Amparo Illana (25 May 1934 – 17 May 2001) was a Spanish noble woman who was the wife of Adolfo Suárez, prime minister of Spain between 1976 and 1981.
Amparo Illana | |
|---|---|
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| Born | María del Amparo Illana Elórtegui[1] 25 May 1934 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 17 May 2001 (aged 66) Madrid, Spain |
| Resting place | Ávila Cathedral, Ávila, Spain |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, including Adolfo |
Biography
editIllana was born in Madrid on 25 May 1934 into a family of Basque origin.[2][3] Her father was a colonel in the army.[4] She studied English in Ireland and French at a boarding school in France.[5]
She met Adolfo Suárez in Ávila during a summer vacation.[3] Suárez was a native of the town.[6] They married there on 15 July 1961.[3] Her family contributed to the political career of Suárez.[4] Illana was close to the Opus Dei, a Catholic group,[7] and her husband was also a member of the group.[6] She was involved in philanthropic activities with a special focus on the Gitanos or Romani people in Spain.[7] She organized a meeting about their problems in Madrid in 1978 in collaboration with the Opus Dei.[7]
Illana had five children with Suárez: María Amparo, Adolfo, Laura, Sonsoles and Javier.[5] Illana was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and died in Madrid on 17 May 2001.[5] She was buried in Ávila Cathedral, Ávila, on 18 May.[3] Her husband would also be buried there next to her in March 2014.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Adolfo Suárez, father of Spanish democracy, dies at age 81". El País. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ Gregorio Morán (2009). Adolfo Suárez: ambición y destino (in Spanish). Barcelona: Random House Mondadori. p. 366. ISBN 978-84-8306-834-2.
- ^ a b c d "Muere en Madrid Amparo Illana, esposa de Adolfo Suárez, víctima de un cáncer". Ultima Hora (in Spanish). Madrid. OTR Press. 18 May 2001. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Adolfo Suárez. La Biografia" (PDF) (in Spanish). Universidad Complutense Madrid. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b c "Amparo Illana, esposa de Adolfo Suárez, murió tras años de lucha contra el cáncer". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 17 May 2001. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b Paul Preston (23 March 2014). "Adolfo Suárez obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Patricia Caro Maya; Sarah Werner Boada (2018). "The Challenges of Kalí NGOisation after Francoism: Rethinking Activism in and beyond Spain". In Angéla Kóczé; et al. (eds.). The Romani Women's Movement: Struggles and Debates in Central and Eastern Europe. Abingdon; New York: Routledge. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-351-05037-1.
- ^ "Spain's First post-Franco PM, Adolfo Suarez, Laid to Rest". Naharnet. March 2001. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
External links
edit
Media related to Amparo Illana at Wikimedia Commons
