Segismundo Casado
| Segismundo Casado López | |
|---|---|
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Segismundo Casado upon his arrival to the United Kingdom, fleeing from Franco's victory
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| Birth name | Segismundo Casado López |
| Born | 1893 Nava de la Mata, Segovia |
| Died | 18 December 1968 Madrid, Spain |
| Allegiance |
 Spanish Republic
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| Service/branch |
.PNG){kind=small} Spanish Republican Army
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| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Commander of an Army Corps (1938), Commander of the Army of the Centre (1939) |
| Battles/wars | |
Segismundo Casado López (1893, Nava de la Asunción, Segovia – 1968, Madrid) was a Spanish Army officer in the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War, commanding the Republican Spanish Army in 1939.
Together with Julíán Besteiro, a member of the Cortes Generales and a socialist, in 1939 Casado conducted a coup d'état against the government of Prime Minister Juan Negrín, claiming Negrín wanted a Communist takeover. Republican forces regained control of Madrid, and Casado's efforts to negotiate a peace with General Franco failed. He insisted on unconditional surrender, which occurred in 1939. Casado went into exile in Venezuela, not returning to Spain until 1961.
The son of a military man, Casado entered the Royal Cavalry Academy at Valladolid at age 15. He progressed as an officer, reaching the rank of major by 1936. At the time, he served as head of the military household of President Manuel Azaña, established under the Second Republic of Spain.
After the start of the Spanish Civil War, Casado helped to develop the tactics of the Spanish Republican Army in central Spain. He participated in the defense of Madrid and the battle of Jarama. He was promoted to colonel in 1938 and fought in the battle of Brunete. In 1938, he was the commander of one army corps (out of five) in the republican central zone. In 1939 he was given command of the Republican Central Army.
On March 5, 1939 Casado, claiming that Prime Minister Juan Negrín was planning a Communist takeover, conducted a coup d'état with the support of Julián Besteiro, the leader of the right wing of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, and disillusioned anarchist leaders. They established an anti-Negrín National Defence Council (Consejo Nacional de Defensa).
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