José María Zavala Castella (1924–1992) was a Spanish politician, active in particular during late Francoism and during transition to democracy. In 1966–1979 he was Secretary General to mainstream Carlist organizations, first Comunión Tradicionalista and since 1971 Partido Carlista. In historiography he is presented as the chief architect of an attempt to transform Carlism from a far-right traditionalist movement into a far-left radical socialist party.
Family and youth
The Zavala family originated from Gipuzkoa. The one who brought it to prominence was Domíngo de Zavala y Martínez de Arremendía; he commanded Spanish warships, took part in the Battle of Lepanto, rose to contador of Felipe II and in the late 16th century set up a landholding, which became the family nest for generations to come.Carlos Javier de Carlos Morales, Domingo de Zavala y Martínez de Arramendía, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here The Zavalas got very branched; some lines provided many officials and military commanders. One source suggests that José María descended from Juan de Zavala y de la Puente, very briefly the prime minister of the First Republic in 1874,[about his brother Juan] "Granadino de origen navarro, de añejo linaje ligado a la tradición y a las armas de España bajo cualquier circunstancia — descendía del general Zavala, ministro de la Guerra en 1874", J.M.C.T., In memoriam: Juan de Zavala Castella, [in:] Revista de Politica Internacional 140 (1975), p. 5 but the information is not confirmed elsewhere and genealogical data hardly match.Juan de Zavala y de la Puente had 2 sons, born 1844 and 1853; they commenced the lines of Zavala Santamarca and Zavala Heredia. Neither appears to have been the father of Miguel Zavala Lara, the father of José María Zavala Castella, compare Luis de Zavala y Guzmán entry, [in:] Geneanet genealogical service, availalable here It is not clear what was the branch José Mariá's father, Miguel Zavala Lara (1883–1973)Concepción Castellá y García Duarte, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here descended from. He was born in the Andalusian town of Bailén (Jaén province), yet nothing is known of his family.1886 a Miguel Zavala Escobar was serving in court of Audiencia Territorial in Alhama (Granada province), but it is not clear whether he was anyhow related to Zavala Lara, Guía Oficial de España 1886, p. 343, available here He also opted for the military career, though in its medical branch; in 1911 he graduated as farmacéutico segundo and was posted to the garrison of Vitoria.Revista de Sanidad Militar 01.06.11, available here
In 1915Revista de Sanidad Militar 15.02.11, available here Zavala Lara married Concepción Castella y García Duarte (1889–1966), an Andalusian girl from Baena (Cordoba province); she was daughter to an established bourgeoisie familyshe was daughter to lawyer Ricardo Castella y González-Aurioles and Blanca García-Duarte González, both from Granada, Concepción Castellá y García Duarte, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here and granddaughter to Eduardo García-Duarte, professor of medicine and rector of the Granada University.Concepción Castellá y García Duarte, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here. Her maternal aunt, Luz García-Duarte Gonzalez was mother to Francisco Ayala García-Duarte, a writer, who was her cousin, Luis García Montero, Francisco Ayala. El escritor en su siglo, Granada 2009, ISBN 9788478074822, p. 11 The couple shuttled across Spain and Morocco following military assignments of Zavala Lara, including Larache (1916),Anuario Militar de España 1916, available here Seville (1920),Anuario Militar de España 1920, available here Granada (1922),Anuario Militar de España 1922, available here Guadalajara (1923),Anuario Militar de España 1923, available here again Seville (1929),Anuario Militar de España 1929, available here again Larache (1932),Anuario Militar de España 1932, available here Canary Islands (1932)Revista de Sanidad Militar 15.04.32, available here and Burgos (1935).La Gaceta de Tenerife 14.12.35, available here Zavala Lara rose to the rank of farmacéutico mayor.in 1927, Anuario Miltiar de España 1927, available here When he retired in 1939,BOE 27.07.39, available here his wife became sort of a public figure. In 1936–1950 and as Concepción Castella de Zavala she published some 15 novels;Guerra en el frente, paz en las almas (1936), Hágase tu voluntad (1937), La