Evaristo Martelo y Paumán del Nero Nuñez y Zuazo-Mondragón,in various sources Martelo appears under different surnames, which incorporate or omit specific aristocratic branches of his ancestors. The most complete one identified is referred after Revista de Historia y de Genealogía Española 10/11 (1928), available here 6th Marquess of Almeiras (1850–1928), was a Spanish aristocrat, writer and politician. He is known chiefly as a poet who contributed to emergence of the literary Galician and who is counted among protagonists of the so-called Rexurdimento. He perceived galego as a royal language of ancient rulers, framed in the Celtic mythology, and opposed the concept of Galician as a rural folk speak. Martelo engaged in few organisations related to the Galician culture and was a member of the Royal Galician Academy. Politically he supported the Traditionalist cause and served as leader of the Carlist provincial organisation in La Coruña; he has never engaged in building up Galician nationalism.
Family and youth
Martelo descended from numerous old Galician families,a very detailed genealogical tree which features many of Martelo's ancestors at XenealoxasDoBarbanza service, available here though more prestigious were lines of his maternal ancestors.one author claims that "en su sangre habían vertido las más linajudas familias, José Ramón Barreiro Fernández, El carlismo gallego, Santiago de Compostela 1976, , p. 323 The Martelos originated from France;El Compostelano 15.07.25, available here the paternal grandfather, Luis Martelo de Lema Núñez,Xosé Manuel Abel Expósito, Sanjurjo Montenegro. Felpás. Santa Mariña. Outeiro de Rei, [in:] Xenealoxia service 2003, available here was a Laxe landowner and holder of various local official jobs.some sources refer to him as ", inistro de impuestos", see Leis service, available here, and some as "procurador xeral da xurisdicción de Vimianzo", Xan X. Fernández Carrera, Antón García Losada, Andando por Bergantiños, vol. 2, s.l., p. 19 The paternal grandmother, Josefa Núñez Romero, along the Moscoso line was related to a 15th-century knight Conde de Altamira.Martelo himself was in the 15th generation descendant of Rodrigo de Moscoso y Osorio and Teresa de Andrade y Haro, El Compostelano 25.07.25, available here The maternal grandfather Juan Paumán del NeroCarlos de la Peña Vidal, Condado de Taboada, un título nobiliario litigado en sonado preito, [in:] Nalgures XII (2016), p. 229 married Mariana Zuazo Fajardo;Peña Vidal 2016, p. 229 her fatherSuárez Llano 2013, p. 84 Antonio Zuazo de Mondragón y RendónMarquéses de Almeiras entry, [in:] Geneallnet service, available here was regidor perpetuo of La Coruña. In 1780 Carlos III made him Marqués de Almeiras;Expósito 2003 he claimed also the title of Vizconde de Andeiro. Her mother was heiress to the Fajardos, landowners of Rianxo; she was distantly related to "caballero y poeta de la mar océana"Historia, [in:] Xenealoxías do Barbanza service, available here Paio Gómez ChariñoMarta Rivera de la Cruz, Biography of Evaristo Martelo y Paumán del Nero, [in:] TheBiography service, available here and to Condes de Traba.Suárez Llano 2013, p. 83
Evaristo's father Ramón Martelo Núñez de Leys Romero y de MoscosoLa Opinión 24.05.97, available here (1804-1873)Revista de Historia de Genealogia Española II/7 (1928), p. 587 was a military and magistrado;Leis service, available here he served as Jefe Político of La Coruña province in the 1840sJose María Fernandez Carmaño, La Coruña vista desde sus libros de actas, Madrid s.d., , p. 152 and as deputy to the Cortessee the official Cortes service, available here in 1854–1856.Estadística del personal y vicisitudes de las Cortes y de los Ministerios de España, Madrid 1838, p. 302 The mother, María Dolores Paumán de Nero Zuazo de Andrade Fajardo y Sotomayorthe surname appears in somewhat different versions, see e.g. of her name in Peña Vidal 2016, p. 229, and La Opinión 24.05.97, available here (1815-1850),Suárez Llano 2013, p. 83 died 6 days after giving birth to their only child.Suárez Llano 2013, p. 83. Some sources claim she died in 1853, presumably an erroneous presumption derived from the wrongly understood date of Evaristo's birth, see e.g. Revista de la Historia y de la Genealogía Española 10/11 (1928), available here Since his father did not remarry, Evaristo was growing as the only heir to numerous estates scattered across Galicia; they included "Casa do Pombal" in Boaño,Boaño is a hamlet near Laxe; Xavier Castro Rodriguez, Xan de Andeiro, [in:] GaliciaXoxe service 30.12.06, available here "O Chariñó" or "Casa de Faxardo"Marta Rivera de la Cruz, Biography of Evaristo Martelo y Paumán del Nero, [in:] TheBiography service, available here - later to be known as "Pazo do Martelo" – in Rianxo,Pazo de Viturro entry, [in:] Xenealoxías do Barbanza service, available here "Casa do Arco" in Laxe,Casa del Arco was not inherited by Evaristo's father but rather purchaded from Condesa de Altamira, herself also distantly related to Urraca de Moscoso and Pedro de Osorio, Castro Rodriguez 2006 "Solar dos Andeiro" in Cambre,the purchase of estate which used to belong to the Andeiro family, and in particular to Xan de Andeiro, conde de Ourém, which allowed Martelo to consider himself sort of heir to the Andeiros and triggered his later Andeiro, poema histórico brigantino da Unión Ibérica, Suárez Llano 2013, p. 84 "Palacio de Almeiras" in La Coruña and especially Castillo de Vimianzo.the Vimianzo castle also did not form part of the old family heritage, but was purchased by Evaristo's father, see Casa Fuerte de Felpás, [in:] Xenealoxia service 2003, available here, also Castro Rodriguez 2006
