page_title: José Selva Mergelina
section_title: Jefe
hierarchical_section_title: José Selva Mergelina / Jefe
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Der Ex-Diktator Spaniens, Primo de Rivera gestorben&#160;! Aufnahmen aus der Glanzzeit seiner Diktatur. Der spanische Ex-Diktator Primo de Rivera (rechts) und der König Alfons von Spanien. Information added by Wikimedia users.English: Dictatorial Prime Minister Miguel Primo de Rivera (r) and the King of Spain, Alfonso XIII (l). Español: El dictador y presidente del gobierno Miguel Primo de Rivera (derecha) con el Rey Alfonso XIII de España (izquierda).
context_page_description: José Selva Mergelina, 5th Marquis of Villores was a Spanish Carlist politician.
context_section_description: The most immediate task faced by de Villores was reconstruction and consolidation of the movement, shattered by defections to the Mellistas. Trying to rebuild local structures of the party, at that time also known as Comunión Legitimista, he shuttled across the country promoting new local and regional jefes. However, at the beginning of his tenure he suffered a heavy blow by failing to prevent the closure of El Correo Español. The daily, established back in 1888, was a semi-official and most effective Carlist public tribune, its editorial board decimated during the mellist crisis. The new Carlist leader did not manage to sustain the ailing newspaper, which closed in 1922. Public accusations continued to circulate and Villores failed to set a new press tribune; the mainstream Carlism had to do with no nationwide newspaper until 1932.
  In terms of an overall political strategy Villores followed the course set by Jaime III: abandoning grand designs, he focused on grassroots work. Jaimismo was to assume a definitely regional and foral shape.  Some scholars refer to this approach as a new Carlist policy, based on federalist program merged with the idea of social and economic justice. Possibly as part of this strategy in 1923 for the first time in the 20th century the Carlists abstained from racing to the Cortes; the official reason quoted was disillusionment with “farsa parlamentaria”. 
  The Carlists received the Primo de Rivera dictatorship warmly, cheerful about the fall of corrupted democracy and considering the coup to be a step towards traditionalist monarchy. De Villores, in line with instructions from Don Jaime who ordered cautious co-operation with the regime, recommended entering the primoderiverista Somatén militia and joined the formation himself, shifting focus away from the Carlist own paramilitary, Requeté. In 1925 the claimant withdrew his support, circumspect as it was, marking the beginning of the Carlist opposition policy. Executing the now reversed strategy, Villores kept the party away from Unión Patriótica and expulsed those who accepted invitation to Asamblea Nacional Consultiva; he failed to prevent further defections, though he managed to avert spontaneous insurgency attempts.
  The political bewilderment of Dictablanda seemed to offer new opportunities for an increasingly marginalized Carlism and there are some indications that the party considered taking part in “controlled” elections, planned (and eventually abandoned) by general Berenguer. Villores declared himself leaning towards a more active policy and seemed supportive of a broad Catholic coalition in defense of the monarchy, though he challenged the primate, cardinal Segura, and was firm to underline that monarchism could not amount to support of the liberal Alfonsine system.
caption: Alfonso de Borbón, Primo de Rivera
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