Rosa del Maestrazgo (1939), Ópalos de fuego (1940), Santina (1940), Las nietas del Cid (1941), El castillo de Fierro-Negro (1943), Isabel Reyes (1945), Las que saben amar (1945), Nómadas del destino (1945), Dogal de oro (1947), Tristeza de amor (1948), Rosas de fuego (1949), La razón de vivir (1950) and Tierra en los ojos (1950) currently viewed as second-rate literature, they combined action and romance with praise of traditional values and patriotic virtues.compare Didier Corderot, "Biblioteca Rocío" (1937–1939) o las virtudes de la novela rosa durante la Guerra Civil española, [in:] Tropelias: Revista de teoría de la literatura y literatura comparada 23 (2015), pp. 26–48
The couple had 6 children, all of them sons, born between the mid-1910s and the mid-1920s; José María was the youngest one.Juan, Miguel, Ricardo, Manuel, José María and Ángel. The RAE biography of Zavala declares him the youngest son, see Josep Carles Clemente, José María Zavala y Castella, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here. However, the same source in the biography of his mother lists him as the second last, see Concepción Castellá y García Duarte, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here Born when his father served in Guadalajara,it is not clear what region of Spain Zavala felt attached to. His paternal roots have not been identified, the maternal ones were related to Granada. He spent childhood in Guadalajara, early teens in Tenerife and Burgos, and since late teens he resided all his life in Madrid. Some authors refer to him as "castellano", Josep Carles Clemente, Historia del Carlismo contemporaneo 1935–1972, Barcelona 1977, ISBN 9788425307591, p. 50 he commenced schooling during his parents' spell in Tenerife and then in Burgos, in both cases in schools run by the religious.his biographer claims that José María frequented schools managed by the Jesuits, see Josep Carles Clemente, José María Zavala y Castella, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here At outbreak of the civil war the family lived in Burgos; at least one older brother volunteered to Carlist troops.Juan Zavala is 27 times noted in a monograph on requeté, Julio Aróstegui, Combatientes Requetés en la Guerra Civil española, 1936–1939, Madrid 2013, ISBN 9788499709758, p. 969 In 1937 as a 13-year-old José María escaped from home and also joined a Navarrese requeté unit; no details are available. In the 1940s he lived with his parents in Madrid and having completed school education he commenced work in an unspecified insurance company.Josep Carles Clemente, José María Zavala y Castella, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here. No details are available. In the early 1940s his older brother, Juan, was close friend to Ignacio Hernando de Larramendi, at the time employed in Dirección General de Seguros, a state regulatory body. In 1952 Larramendi moved to private insurance business. It is not clear whether there was a link between Larramendi's and Zavala's professional lot In parallel, he pursued evening studies in law, but it is not clear if and when he graduated.Josep Carles Clemente, José María Zavala y Castella, [in:] Real Academia de la Historia service, available here In 1949 he married Maruja Díaz García-Moreno; nothing is known of her or of her family.ABC 13.11.49, available here They had one child, Jesús Zavala Díaz; neither he nor his descendants became public figures.ABC 23.11.92, available here, see also El País 23.11.92, available here The best known Zavala's relative was his older brother Juan Zavala Castella, a career officer; moderately known as military historianhe was member of the editorial board and contributor to late francoist review, Revista Española de la Opinión Pública and Carlist propagandist,with Luis Redondo he was the co-author of El requete (La tradicion no muere), Madrid 1957 during late Francoism he became director general de prisiones.Memoria de la Dirección General de Instituciones Penitenciarias 1971, Madrid 1971, p. 137. He recently earned a monograph, see Javier de Zavala Fernández, La sensación me das de un roble milenario. Biografía de Juan de Zavala y Castella, Madrid 2022. Franco offered him the post military assistant to the adolescent Juan Carlos, but he refused, Ramón María Rodón Guinjoan, Invierno, primavera y otoño del carlismo (1939–1976) [PhD thesis Universitat Abat Oliba CEU], Barcelona 2015, p. 189
Early Carlist engagements (until mid-1950s)