Agustín González de Amezúa y Mayo (30 August 1881 – 10 June 1956) was a Spanish academic, member of Real Academia Española, Real Academia de la Historia and Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación. He is best known as historian of literature who specialized in Siglo de Oro, especially in works of Cervantes and Lope de Vega. He held various important scientific posts during early Francoism, especially in Consejo Superior de Investigaciónes Científicas. Politically he supported the Traditionalist cause, first as an Integrist and then as a Carlist militant; in the early 1940s he was in national executive of Comunión Tradicionalista. In the mid-1920s he was member of the Madrid ayuntamiento.
Family and youth
None of the sources consulted provides information on González de Amezúa's distant ancestors; some authors claim that the family originated from La Rioja.see e.g. Typewritten letter to Estrella Gutiérrez, [in:] Abebooks service, available here. Some authors even claim that he was from La Rioja himself, see e.g. “el historiador, jurista y crítico literario riojano Agustín González de Amezua”, José Alberto Vallejo del Campo, Menéndez Pelayo en el pensamiento jurídico contemporáneo, Madrid 2020, ISBN 9788429021301, p. 44 His father, Enrique González de Amezúa y Muñoz (died 1909),La Correspondencia da España 11.03.09, available here was a member of mid-range Madrid bourgeoisie.there is nothing known about his ascendants. A certain Juan González de Amezúa was noted in Madrid in 1837 as related to El Español, but it is not clear whether he was family related, El Español 21.11.37, available here At least since the late 1860s he had been working as a broker at the stock exchange and reportedly greatly contributed to its operations during the turbulent times of the Glorious Revolution and the early Restoration.La Epoca 11.03.09, available here Over time he became one of the most prestigious brokers; in the late 1890s he was a member of Junta Sindical of the Colegio de Agentes de Cambio y Bolsa,La Correspondencia de España 22.01.00, available here and in the early 20th century he became the president of the body.El Globo 24.01.00, available here At an unspecified time he married Luisa Mayo Albert (died 1934),González de Amezúa y Mayo, Agustín (1881-1956), [in:] Archivo RAE service, available here a descendant of a well-off family involved in trade and finances. Her father and Amezúa's maternal grandfather Manuel Mayo de la Fuente originated from the Philippines;his father and Amezúa’s great-grandfather Francisco Mayo Barrera (1767-?) was one of the managers of the Royal Company of the Philippines (Real Compañía de Filipinas), ABC 04.06.52, available here he became a distinguished lawyerPatrimonio documental del Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid, available here and landholder.Matías Fernández García, Parroquia madrileña de San Sebastián: algunos personajes de su archivo, Madrid 1995, ISBN 9788487943393, p. 266. Though he left the 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, ISBN 9788400070656, p. 469 In the mid-1860s he served two terms in the Cortesin 1864 and 1867, both times from Pontevedra, Mayo de la Fuente, Manuel, [in:] official Cortes service, available here and was Director General de Contribuciones in the Ministerio de Hacienda.La Correspondencia de España 03.04.92, available here a
Enrique and Luisa settled in Madrid. They had nine children, born between the mid-1870s and the late 1880s; three of them perished either in infancy or in their youth.for Iñigo see La Correspondencia de España 20.06.98, available here he died before 1909, as is not listed in father’s death notice, La Correspondencia de España 11.03.09, available here, María Amalia died in 1883 as a child, La Correspondencia de España 16.12.83, available here. For María de las Mercedes (1885-1898) see La Correspondencia de España 20.06.98, available here Agustín was born as the third oldest son; all received very religious and pious educations.an Integrist daily referred to González de Amezúa Muñoz as a model Christian father, El Siglo Futuro 11.03.09, available here In the mid-1890s he frequented the Jesuit college in Valladolid, where he obtained the bachillerato.ABC 12.06.56, available here At an unspecified time in the late 1890s he entered the faculty of law at Universidad Central in Madrid. Some sources claim he graduated in 1901,Agustín González de Amezúa y Mayo, [in:] Real Academia de Historia service, available here but others point rather to 1902;ABC 12.06.56, available here his thesis was titled Historia de la Paz y Tratado de los Pirineos que se concluyó a 7 de noviembre de 1659.David González Ramírez, Marcelino Menéndez Peyalo: ‘Nació prodigo; vivió como un sabio; expiró como un santo’; recuerdos personales de Agustín González de Amezúa, [in:] AnMal XXXIV/2 (2011), p. 580 Amezúa entered the bar and was employed in the office of "a known lawyer" in Madrid;"un abogado de renombre", González Ramírez 2011, p. 580 some authors are more specific and maintain that he practiced in the firm of Luis Díaz Cobeña.Agustín González de Amezúa y Mayo, [in:] Real Academia de Historia service, available here
