Pedro Sainz Rodríguez
Encyclopedia
Pedro Sainz Carlos Rodríguez (Madrid
, 1897–1986) was a Spanish
writer, philologist
, publisher and politician, an adviser to Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and one of the main architects of the reign of Juan Carlos I of Spain
and the Spanish transition to democracy
. Within the wide coalition of right-wing opinion that was the early movement behind Francisco Franco
he was the leading figure of the monarchist wing. In terms of character Sainz Rodríguez was noted for his quick wit, whilst physically he was known for his obesity
.
. He became noted as an expert in 'Golden Age
' mysticism and a defender of traditional Catholicism
. He argued that Spain had become decadent because of an invasion of liberalism
into the ruling classes form the 18th Century onwards and called for a return to the ideals of Catholicism and the heroic spirit of Don Quixote. His 1925 work, La evolución de las ideas sobre la decadencia española y otros estudios de crítica literaria, became one of the most widely read books on the theme of Spanish decadence, a popular theme for rightist authors at the time.
, Emilio Mola
and other right-wing generals that led to the Spanish Civil War
. A close associate of Mola, he shared his ally's belief that Franco's tenure at the head of the nationalists would be a short one designed only to take advantage of Franco's personal popularity.
Despite his personal reservations about his leadership, Sainz Rodríguez was appointed Minister of Education in 1938 as part of Franco's first cabinet. During his time in office Sainz Rodríguez ensured that Spanish education would once again be dominated by the Church. As a cabinet Minister he took the lead in attacking the Constitutional proposals put forward by the Falangist hard-line of Manuel Hedilla
, Dionisio Ridruejo
, Agustín Aznar
and Fernando González Vélez which sought to build Spain into a party state along the lines of Fascist Italy
and Nazi Germany
. Sainz Rodríguez was supported in his opposition by Franco and both Aznar and González Vélez were imprisoned for their part in the proposal. Unsurprisingly Sainz Rodríguez became a target of abuse from the Falangists and, damaged by the criticism, he requested his own removal from office in April 1939. Despite this he did not last long in his position, being replaced in 1939 by José Ibáñez Martín
.
and Luis Orgaz y Yoldi who intended to restore the monarchy with a coup. Ultimately, however, nothing came of this initiative. However he remained committed to monarchism and along with Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right
leader José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones
and the author Eugenio Vegas Latapie
he was one of the three main consellors of Juan. During the Second World War he was also a regular contact of Samuel Hoare whose role was to keep Spain from joining the Axis powers
.
Increasingly distant from Franco he was even accused by El Caudillo of organising international criticism of Spain in a masonic
plot with Santiago Montero Díaz, a dissident from the Falange wing with whom Sainz Rodríguez had no link. Despite the lack of evidence Franco would nonetheless repeat his allegations of Freemasonry against Sainz Rodríguez consistently. Indeed when staunch Falangist Mauricio Carlavilla produced the book Anti-Espana 1959 which ciriticized the monarchist cause as a tool of Freemasonry Franco indicated to Juan that he shared many of its views due to prominence of Sainz Rodríguez within monarchism. Juan nonetheless rejected Franco's opinions and retained Sainz Rodríguez as a close advisor.
in Spain, producing such works as Historica de la literatura mística en España (1984) and the four volume Antología de la literatura espiritual español (1980-5). His autobiography came out after Franco's death and reflected the deterioration between Franco and himself. Indeed, in keeping with the memoirs of many of his contemporaries, it largely dismissed El Caudillo as a bland and mediocre individual.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, 1897–1986) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
writer, philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, publisher and politician, an adviser to Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and one of the main architects of the reign of Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
and the Spanish transition to democracy
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
. Within the wide coalition of right-wing opinion that was the early movement behind Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
he was the leading figure of the monarchist wing. In terms of character Sainz Rodríguez was noted for his quick wit, whilst physically he was known for his obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
.
Academic career
Sainz Rodríguez first came to prominence as a philology academic and a disciple of Marcelino Menéndez y PelayoMarcelino Menéndez y Pelayo
Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo was a Spanish scholar, historian and literary critic. Even though his main interest was the History of ideas, and Hispanic philology in general, he also cultivated poetry, translation and philosophy.He was born at Santander where he showed that he was an infant prodigy...
. He became noted as an expert in 'Golden Age
Spanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise and decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. El Siglo de Oro does not imply precise dates and is usually considered to have lasted longer than an actual century...
' mysticism and a defender of traditional Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He argued that Spain had become decadent because of an invasion of liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
into the ruling classes form the 18th Century onwards and called for a return to the ideals of Catholicism and the heroic spirit of Don Quixote. His 1925 work, La evolución de las ideas sobre la decadencia española y otros estudios de crítica literaria, became one of the most widely read books on the theme of Spanish decadence, a popular theme for rightist authors at the time.