Evaristo spent his early childhood between Laxe, Rianxo and Vimianzo.Marta Rivera de la Cruz, Biography of Evaristo Martelo y Paumán del Nero, [in:] TheBiography service, available here , Evaristo Martelo o el Castelo de Vimianzo, [in:] Xunta de Galicia service, available here In 1862-1868 he frequented Insituto Local de Segunda Enseñanza in La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela,fairly unfrequent education for an aristocratic son, he normally would have frequented an educational institution run by a religious order; the choice demonstrates liberal preferences of his father obtaining bachillerato in arts in 1868.Suárez Llano 2013, p. 85 The same year he entered the navy academy in Ferrol,Evaristo's decision to enter the navy school and commence the navy career was possibly influenced by the memory of his mythical distant ancestors, Paío Gómez Chariño but having been promoted to guardiamarinaCarballo Calero 1981, p. 430 he abandoned military career.one author claims that Evaristo abandoned the navy career upon realizing he would have to live mostly away from his native Galicia, Suárez Llano 2013, p. 85. Another opinion advanced is that he decided not to abandon his sickly father, La Opinión 24.05.97, available here He then enrolled at law in Santiago;in 1870 Martelo was called to the regular army service; in line with regulations in place at the time, he paid 600 escudos fee which freed him from military obligations, Suárez Llano 2013, p. 86 however, following death of his father, in the early 1870s he left the university to take care of the family economy.P. Blanco, X. Amexeiras, Evaristo Martelo amosou outra cara do castelo vimiancés, [in:] La Voz de Galicia 16.08.18, available here. In the mid-1870s Martelo was involved in numerous legal proceedings, which apparently formed sort of juridical procedures related to real estates inherited from his late father, see e.g. El Ejemplo 06.09.74, available here He would complete the academic education in 1888–1889,El Eco de Galicia 12.10.89, available here. Official confirmation of the titles took years and was complete in 1894, El Regional 23.09.84, available here when he majored in law.El Eco de Galicia 12.10.89, available here. Official confirmation of the titles took years and was complete in 1894, El Regional 23.09.84, available here=pagina
In 1873Suárez Llano 2013, p. 88. As Martelo's father passed away also in 1873, it is not clear whether the wedding preceded his death or the other way round (daily or monthly dates of both events are not known). The wedding-before-death sequence is more likely, as normally a period of mourning - which excluded weddings - was supposed to take place Martelo married Josefa de la Maza y Agar (1852-1932),El Ideal Gallego 08.01.32, available here daughter of the Pontevedra diputación president Ramón de la Maza y Quiroga, by her mother Petra de Agar y RoldánPeña Vidal 2016, p. 228 related to Conde de Tablada.Peña Vidal 2016, p. 227 The coupled lived on numerous family estates, during cold season in their houses in La Coruña,either at Calle San Nicolás 43 or at Rúa de Frantxa 14, Suárez Llano 2013, p. 88 and during summers in the Vimianzo castle. They had 3 children, born between 1874 and 1880; the youngest son died at 2 years of age,Suárez Llano 2013, p. 88 while the other two, Doloresshe has never married and had no children. In her last will she transferred many of the family properties, including the Vimianzo castle, to the archbishop of La Coruña and Ramón Martelo y de la Maza Paumán del Nero y Agar,Revista de la Historia y de la Genealogía Española 10/11 (1928), available here did not become public figures. It was neither the case of his grandchildren;the only one identified was María de los Angeles Martelo de la Maza y Alende among the great-grandchildren the best known is a lawyer Marcial Martelo de la Maza García.he is the son María de los Angeles Martelo de la Maza y Alende, see e.g. Marcial Martelo de la Maza entry, [in:] Real Academia de Doctores de España service, available here, or Marcial Martelo de la Maza: "La nobleza podría ser un instrumento que contribuya a conjugar pasado y futuro", [in:] ElCorreoGallego service 04.07.15, available here He is also the current holder of marquesado de Almeiras,M.P., Así es el marqués de Almeiras, la pareja de la 'ciudadana' Marta Rivera de la Cruz, [in:] Vanitatis 10.02.17, available here the title claimed by and confirmed to Martelo in 1920.Evaristo Martelo Paumán became the 6. marqués de Almeiras after death of his maternal relative and the 5. marqués, Juan Ignacio Zuazo de Mondragón. Since the latter died in 1903 it is not clear why Martelo claimed the title as late as 1920, compare Marqueses de Almeiras entry, [in:] Geneallnet service, available here, and La Epoca 30.08.20, available here
Writer