Mateo Morral

File:Mateo morral 1906.png

The body of Mateo Morral displayed in Torrejón.

Mateu Morral Roca (Mateo in Spanish; 1880, Sabadell – 2 June 1906, Torrejón de Ardoz – part of Madrid) was a Spanish anarchist, known for his assassination attempt on the lives of Alfonso XIII of Spain and his wife Victoria Eugenia (on 31 May 1906, the day the two were married).

The son of a Barcelona textile merchant, Morral learned several languages, and traveled to Germany – where he was exposed to anarchist beliefs. Back in Spain, he decided to quit the family business, and instead started working as a librarian for Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia.

In 1906 he went to Madrid and started plotting the regicide, using a bomb that was concealed in a bouquet and thrown towards the procession from a balcony on Calle Mayor. The monarchs escaped the attempt with just spots of blood on the queen's dress, but several bystanders and horses died.

After the attempt, Morral tried to get lost in the crowd (helped by journalist José Nakens), but he was recognized by several people. Hunted down by the authorities, he appeared to be surrendering peacefully. However, he managed to shoot and kill the guard who was taking him to Torrejón de Ardoz prison, and to commit suicide the moment after. For a while, the two bodies were displayed in the town hall.

Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia and Nakens were tried for conspiracy and released a year after the events.

During the Spanish Civil War, Calle Mayor was renamed Calle Mateo Morral by the Republican Madrid council.

See also

• Anarchism and violence
• Anarchist Catalonia
• Propaganda by the deed

External links

• Mateo Morral Daily Bleed Calendar 31 May