Blas Morte Sodornil (1849-1921) was a Spanish entrepreneur, a regional high self-government official and a Carlist politician. He is known mostly as vice-president and de facto acting president of Diputación Foral, the Navarrese regional self-government, holding the post during two successive terms between 1913 and 1917. In the early 1920s he headed the Carlist regional organization in Navarre and was nearly appointed the party nationwide leader. In business he rose from owner of a petty stonemasonry workshop to businessman with international connections, active in the construction, wood, trade, sugar and agriculture industry.
Family and youth
There is nothing closer established about the Navarrese Morte family and distant Blas’ ancestors are unknown, though it is believed that for generations they have formed part of the rural working class of the Ribera region. His father, Antonio Morte Burgaleta, was the native of Tudela and made a living as a tinsmith and at times as an alpargatero, the espadrille-maker. During the First Carlist War he volunteered to legitimist troops and served in Tercer Batallón de Navarra; its colloquial name “requeté” was later applied to Carlist paramilitary units. At unspecified time he married Miguela Sodornil Iturre, also the native of Tudela;Ricardo Guelbenzu Morte, Blas Morte, un carlista tudelano, [in:] Aportes 104 (2020), p. 235 nothing closer is known either of her or of her family, except that like the Mortes, it was of humble social status.also Mamerto Blas Sodornil, the younger brother of Blas, married a girl of humble social status, she was daughter to a local jornalero, Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 235 The couple had at least two sons, of which Blas was born as the older one.
In 1873, Blas volunteered to legitimist troops during the Third Carlist War and served in 4. Company of Primer Batallón de Navarra.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 236 He participated in most key wartime actions of the war in Navarre, including the battles of Eraúl, Udabe, Montejurra (1873), Somorrostro, San Pedro Abárzuza (1874), siege of Irún and the battle of Lácar (1875).Juan Pardo San Gil, La segunda Guerra Carlista en «El Norte»: Los Ejércitos Contendientes, [in:] Bilduma: Revista del Servicio de Archivo del Ayuntamiento de Errenteria 14 (2000), p. 388 Appreciated by superiors,“desempeñando todos sus cargos con gran celo y acierto, mereciendo siempre el be-neplácito de todos sus jefes”, 50 aniversario de la muerte de Blas Morte, [in:] El Pensamiento Navarro 10.12.71 he was promoted first to corporal and then to sergeant; despite his lack of education he eventually rose to lieutenant. During the Battle of Lácar, he took orders from Carlos VII personally when ensuring the Carlist artillery is placed at firing positions.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, pp. 238-239 Until termination of hostilities he commanded 4a Compañía. Upon surrender of the company he handed over the unit's documentation maintained in perfect order, with all wartime details meticulously recorded; it now serves as a historiographic source.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, pp. 240-246 Morte was offered enlisting in governmental troops, the proposal he declined as treason to his ideals.50 aniversario de la muerte de Blas Morte, [in:] El Pensamiento Navarro 10.12.71 He returned home only with a beret.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 239
It is unlikely that Blas received education going beyond the basic primary level, and from his teen years in the 1860s he started practicing as an apprentice in stonemasonry. In 1876, he married Gregoria Celayeta Palacios (1846-1922),Ricardo Guelbenzu Morte, Los Morte en la República y en la Guerra Civil, [in:] Aportes 107 (2021), p. 215 daughter to an indiano who returned from Cuba, but who originated from the Navarrese Bértiz-Arana region.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 246 The couple had 3 children, Luis, Víctor and Asunción Morte Celayeta; all were also Carlistsand were active in the local Tudela Carlist executive, Alberto Garcia Umbon, El Municipio de Tudela ante las Elecciones Municipales del 12 de Abril de 1931, [in:] Principe de Viana 5 (1985), pp. 341, 345, 347, 348 and in 1936, Víctor represented Tudela in the Carlist Navarrese wartime executive.Ricardo Ollaquindia, La Oficina de Prensa y Propaganda Carlista de Pamplona al comienzo de la guerra de 1936, [in:] Principe de Viana 56 (1995), pp. 486, 499 Their grandsons Blas and Javier Morte Francés served as requetés;Javier Nagore, En la 1. de Navarra, Pamplona 1986, ISBN 9788486169374, p. 117, Pablo Larraz Andía, Víctor Sierra-Sesúmaga Ariznabarreta, Requetés: de las trincheras al olvido, Madrid 2011, ISBN 9788499700465, p. 830 Blas recognized Don Juan as the Carlist king in 1957, served as consejero foralFernando Mikelarena Pena, Los posicionamientos de la Diputación Foral de Navarra y de la derecha navarrista entre 1976 y 1978 en relación al debate preautonómico, [in:] Iura Vasconiae 11 (2014), p. 208 and co-founded Alianza Foral in the 1970s;Jaime Ignacio del Burgo, La epopeya de la foralidad vasca y navarra, vol. 2, Pamplona 2015, ISBN 9788494503702, p. 248 Javier was honorary president of CTC in the 1990s.Fallece Javier Morte, [in:] service Carlistas 15.12.09, available here Great-grandchildren from the Abascal Morte familyCarmen Morte Francés married Manuel Abascal Manuel Abascal (1908-1979), delegado of FET in Tudela and longtime secretary of the ayuntamiento, Abascal Pujadas, Manuel entry, [in:] Aunamendi Euzko Entzkilopedia, available here, Carmen Morte entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here are active in the media industry;Carmen Abascal Morte profile, [in:] LinkedIn service, available here; Teresa Abascal Morte profile, [in:] LinkedIn service, available here among descendants from the Guelbenzu Morte familyPilar Morte Francés married Julio Guelbenzu, Patxi Mendiburu, Bombardeos en Navarra (1937 y 1938), [in:] PatxiMendiburu blog 14.02.18 [site blocked by WP] Ignacio is a painter,Guelbenzu Morte, Ignacio entry, [in:] Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa online, available here while JoséVictor José Guelbenzu Morte, [in:] Academia Aragonesa de Gastronomia service, available here and RicardoGuelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 233 are recognized wine business entrepreneurs and authors.
