July 17, 1936

Spanish coup of July 1936

Military uprising begins in Melilla against the Spanish Republic

The coup remembered by the date of 18 July actually began at five in the afternoon on the 17th — in Melilla, across the Mediterranean from mainland Spain.

17 July 1936, five in the afternoon, Melilla

At about 5 p.m. on 17 July 1936, conspiratorial officers in the Melilla garrison began the military uprising against Spain's Popular Front government.

The rebels moved against their own commander. General Manuel Romerales, who had remained loyal to the Republic, was deposed and arrested; he was subsequently tried and executed.

Among the conspirators leading the Melilla rising was Juan Seguí Almuzara, a retired lieutenant colonel.

Spanish Morocco by the next morning

The revolt spread rapidly from Melilla through Spanish Morocco. A contemporary US diplomatic telegram reported rebel control of the civil administrations in Larache and similar conditions in Tetouan, Ceuta and Alcazar Kebir by the following morning.

Francisco Franco, who later led the Nationalist camp, was still in the Canary Islands on 17 July and did not personally lead the seizure of Melilla. Emilio Mola directed the wider conspiracy, coordinating plans for risings across Spain and its North African protectorate.

The garrisons that moved first were those of Spanish Morocco, including Legion and Regulares units.

Why the 17th, and why it did not end there

Republican authorities in Melilla had begun investigating the local plot. Historians disagree over whether that discovery forced the conspirators to move early or whether Mola's timetable had always called for 5 p.m. on 17 July.

The coup is commonly commemorated on 18 July. The uprising reached the peninsula on 18–19 July but failed in several major cities.

That failure to seize state power quickly is what turned the coup into a civil war.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 4 sources 2 audit passes

How this was checked

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What the sources leave uncertain

The occurrence of the Melilla uprising on July 17 is secure. Historians disagree over whether Mola's original timetable called for action at 5 p.m. on July 17 or on July 18 and the Melilla conspirators moved early after their plans were exposed.
The familiar anniversary of the coup is July 18, but the first successful garrison uprising began in Melilla on July 17.