Román Oyarzun Oyarzun (1882–1968) was a Spanish political activist, publisher, diplomat, entrepreneur and historian. He is best known as author of Historia del Carlismo (1939), for half a century a key reference work on history of Carlism and today considered the classic lecture of Traditionalist historiography. He is also acknowledged as member of the Spanish consular service, briefly editor of a daily El Correo de Guipúzcoa and a Carlist militant himself.
Family and youth
The Oyarzun family originated from Valle de Atez, an area in Prepirineos of Northern Navarre. Ethnically Basquea certain Juan Miguel Oyarzun, recorded in Olagüe in 1809, was illiterate, Jesús Aldaba, El juramento de 1809: fuente para el estudio de alfabetización en Navarre y Gipuzkoa, [in:] Antzina 6 (2011), p. 13 Román's ancestors formed part of the agricultural working class, holding plots around the hamlet of Olagüe. His father, Juan Miguel Oyarzun Seminario (1856–1908),El Eco de Navarra 07.03.08, available here ran a petty rural merchant business; though in the 1890s struggling when transporting goods on his mules across the hostile terrain,compare account of him getting trapped with his mules in snow-covered mountains and getting rescued by Guardia Civil, El Aralar 16.01.95, available here in the early 20th century he was already operating a few shops.Román Oyarzun, Pretendientes al trono de España, Madrid 1965, p. 83. Upon death he was noted as "persona muy apreciada en Navarra", El Eco de Navarra 04.03.08, available here He married a local girl, Patricia Oyarzun; nothing is known either about her family or about a possible kinship between the two. The couple settled in Olagüe; it is not clear how many children they had, apart from Román the other two known are Martina and Victoriano.El Eco de Navarra 07.03.08, available here It seems that they were brought up in a fervently Catholic, militant ambience, perhaps flavored by Integrism; in the early 1890s the parents and children alike are recorded as signing up various letters, e.g. protesting reported mistreatment of the Pope, and printed later in an Integrist newspaper El Siglo Futuro.El Siglo Futuro 07.02.90, available here
None of the sources consulted offers any information on early education of Román. Already during his childhood he developed a knack for letters; in 1893 he sent a contribution to the Pamplonese daily El Pensamiento Navarro. Signed "U.E.",for "el estudiante" it was published and the author was invited to contribute more before his identity was finally revealed.El Siglo Futuro 06.02.36, available here In 1902 he was recorded as excellent student at the Pamplona Instituto Provincial, which might suggest that following bachillerato he trained to be a teacher.El Eco de Navarra 10.06.02, available here, El Eco de Navarra 11.06.02, available here At unspecified time he commenced university studies at Universidad Central in Madrid. He first enrolled at law, the curriculum completed "brillantamente" in only two years, to study philosophy and letters later on.El Siglo Futuro 06.02.36, available here Date of him graduating in law is not clear; in philosophy and letters he graduated in 1905.the faculty of Philosophy and letters was divided into 3 sections: philosophy, literature and history, Oyarzun 1965, p. 82 In 1906 he applied for chair of Catédra de Psicología, Lógica, Etica y Rudimentos de Derecho at state colleges in Lerida and Teruel, but was not successful.Suplemento á escuela moderna 22.05.06, available here In 1908 he commenced editorial duties in a San Sebastián daily, El Correo de Guipúzcoa.José Navarro Cabanes, Apuntes bibliográficos de la prensa carlista, Valencia 1917, p. 219
In 1911 Román Oyarzun married María de la Concepción Iñarra Sasa (1884–1979);ABC 14.03.79, available here, El Eco de Navarra 19.07.11, available here nothing is known about her family.apart that they probably lived in the Gipuzkoan Lezo, which might suggest that Oyarzun met his fiance when serving in San Sebastian as editor of El Correo, La Correspondencia de España 19.11.19, available here The couple settled in Pamplona,El Eco de Navarra 19.12.11, available here, ABC 06.02.69, available here where at that time Román practiced as a lawyer.El Eco de Navarra 04.07.11, available here They had 5 children, born between 1912 and 1923.Javier Oyarzun Iñarra