page_title: Tomás Dolz de Espejo
section_title: Towards political climax (1936-1937)
hierarchical_section_title: Tomás Dolz de Espejo / Towards political climax (1936-1937)
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of General Franco with winter cloak.Español: Fotografía del general Franco con capote de invierno.
context_page_description: Tomás Dolz de Espejo Andreu Muñoz Serrano y Duforq-Salinis, 5th Count of La Florida was a Spanish politician and businessman. For some 30 years he campaigned within Traditionalism and Carlism. Periodically he was holding regional party leadership jobs, though nationwide he remained rather in the back row. He is best known as member of the first Junta Política and Consejo Nacional, executive bodies of the newly created Francoist state party, Falange Española Tradicionalista.
context_section_description: It is not clear whether Florida was engaged in Carlist preparations to the July 1936 coup. Some sources clam that in mid-September 1936 he was nominated the Carlist comisario de guerra for the region of León; in September he emerged in Ciudad Rodrigo, busy organizing Requeté; in October his León efforts gained him a letter of thanks from the new Carlist regent, Don Javier. Though he is not listed as member of the national Carlist wartime executive, Junta Nacional Carlista de Guerra, residing in Salamanca he started to take part in meetings of the Comunión leaders. For reasons which are not entirely clear his position grew; perhaps as a host Florida presided over a Carlist emergency meeting of December 1936, called to deal with Franco's demand that Fal Conde leaves Spain. It is not clear what position he took; some historians discussing the day refer to him as "Rodezno’s ally", which suggests that Florida proposed that the ultimatum be accepted.
  Starting early 1937 the Carlists were facing a prospect of forced amalgamation into a state party; the claimant and the Falcondistas opted for intransigence, Rodezno and the Navarrese opted for negotiations. Florida was present at a February meeting in Insua and sided with the Rodeznistas, position maintained also in March. In early April he took part in a meeting of a somewhat rebellious Navarrese Junta Central; it adopted a Franco-addressed proposal suggesting a directorio, composed of Carlists, Falangists and caudillo's appointees. In mid-April he was one of 4 Carlists summoned to Burgos; generalísimo informed them about forthcoming political unification. It is not clear why he was picked up by Franco; some suggest that Florida was among most "conspicuous" Carlists because of his Requeté recruitment activities.
  At that time Franco and his aides were already considering personal composition of executive of the state party just to be announced. Florida was not among the Carlists initially marked; presented by Franco with shortlisted candidates, Rodezno suggested that Marcelino Ulibarri is dropped and one more seat is reserved for the Carlists, coming with the names of Florida and José María Mazón. The proposal was accepted and on 22 April Dolz found himself among 4 Carlists nominated to a 10-member "Secretariado o Junta Política" of Falange Española Tradicionalista. Of all its members he was perhaps the least-known one; among press-published short notes about the appointees, his was the shortest one. Terms of unification greatly disappointed many Carlists, including some of the Junta appointees; the regent was furious. In June the Carlist junteros asked him to authorize their presence in the Junta, but to no avail; later on all were expulsed from Comunión for breach of loyalty.
caption: Francisco Franco during the Civil War
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