Entrepreneur
Following practice in stonemasonry Morte developed his own workshop and delivered minor stone cutting works. His status changed in 1883 as he became “contratista de obras”,Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 235 a building contractor responsible for construction projects. Morte's first major contract was the portico of Iglesia de San Nicolás in Pamplona, designed in eclectic style by the local architect Angel Goicoechea; it was located at the corner of San Miguel and Plazuela streets.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 247 In 1884, he was agreed by the Tudela ayuntamiento to build a municipal water reservoir, but the project ended in a lawsuit; the construction proved faulty, Morte blamed the architect and the council blamed him. The case lasted 3 years before he eventually emerged victorious.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 248 In 1888, Morte was contracted by the Tudela Jesuits to build a San Francisco Javier college in Tudela; the work was completed in 1891.the convent hosted 13 members of regular staff and 56 alumni, Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 249 In the early 1890s he was among builders hired to erect the building of Audiencia de Pamplona, today Parlamento de Navarra.it was initially designed by Goicoechea but underwent some changes later on, Guelbenzu Morte 2020, pp. 249-250 In 1896, Morte started his most ambitious and prestigious contract; the Jesuits who thanks to the donation of duquesa de Villahermosa became owners of the Javier castle decided to turn it into a missionary centre. Apart from other works, Morte was contracted to build a basilica adjacent to the compound. Completion of the shrine, again designed by Goicoechea, took 5 years and the entire Morte family lived on the premises throughout the construction process.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 250
The basilica in Javier turned out to be the last of major Morte’ construction projects. At the turn of the centuries he tried to diversify his commercial endeavors. In the 1890s he purchased some estates in Tudela and then rented them to French wine companies. As French vineyards suffered from the phylloxera plague, the Tudela premises served as storage and spedition centers for French wine imports from Spain.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 250 In 1903, Morte opened in Tudela a sawmill, which processed wood delivered by water from the Pyrenees; it grew into a major company and over time offered 12 types of timber.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 251 After his death it was reformatted as Sociedad Colonial de Guinea and focused on wood imported from Spanish Guinea.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 252 In 1912, Morte commenced construction of a sugar mill in Zaragoza; with the rupture of traditional sugar deliveries from Cuba, it was based on processing Ebro-grown sugar cane and as Azucarera de Luceni it proved hugely profitable.Morte entered into co-operation with a German investor, Guelbenzu Morte 2020, pp. 252-253 Finally, in 1917 Morte and his business partners rented some 1,700 ha of agricultural land and created Agrícola Sancho Abarca, another largely successful business.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, pp. 253-254 Before death Morte was a major Navarrese entrepreneur with international links, who during less than 40 years converted a small stonemasonry workshop into a diversified business conglomerate and a county industrial powerhouse.
Carlist
During almost 20 years following his military deeds during the Civil War, Morte was not recorded as particularly busy within Carlism, which in the 1880s was suffering from post-war crisis and fragmentation.a massive study which deals with Carlism at the turn of the centuries does not mention Morte a single time, see Agustín Fernández Escudero, El Marqués de Cerralbo (1845-1922): biografía política [PhD thesis Universidad Complutense], Madrid 2012 He resumed activity in the early 1890s; in 1894, he purchased a centrally located building in Tudela and rented it to the local Círculo Católico Tradicionalista, the organization he animated himself. The premises became the local Carlist headquarters, which would operate until the 1970s. In the early 20th century it grouped some 300 membersGuelbenzu Morte 2020, pp. 267-268 of mostly humble social background;Guelbenzu Morte 2020, pp. 256-257 during crisis years, e.g. when suspended by authorities, it operated as a regular cafeteria until return to original status was possible.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 258 He also turned into a key party personality in the town and county;the Morte sawmill named La Sierra became a must-see point for all Carlists visiting Tudela, Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 252 apart from co-founding Juventud CarlistaGuelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 258 and serving as its “socio-protector”“socios protectores” did not have the right to vote, Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 259 he was also president of the county party organization.named Junta de la Merindad de Tudela, Guelbenzu Morte 2020, pp. 257-258 In 1897 Morte entered Junta Regional de Navarra, the Navarrese party executive.Guelbenzu Morte 2020, p. 257-258