entry, [in:] Geneallnet service, available here Román Oyarzun Iñarra served as alférez provisional in the requeté Tercio de Zarate;Julio Aróstegui, Combatientes Requetés en la Guerra Civil española, 1936-1939, Madrid 2013, , p. 511 he and his brother Francisco JavierRomán Oyarzun Iñarra entry, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here joined Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the early Francoist eraLa Vanguardia 23.12.72, available here and held various posts in Spanish diplomatic service, assigned to missions across the world though mostly in Latin America.in his memorandum of 1961 Román Oyarzun Iñarra discussed optional strategies to be adopted by Spain towards the European Economic Community and advocated neither in or out, but a status of an associate, Heidy Cristina Senante Berendes, La política europea de Franco: la indefinición ante Europa, [in:] Pilar Sánchez Castro, Carlos Flores Varela, Manuel M. Martín Galán, Riansares Serrano Morales (eds.), El franquismo: el régimen y la oposición, Guadalajara 2000, , p. 132 Since the late 1960s serving as ambassadors, they retired in the 21st century;ABC 29.09.13, available here Francisco Javier tried his hand also as historian.compare Javier Oyarzun Iñarra, Expediciones españolas al estrecho de Magallanes y Tierra del Fuego, Madrid 1976 María Oyarzun Iñarra served as archivist. Socorro Oyarzun Iñarra was a painter. Teresa Oyarzun Iñarra was a translator and simultaneous interpreter.Ainhoa Arozamena Ayala, María Oyarzun Iñarra, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here The son of Francisco Javier, Román Oyarzun Marchesi, followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and entered diplomacy, since the 2010s serving in the rank of ambassador.Roman Oyarzun Marchesi entry, [in:] Portal de Transparencia service of the Spanish government, available here
Early Carlist engagements
It seems that already at home Roman was formed as a Traditionalist,El Siglo Futuro 07.02.90, available here though it is not clear whether of the Integrist or rather of the mainstream Carlist breed. During his academic years he clearly sided with the latter and was noted as member of Juventud Carlista.El tradicionalista 06.08.05, available here When back in Pamplona he engaged in party initiatives; apparently considered an erudite, he was entrusted with delivering addresses to local audience, e.g. during opening of a new city círculo in 1906.El Correo Español 03.08.06, available here In early 1908 Oyarzun moved to San SebastiánEl Eco de Navarra 03.12.08, available here to join the staff of El Correo de Guipúzcoa, an 1898-founded daily owned by one of the Carlist Vascongadas leaders, José Pascual de Liñán.B. de Artagan [Reynaldo Brea], Príncipe heróico y soldados leales, Barcelona 1912, p. 187. The daily was launched in 1898, José Varela Ortega, El poder de la influencia: geografía del caciquismo en España: (1875-1923), Madrid 2001, , p. 462 Oyarzun was contracted as editor-in-chief and maintained militantly Traditionalist, though also vehemently anti-Integrist line of the paper.Navarro Cabanes 1917, p. 219 He contributed to other party initiatives in the region; in 1908 he co-organized a huge meeting demanding reinstatement of Gipuzkoan fueros, known as Acto de Zumárraga.Oyarzun 1965, p. 80 The amassment, claimed politically by the Carlists and Basque nationalists alike, gathered some 25,000 people and was reported in nationwide press.España y América 01.07.08, available here In wake of the feast, El Correo published pieces later denounced as instigation to rebellion; Oyarzun was brought to court. As a lawyer he defended himself and though initially the odds were against him,one of the jury members told later Oyarzun: "Después del discurso del fiscal, que ha sido tremendo, todos los del jurado estábamos decididos a condenarle a usted, pero cuando usted contestó con tanto brío, con tanta sinceridad y con tanta fuerza persuasiva, hemos decidido votar por la absolución", Oyarzun 1965, p. 80 he was finally absolved.Oyarzun 1965, p. 80, El tradicionalista 20.02.09, available here Two years later he resigned from editorial duties quoting family issues and returned to Pamplona.following the death of his father he had to take care of the family business, which boiled down to closing "varios negocios", Oyarzun 1965, p. 83