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César del Villar

{{Short description|Spanish military and politician}}

{{Infobox person

| name = César del Villar

| image = File:César Villar y Villate, de Christian Franzen.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Portrait of General Villar, in Nuevo Mundo, photographed by Christian Franzen.

| birth_name = Victor Augusto César del Villar y Villate

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1843|12|23|df=y}}

| birth_place = Sestao, Spain

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1917|09|02|1843|12|23|df=y}}

| death_place = Getxo, Biscay, Spain

| resting_place = Sestao Cemetery

| known_for = Captain General of Catalonia

| occupation = {{flatlist|

  • Military
  • Politician

}}

| module = {{Infobox officeholder

| embed = yes

| name = César del Villar y Villate

| office = Captain General of Catalonia

| monarch = Alfonso XIII

| primeminister = Eduardo Dato
Count of Romanones

|1blankname = Minister of War

|1namedata = Ramón Echegüe y Méndez Vigo
Agustín de Luque y Coca

| term_start = 16 December 1914

| term_end = 25 December 1915

| predecessor = Valeriano Weyler

| successor = Felipe Alfau y Mendoza

| office2 = Minister of War of Spain

| monarch2 = Alfonso XIII

| primeminister2 = Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero

| term_start2 = 16 December 1904

| term_end2 = 27 January 1905

| predecessor2 = Arsenio Linares y Pombo

| successor2 = Vicente Pérez de Santamaría

}}

}}

Victor Augusto César del Villar y Villate (23 December 1843 – 2 September 1917{{Cite web |url=https://www.geni.com/people/Cesar-Villar-y-Villate/6000000019774955298 |title=Victor Augusto Cesar Villar y Villate (1843 - 1917) - Genealogy |website=www.geni.com |access-date=17 March 2024 }}) was a Spanish military officer and politician, who became Minister of War.

Early life and education

Villar was born on 23 December 1843 in Sestao into an urban middle-class family with clear liberal connotations.{{Cite web |url=https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/16372/cesar-villar-y-villate |title=César Villar y Villate - Real Academia de la Historia |trans-title=César Villar y Villate - Royal Academy of History |language=es |website=dbe.rah.es |access-date=17 March 2024 }} He was the son of José Manuel Villar y Salcedo and Antonia Villate de la Hera, sister of General Blas Villate and, therefore, with a military background in his family.{{Cite web |url=http://www.valdelacasa.com/villar/album/index.html |title=Familia Villar y Villate |trans-title=Family Villar y Villate |language=es |website=www.valdelacasa.com |date=12 December 2009 |access-date=17 March 2024 |archive-date=17 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317235938/http://www.valdelacasa.com/villar/album/index.html |url-status=live }}

After completing primary education in his hometown, Villar entered the Infantry Academy in 1858, graduating as a second lieutenant four years later.

Military career

In 1864, Villar was appointed lieutenant of the General Staff, commander in 1872, colonel in 1874, commander of the General Staff in 1875, and lieutenant colonel five years later, brigadier in 1883, and brigadier general in 1889; division general in 1893 and lieutenant general in 1903.

In 1875, Villar participated in the "taking of Olot" and the surrender of the La Seu d'Urgell during the Third Carlist War (1872–76) in Catalonia.{{Cite web |url=https://www.larazon.es/espana/20220529/qxx7kb5pgraqzbalnpdwhgkuse.html |title=El ministro más importante de cada provincia de España |trans-title=The most important minister of each province of Spain |language=es |website=www.larazon.es |date=29 May 2022 |access-date=17 March 2024 }} In 1886 he helped quell republican insurrections at court, with Queen Maria Christina of Austria showing her Royal Appreciation.{{Cite web |url=https://bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es/BVMDefensa/i18n/catalogo_imagenes/grupo.cmd?path=3598 |title=Diário oficial del ministério de la guerra |trans-title=Official gazette of the Ministry of War |language=es |website=bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es |date=23 February 1893 |access-date=17 March 2024 |archive-date=17 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317235937/https://bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es/BVMDefensa/i18n/catalogo_imagenes/grupo.cmd?path=3598 |url-status=live }} He was present in the peninsular campaigns against Carlism and acracy and also in overseas campaigns, he enjoyed solid prestige among his comrades in arms for his professionalism and distance from political struggles. It was only at the express wish of his comrade and close friend Marcelo Azcárraga that he decided to accept the appointment of Minister of War in December 1904 (it was not for a gesture of solidarity military and respect for the Crown), a position that he held until January of the following year, when he resigned because he was not satisfied that the sessions of the Courts resumed on the day of the king's name day, dragging in his resignation the entire Cabinet.{{Cite web |url=http://www.xtec.cat/~jrovira6/bio/villar.htm |title=(?-?) César Villar y Villate |language=ca |website=www.xtec.cat |access-date=17 March 2024 |archive-date=17 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317235937/http://www.xtec.cat/~jrovira6/bio/villar.htm |url-status=live }}

Villar was Captain General of Catalonia between 1914 and 1915.{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.es/archivo/fotos/el-teniente-general-don-cesar-villar-y-villate-nuevo-capitan-6419397.html |title=El teniente general don César villar y Villate, nuevo capitán general de Cataluña |trans-title=Lieutenant General Don César Villar y Villate, new Captain General of Catalonia |language=es |website=www.abc.es |publisher=ABC |date=31 December 1913 |access-date=17 March 2024 }}

Later life and death

In June 1914, Villar, then president of the Federación Femenina contra la Tuberculosis (Women's Federation Against Tuberculosis), together with his daughter Carmen, attended a women's football match between the members of Spanish Girl's Club held for the benefit of his organization.{{cite web |url=https://www.cuadernosdefutbol.com/2015/06/el-spanish-girls-club-de-barcelona-las-pioneras-del-futbol-femenino-espanol/ |title=El "Spanish girl’s club" de Barcelona. Las pioneras del fútbol femenino español. |trans-title=The “Spanish girl's club” in Barcelona. The pioneers of Spanish women's football. |language=es |website=www.cuadernosdefutbol.com |publisher=CIHEFE |date=17 May 2017 |access-date=3 February 2025 |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308235949/https://www.cuadernosdefutbol.com/2015/06/el-spanish-girls-club-de-barcelona-las-pioneras-del-futbol-femenino-espanol/ |url-status=live }}

Villar died on 2 September 1917, at the age of 73, during his vacation in the Biscayan town of Getxo, and his remains were transferred to the Sestao Cemetery.{{Cite web |url=http://www.valdelacasa.com/villar/album/slides/Muere%20Cesar%20Villar%20Y%20Villate.%2009-1917..html |title=Muere Cesar Villar Y Villate |trans-title=Cesar Villar Y Villate dies |language=es |website=www.valdelacasa.com |access-date=17 March 2024 |archive-date=17 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317235938/http://www.valdelacasa.com/villar/album/slides/Muere%20Cesar%20Villar%20Y%20Villate.%2009-1917..html |url-status=live }} He has a street in this locality, in addition to having the title of Favorite Son.

Decorations and tributes

References

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:del Villar, Cesar}}

Category:1843 births

Category:1917 deaths

Category:Spanish generals

Category:Government ministers of Spain

Category:People from Sestao

Category:Captains General of Catalonia