Alfonso Armada

Alfonso Armada Comyn (February 12, 1920 – December 1, 2013) was a Spanish military officer involved in both the Spanish Civil War and the 1981 attempted coup d'état in Spain.

Armada was born into a pro-monarchist family. He joined the Francoists in the Spanish Civil War and rose in prestige over decades, eventually becoming a tutor, and then an aide, to Juan Carlos, and becoming part of the royal household when Juan Carlos became king.

Armada was a major figure in the attempted coup d'état in Spain on February 23, 1981. Though he pretended to be a mediator in the coup by going to the Congress of Deputies after Antonio Tejero had taken the legislature hostage, Armada's full involvement soon came to light: He was one of the "three main conspirators", and had planned to become president. When Armada came to the legislature, he and Tejero disagreed about the direction of the government, and the coup fell apart. Within five days, Armada was dismissed from all positions and arrested.

In April 1983, Armada was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but received a compassionate release pardon in December 1988 for health reasons. He spent the rest of his life in Rivadulla, Galicia, Spain, and died in 2013.