The Civil War broke out after a military coup attempt against the Second Spanish Republic. After the only partially successful coup, Spain became divided both militarily and politically. From then on, General Francisco Franco fought a protracted struggle for control of the country against the left-wing government of the Republic, and its loyalist supporters resisted with weapons. Nationalists were supported by the Third Reich, Benito Mussolini’s Italy, and Portugal with weapons and soldiers, while the Republicans were aided by Mexico and the Soviet Union. The other European powers pursued a policy of non-intervention.
The war was accompanied by bloody purges on both sides: in the occupied territories, left-wingers were killed to consolidate Franco’s power, and on the republican side, right-wingers were persecuted. The war became famous for the temper and political divisions it provoked. Both sides executed tens of thousands of people because of their political or religious views, and after the end of the war in 1939, the people who could be associated with the losing republicans were condemned by the victorious nationalists.
The conflict ended with the victory of the nationalists, which marked the end of the democratic Spanish Republic, and tens of thousands of left-wing Spaniards fled the country, typically to the south of France. A dictatorship was created under the leadership of Francisco Franco who ruled the country until his death in 1975. All right-wing parties have been merged into the new government system.
Emilia Hernández Rodríguez
Emilia was born in 1914 in Tijola, Almería, Spain. As a child, she survived the Spanish flu epidemic, hunger, and poverty that killed many other children in the city and later earned her living by spinning and selling baskets.
Emilia married Juan Cortés in the year of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. The province of Almería has been the territory of the Republicans since the beginning of Franco's coup attempt. The church in Tíjola was closed and the Roma communities were expelled from the city. During the war, the men were recruited. Since the young couple did not want to be parted, they devised a plan: Emilia made a blue decoction of copper rust or patina, that can also be found on the surface of statues, which she dropped into her husband’s eyes: the soldiers thought Juan was blind. Unfortunately, the soldiers returned a little bit later and noticed that they had been fooled, so Emilia and Juan were also imprisoned. Emilia was already pregnant by this time but this was not taken into consideration in prison: conditions were bad, and food was scarce. Her fellow prisoners fed Emilia from their own portions or from packages they received from their families. The sentence was 6 years in prison.
Emilia didn’t talk to her fellow prisoners for long, but eventually befriended a girl of her age, Lola, and asked her to teach her to sing religious songs and to pray. The headmaster found out about this and called Emilia to find out who taught her all this. In return, he offered to get better care, he even said that Emilia and Juan could have been released., bBut Emilia didn’t betray Lola, so she was put into solitary confinement. In January, she gave birth to her baby girl in her cell with the help of her fellow prisoners. She named her daughter Lola Angels. In the afternoon, both mother and daughter were taken to hospital, but despite heavy bleeding, they were both sent back to prison in four days. Emilia's condition worsened and she died ten days after giving birth, according to the death certificate, of infection and pneumonia acquired during childbirth.
Emilia was buried in an unmarked grave, Juan was freed after the arrival of the liberation troops, and remarried Emilia's sister, Isabella. There’s no information available regarding their little baby's fate.
In March of 2017 Emilia – as the first woman of Roma origin – was beatified.
Gabriela Ortega Gómez
Gabriela was born in Seville in 1915. Her family has consisted of renowned Roma flamenco singers, dancers, and toreadors for six generations.
Gabriela studied acting at the University of Seville., Sshe was the first actress of the Spanish University Theatre, who mainly worked dealt with classical pieces, such as Calderón's or Goldoni's playsworks, and took them to public spaces likeand parks.
Her family moved to Madrid because the toreadors had better opportunities there, whereso Gabriela had the opportunity to get to know the local art world. She befriended many poets of herthe age who encouraged the talented girl to perform their poems on stage as well. Gabriela was soon performing in several parts of the country. Her first solo evening was in Madrid in 1950 and she received significant critical acclaim. She was admired by many outstanding artists, she was also painted, and in 1958 her art was recognized with a gold medal.
The Franco-government exiled her and did not allow the works of poets banned by the regime, such as Frederico García Lorca or Rafael Alberti, to be recited in Spanish theatrers.
Gabriela traveledwent to America and had great success in Argentina. In the 60s she visited many countries of America: Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Cuba, Panama, Ecuador. Her performances were also broadcast on television, and she was given film roles. At the Mexican Theatre of Fine Arts, she received the most prestigious award, the Gold of the Aztecs. Besides this, she gave Spanish lessons and taught at university. After suffering an accident on stage in which she broke and breaking her leg, she got a contract from a Colombian university and taught for three years. During these years, she also wrote film scripts, which were released in 1996, after her death.
Returning from exile, she also appeared on Andalusian television. She never ceased to create, she turned to painting and writing towards the end of her life.
She died in 1995 and was buried in Seville.
