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On September 28, 1936, right-wing Nationalist forces, under the command of General Francisco Franco, defeated the Republican militia that had been laying siege to a Nationalist garrison at the Alcazar in Toledo. Over 900 Republican soldiers died in the battle.
The victory was celebrated by Spain’s monarchists and extreme right. The Alcazar had been the residence of the Spanish monarchy after the re-conquest of Toledo from the Moors. Franco declared after the battle, “Defenders of Alcazar, you are the pride of Spain. The old Alcazar is destroyed. We will build another. We are going to build a new Spain and an Empire.” On the same day, the Bishop of Salamanca issued a pastoral letter entitled “The Two Cities,” approvingly describing the fascist cause as a “crusade.”
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