Alliance with Franco
As a friend of Franco he was instrumental in convincing him to join in the coup attempt of José SanjurjoJosé Sanjurjo
General José Sanjurjo y Sacanell, 1st Marquis of the Rif was a General in the Spanish Army who was one of the chief conspirators in the military uprising that led to the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
, Emilio Mola
Emilio Mola
Emilio Mola y Vidal, 1st Duke of Mola, Grandee of Spain was a Spanish Nationalist commander during the Spanish Civil War. He is best-known for having coined the term "fifth column".-Early life:...
and other right-wing generals that led to the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. A close associate of Mola, he shared his ally's belief that Franco's tenure at the head of the nationalists would be a short one designed only to take advantage of Franco's personal popularity.
Despite his personal reservations about his leadership, Sainz Rodríguez was appointed Minister of Education in 1938 as part of Franco's first cabinet. During his time in office Sainz Rodríguez ensured that Spanish education would once again be dominated by the Church. As a cabinet Minister he took the lead in attacking the Constitutional proposals put forward by the Falangist hard-line of Manuel Hedilla
Manuel Hedilla
Manuel Hedilla Larrey was a Spanish political figure who was a leading member of the Falange and an early rival for power towards Francisco Franco. By profession he was a mechanic....
, Dionisio Ridruejo
Dionisio Ridruejo
Dionisio Ridruejo Jiménez was a Spanish poet and political figure within the Falange...
, Agustín Aznar
Agustín Aznar
Agustín Aznar Gerner was a Spanish medical doctor, political activist with the Falange and a leading figure during the Spanish Civil War. Aznar was part of a radical element within the followers of Francisco Franco and at represented a challenge to his leadership...
and Fernando González Vélez which sought to build Spain into a party state along the lines of Fascist Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Sainz Rodríguez was supported in his opposition by Franco and both Aznar and González Vélez were imprisoned for their part in the proposal. Unsurprisingly Sainz Rodríguez became a target of abuse from the Falangists and, damaged by the criticism, he requested his own removal from office in April 1939. Despite this he did not last long in his position, being replaced in 1939 by José Ibáñez Martín
José Ibáñez Martín
José Ibáñez Martín was a Spanish politician who was a long-serving member of the Cabinet of Francisco Franco...
.
Monarchism
Sainz Rodríguez drifted from the government and in 1943 he was involved in a plot with Generals Antonio ArandaAntonio Aranda
Antonio Aranda Mata was a military officer who fought on side of the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.During the Morocco wars Aranda earned an outstanding record as an engineer and geographer. He participated in the suppression of the Asturias Revolt of 1934 and rose to the rank of Colonel...
and Luis Orgaz y Yoldi who intended to restore the monarchy with a coup. Ultimately, however, nothing came of this initiative. However he remained committed to monarchism and along with Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right
Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right
The Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right was a Spanish political party in the Second Spanish Republic. A Catholic conservative force, it was the political heir to Angel Herrera Oria's Acción Popular and defined itself in terms of the 'affirmation and defence of the principles of Christian...
leader José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones
José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones
José María Gil-Robles y Quiñones was a prominent Spanish politician in the period leading up to the Spanish Civil War....
and the author Eugenio Vegas Latapie
Eugenio Vegas Latapie
Eugenio Vegas Latapie was a Spanish monarchist writer, activist and conspirator who was noted for the extremism of his monarchist beliefs...
he was one of the three main consellors of Juan. During the Second World War he was also a regular contact of Samuel Hoare whose role was to keep Spain from joining the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
.
Increasingly distant from Franco he was even accused by El Caudillo of organising international criticism of Spain in a masonic
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
plot with Santiago Montero Díaz, a dissident from the Falange wing with whom Sainz Rodríguez had no link. Despite the lack of evidence Franco would nonetheless repeat his allegations of Freemasonry against Sainz Rodríguez consistently. Indeed when staunch Falangist Mauricio Carlavilla produced the book Anti-Espana 1959 which ciriticized the monarchist cause as a tool of Freemasonry Franco indicated to Juan that he shared many of its views due to prominence of Sainz Rodríguez within monarchism. Juan nonetheless rejected Franco's opinions and retained Sainz Rodríguez as a close advisor.
Later years
Sainz Rodríguez became noted as a prolific writer on the history of spiritualitySpirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
in Spain, producing such works as Historica de la literatura mística en España (1984) and the four volume Antología de la literatura espiritual español (1980-5). His autobiography came out after Franco's death and reflected the deterioration between Franco and himself. Indeed, in keeping with the memoirs of many of his contemporaries, it largely dismissed El Caudillo as a bland and mediocre individual.