In 1911Carta de Agustín González De Amezúa a Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo [19.02.1911], [in:] Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes service, available here. Marcelino Menendez Pelayo was invited to Amezúa’s wedding as a witness, González Ramírez 2011, p. 581 Amezúa married Primitiva Noriega González (died 1983); there is nothing known about her or her family.apart that she was daughter to María de la Asunción, ABC 19.07.83, available here The couple lived in downtown Madrid and had five children, born between the early 1910s and the late 1920s.Javier (1912-1936), Álvaro (?-1936), Ramón (1921-2015), Maria del Buen Consejo (?-2020) and Clara María González de Amezúa Noriega (b. 1929) The oldest sons, Javier and Álvaro,for Álvaro, see the photograph at the bottom of this entry were killed by the Republicans during an early stage of the civil war.La Vanguardia 18.07.54, available here Ramón became an engineer and a nationally recognized organist; from 1991 to 2008 he presided over the Real Academia de Bellas Artes and until 2007 he led the executive board of TeleMadrid.see e.g. Ramón González de Amezúa, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here The youngest child, Clara María, was a living legend of Spanish gourmet.see e.g. A gastronomic pioneer, [in:] Google Arts & Culture service, available here. She died in 2024 The best known of Agustín's grandchildren is Mercedes González de Amezúa y del Pino, a historian of art, curator and author.Gonzalez Amezua Pino Mercedes, [in:] Abebooks service, available here Among Agustín's siblingsthe lesser known ones were José María (?-died 1928), active on stock exchange, La Correspondencia de España 12.01.14, available here, María de la Soledad, married to embassador in Chile Luciano López Ferrer, El Debate 05.12.34, available here, María Luisa (1880-1957), married to Lucio Elío y Coig, III Conde de Casa Real de la Moneda, María Teresa Elío y González de Amézua, IV Condesa de Casa Real de Moneda, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here the oldest brother Manuel became a businessman, but he is known rather as co-founder of the Club Alpino Español.Magdalena Velasco Kindelán, Historia del Twenty, [in:] Club Alpino Español service, available here The youngest brother Enrique entered diplomacy and served on foreign missions for the Republic and for Francoist Spain.he entered diplomatic service in 1920, La Correspondencia de España 02.02.20, available here. When a consul in Dreseden in July 1936 he sided with the rebels, was dismissed by the Republican government and released from service, Le Temps 02.09.36, available here. For his service in Francoist Spain see Imperio 25.04.50, available here Agustín's maternal uncle was the Integrist political leader, Ramón Nocedal.Agustín’s mother, Lucia Mayo Albert, was sister to Amalia Mayo Albert (1853-1922), the wife of Ramón Nocedal, Fernández García 1995, p. 49
Man of affairs
Amezúa's practice as a lawyer did not last long,David González Ramírez, Divulgación y lexicología: Agustín González de Amezúa y su labor periodistica, [in:] BRAE XCVI (2016), p. 430 though it is not clear exactly when he abandoned the bar and switched to business.he considered himself "hombre de acción", González Ramírez 2016, p. 430 At an unspecified time in the early 20th century he either inherited or otherwise assumed management of the La Poveda sugar plant in Arganda del Rey, built probably by either one of his ancestors or one of his relatives.Avanzando por el siglo XIX, [in:] Arganda municipal archive, available here, p. 527 Apart from daily business, he remained fairly active also as a theorist; in 1917 he released La cuestión del azúcar. Observaciones sobre su tasa, in 1918 La cuestión del azúcar. Informes y observaciones elevados a los poderes públicos,David González Ramírez, Itinerario bibliográfico de un estudioso del Siglo de Oro: Agustín G. de Amezúa y Mayo, [in:] Boletín de la Biblioteca de Menéndez Pelayo LXXXVII (2011), p. 227 and in 1924 Memoria de las mejoras introducidas en la Fábrica y Ferrocarriles de la Sociedad Azucarera de Madrid.González Ramírez 2011, p. 228 In the mid-1920s he represented Industria Azucarera Española in the Consejo de la Economía Nacional, and voiced in issues related to the sugar trade with Cuba and numerous other issues of the sugar industry.compare Informe que el vocal representante de la Industria Azucarera Española en el Consejo de la Economía Nacional D. Agustín G. de Amezúa eleva al mismo Consejo, como antecedente e información para las negociaciones del tratado comercial entre España y la República de Cuba (1925), Informe que el vocal representante de la Industria Azucarera Española Agustín G. de Amezúa eleva sobre la petición de auxilio formulada por la S.A. Bética Cooperativa Agrícola Industrial (1926) In the late 1920s he rose to high positions in Sociedad Azucarera de España, the Spanish sugar trust,Crónica de la codificación española. Codificación mercantil, vol. 6, Madrid 1998, ISBN 9788477879251, p. 738 and co-ordinated some of its projects also in the early 1930s.in 1934 he represented Sociedad General de Azucarera de España in talks with Dirección de Aduanas; the negotiations were related to sugar industry infrastructure in Andalusia, Francisco José Sánchez Sánchez, El Duque de San Pedro de Galatino y la azucarrera de Láchar, [in:] Opción 31/1 (2015), p. 650