166. His works are summarised as influenced by classic Spanish theatre and with echos of Manuel Tamayo, see Jesús Bregante, Diccionario espasaE Literatura española, Madrid 2003, , p.663 scholarly piecesLa Esperanza 18.08.70, available here and short novels,La Esperanza 10.12.70, available here; he also contributed to various 1870 publications, see La Convicción 17.01.71, available here, La Esperanza 02.12.70, available here all formatted as part of the Catholic political campaign and at times causing violent clashes among the public of Madrid theatres.Bregante 2003, p. 663 notes that theatrical performances of his works at times triggered scandals. This is probably a reference to violence, which erupted between spectators during the La Carmañola performance in 1870; the following day civil governor of Madrid suspended the play. The same work elicited sort of theatrical reply, which took form of La verdadera Carmañola, a comedy by a democratic deputy Luis Blanc ; the latter approached Nocedal as a Carlist. For details see Gregorio de la Fuente Monge, El teatro republicano de la Gloriosa, [in:] Ayer 72 (2008), pp. 108-9
Carlist: Revolution and war