- note – this is just a very short introduction to the most commonly repeated names over the course of the war, not an exhaustive list
NATIONALISTS
In most narratives, a rebellion or rebel unit is usually associated with a small faction trying to break down a tyrannical power. In Spain’s case, the opposite was true; the rebels were highly trained and prepared men ready to topple a democratically elected government, with the intent of destroying the Republic and installing a dictatorship. The Spanish Civil War had no happy ending; the bad guys won. After Spain transitioned to democracy, the country adopted what became known as the Pacto del Olvido (Pact of Forgetting). This was not a formal single agreement but a broad political consensus that Spain would avoid reopening Civil War-era prosecutions in order to ensure a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. The key legal milestone was the Spanish Amnesty Law of 1977, which effectively blocked prosecution of political crimes committed during the dictatorship and, in practice, prevented legal action against surviving Francoist officials. As a result, no senior Nationalist leader was ever brought before a Spanish criminal court for wartime atrocities.
Miguel Cabanellas Ferrer – General; President of the National Defence Junta
A veteran officer and former Director-General of the Guardia Civil, Cabanellas was among the senior generals who joined the military uprising in July 1936. Although he supported the uprising, he was one of the few senior Nationalist officers who expressed reservations about concentrating power in Franco’s hands. As Franco consolidated power, Cabanellas became increasingly marginalised. He remained a respected figure within the Nationalist camp but exercised little influence after 1937. He died in 1938 before the war ended.
Fidel Dávila Arrondo – General
Dávila played a central role in organising Nationalist military operations in northern Spain, one of Franco’s most trusted commanders and helped direct campaigns in the north that resulted in the capture of Bilbao, Santander and Asturias. He later served as Minister of Defence under Franco and remained influential within the regime for decades. He died in 1962, Madrid.
Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde – General; later Generalísimo and Head of State
Franco began the war as one of several conspiratorial generals rather than the undisputed leader of the rebellion. His transfer from the Canary Islands to Morocco allowed him to assume command of the Army of Africa, the most experienced military force available to the rebels.
During 1936 he successfully positioned himself above rival figures such as Mola, Queipo de Llano and Cabanellas. His decision to divert forces to relieve the Alcázar of Toledo became one of the defining propaganda victories of the early war. In September 1936 he was appointed Generalísimo of all Nationalist forces and Head of State. By 1937 he had unified the Falange and Carlist movements under his personal leadership. He led the Nationalists to victory in April 1939 and ruled Spain as dictator until his death in 1975. No individual exerted greater influence on the Nationalist war effort or the post-war Spanish state.
Manuel Goded Llopis – General
One of the most respected officers in the Spanish Army and a leading participant in the conspiracy against the Republic. Goded successfully secured Mallorca for the rebellion before flying to Barcelona on 19 July, but was captured and forced to broadcast a message urging remaining rebels to surrender. Following a military trial he was executed in August 1936.
Alfredo Kindelán Duany – General; Air Force Commander
One one of Franco’s most important military advisers. He played a key role in organising Nationalist air operations and coordinating assistance from Germany and Italy. After victory he continued to advocate the restoration of the monarchy and gradually fell out of favour with Franco over political questions. He died in 1962.
Full Name: Emilio Mola Vidal – General
Known among conspirators as El Director, Mola was the chief organiser of the military uprising. Following the outbreak of war he commanded Nationalist forces in northern Spain and remained Franco’s most significant military rival. Mola also issued instructions emphasising the need for harsh repression in areas captured by rebel forces. On 3 June 1937 he was killed when his aircraft crashed in poor weather near Burgos.
José Moscardó Ituarte – Colonel
Commander of the Alcázar garrison during the famous siege of Toledo. After the war he remained a prominent military figure and held senior positions under Franco. He died in 1956.
Luis Orgaz Yoldi – General
An early supporter of the conspiracy who played an important role in securing military support in Morocco. He later commanded forces in several sectors and remained an influential military figure throughout the Franco era. He died in 1946.
Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y Sierra – Rank/Title: General
Seized control of Seville despite commanding relatively few troops His success secured a crucial foothold in southern Spain and opened the way for the Army of Africa to advance northward. He became notorious for nightly radio broadcasts that mixed propaganda, threats and boasts of Nationalist victories. As Franco centralised authority, Queipo’s influence declined. He spent the later years of the dictatorship largely outside the centre of power and died in 1951.
José Sanjurjo Sacanell – Rank/Title: General
Sanjurjo had previously attempted a coup against the Republic in 1932 and spent much of the following years in exile.Most conspirators expected him to become the overall leader of the rebellion once it succeeded. On 20 July 1936, however, he was killed when his aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from Portugal.
Andrés Saliquet Zumeta – General
Secured Old Castile for the rebellion. He helped suppress Republican resistance in Valladolid and surrounding provinces. One of the Nationalists’ most senior officers. He died in 1959.
José Enrique Varela Iglesias – Rank/Title: Colonel; later General
A decorated veteran of the Rif War and later commanded important Nationalist formations during operations around Madrid and elsewhere.Varela represented the conservative Catholic military tradition. After victory he served as Minister of the Army and remained influential within the Franco regime. He died in 1951.
Juan Vigón Suerodíaz – Staff Officer; later General
Vigón was responsible for operational planning, logistics and strategic coordination and played an important role in several major Nationalist campaigns. Following the war he became one of the leading military intellectuals of Francoist Spain and later served as Minister of the Air. He died in 1955.
Juan Yagüe Blanco – Lieutenant Colonel; later General
One of the most aggressive and controversial Nationalist commanders. A veteran of Morocco and close associate of Franco, Yagüe led Legionnaires and Moroccan troops. nicknamed the Butcher of Badajoz, supporters viewed him as one of the Nationalists’ most effective battlefield commanders because of his insatiable cruelty to innocent civilians. He remained influential throughout the war and later served as Minister of the Air under Franco. He died in 1952.
FALANGE ESPAÑOLA
The Falange was the principal fascist movement in Spain. Founded in 1933, it was inspired by aspects of Italian Fascism but developed its own distinctly Spanish identity, combining nationalism, authoritarianism, syndicalism, Catholic influences and a cult of sacrifice. The military conspiracy was organised primarily by army officers such as Franco, Mola and Sanjurjo. But once the war began, Falangists became one of the most important political forces in Nationalist Spain. In April 1937, Franco forcibly merged the Falange with the Carlists to create the official state party: Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS (FET y de las JONS). Many original Falangists resented this move but were unable to resist. By 1939, Franco had absorbed the Falange into his own state. The original Falangist vision championed by José Antonio was largely subordinated to Franco’s personal dictatorship, and several prominent Falangists found themselves sidelined, imprisoned or politically neutralised by the very regime they had helped create. It was the least they deserved.
Agustín Aznar Gerner -Falangist leader and militia organiser
Aznar became one of the most energetic and militant Falangist leaders before the war. Among the leaders who supported Franco’s unification decree in 1937, helping him maintain influence after the Falange lost its independence. Successfully adapted to Franco’s system and remained politically active after the war and died in 1984, Madrid.
Raimundo Fernández-Cuesta Merelo – Secretary-General of the Falange
One of José Antonio’s closest political associates and one of the principal organisers of the Falange before the Civil War. At the outbreak of war he was imprisoned until a prisoner exchange in 1937 returned him to Nationalist Spain. Afterwards he held numerous senior positions within the Franco regime, though always subordinate to Franco. Died in 1992, Madrid.
Manuel Hedilla Larrey – Acting National Leader of the Falange
Following the imprisonment and eventual execution of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Hedilla emerged as the de facto leader of the Falange. When Franco announced the forced merger of the Falange and Carlists in April 1937, Hedilla opposed the move and attempted to preserve the Falange’s independence. Franco responded with Hedilla getting arrested, tried for treason and initially sentenced to death. Franco later commuted the sentence. His treatment demonstrated that no political movement inside Nationalist Spain would be allowed to challenge Franco’s authority. Died in 1970, Madrid, his family published his autobiography which was highly critical of Franco.
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia – Founder and National Leader of the Falange
The son of former dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera, José Antonio founded the Falange in 1933 and became the most famous fascist politician in Spain. Imprisoned by the Republic before the Civil War began and remained in Alicante Prison throughout the first months of the conflict. and executed by Republican authorities in November 1936. His death transformed him into the principal martyr of Francoist Spain. For decades the regime elevated him into a near-mythical figure known simply as José Antonio.
Pilar Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia – Leader of the Sección Femenina
Sister of José Antonio and one of the most influential women in Francoist Spain. She led the Sección Femenina (Women’s Section of the Falange), which became responsible for training women according to the regime’s ideals of service, religion, family and patriotism. Died in 1991, Madrid.
Dionisio Ridruejo Jiménez – Falangist Propagandist, Writer and Political Leader
Became one of the most influential intellectuals associated with the Nationalist cause. By the 1950s he had become an outspoken critic of the dictatorship and joined the democratic opposition. Imprisoned and repeatedly harassed by Francoist authorities because of his opposition activities. Died in 1975, Madrid.
Rafael Sánchez Mazas – Falangist intellectual and propagandist
Close associate of José Antonio. Captured by Republican forces during the war, he narrowly escaped execution in an episode later immortalised in the book and film Soldiers of Salamis. After the war he held ministerial positions within Franco’s government and died in 1966, Madrid.
Ramón Serrano Súñer – Politician and adviser to Franco
Affiliation: Falange / Francoist State – Serrano Súñer became one of the most influential political figures in Franco’s inner circle. He was also Franco’s brother-in-law, earning the nickname el Cuñadísimo. He helped shape the structure of the Francoist state and became one of the principal architects of its early institutions. Died in 2003, Madrid.
CARLISTS (COMUNIÓN TRADICIONALISTA)
The Carlists were Nationalists, but they were not Falangists. While both groups fought on Franco’s side, they came from very different traditions. The Falange was a modern fascist movement founded in the 1930s. The Carlists were a monarchist, traditionalist and deeply Catholic movement whose origins stretched back to the nineteenth-century Carlist Wars. Many Carlists believed the Spanish throne belonged to an alternative branch of the Bourbon family and had spent generations fighting for what they saw as legitimate monarchy, regional rights (fueros), and the defence of Catholic Spain. Their volunteer militia, the Requetés, became some of the most effective Nationalist troops of the war, particularly in Navarre. Carlists later became frustrated with Franco, who used their support but never restored the monarchy they had fought for.
Alfonso Carlos de Borbón y Austria-Este – Carlist Claimant to the Spanish Throne
The last undisputed Carlist pretender to the throne and the symbolic leader of the Carlist movement when the Civil War began. In September 1936 in Vienna, was hit by a car, dying 12 hours later. This created a succession crisis that complicated Carlist politics for the rest of the war, and Franco then played the claimants of the throne off one another for almost his entire dictatorship.
Francisco Javier de Borbón-Parma y Braganza – Carlist Regent and later Claimant
Following Alfonso Carlos’ death, Javier became regent of the Carlist movement and eventually its claimant to the throne. Although he supported the Nationalist cause, he became increasingly dissatisfied with Franco’s attempts to absorb and control the Carlist movement. Briefly by German authorities during World War II, he died in 1977, Switzerland.
Tomás Domínguez Arévalo y Villanueva, Count of Rodezno – Carlist Leader and Aristocrat
One of the most influential Carlist politicians in Spain. He played a major role in bringing Navarre’s powerful Carlist movement into the military conspiracy. After the war he served as Minister of Justice and died in 1952, Navarre.
Manuel Fal Conde – Chief Delegate of the Carlist Movement
The most important Carlist political leader of the Civil War. Under his leadership the Requetés became a disciplined and highly effective force. Franco viewed him as a political threat and repeatedly side-lined him and he died in Seville in 1975, just a few months before Franco.
José María Lamamié de Clairac y de la Colina – Carlist Political Leader and Former Deputy
One of the most influential Carlist politicians of the Second Republic and Civil War era. A lawyer, landowner and parliamentarian, Lamamié de Clairac was a prominent defender of traditional Catholic values, regional rights and the Carlist vision of monarchy. Although he supported the Nationalist war effort, he remained committed to specifically Carlist goals rather than Franco’s personal dictatorship. Died in 1956, Madrid.
José Luis Zamanillo González-Camino – Requeté Organiser and Carlist Politician
One of the principal organisers of the Requeté militia. He helped recruit, train and coordinate Carlist volunteers before and during the war. Political activist under Franco, and imprisoned briefly during later political disputes. Died in 1980, Madrid.
María Rosa Urraca Pastor – Carlist Organiser, Nurse and Propagandist
One of the most prominent women in the Carlist movement and one of the best-known female figures on the Nationalist side during the Civil War. She travelled widely as a propagandist, giving speeches in support of the Nationalist cause and helping mobilise civilian support for the war effort. Died in 1984, Madrid.
CAROLINE ANGUS 