Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú (1922-1998) was a Spanish surgeon and nobleman, X Marqués de Villaverde, known above all for being the husband of Carmen Franco, the only daughter of the dictator Francisco Franco. Thanks to this marriage, they gave him the nickname of "Yernísimo", in clear allusion to how they referred to the "Generalissimo".
He was awarded several distinctions, among which we can mention Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Health and in 1970 the Gold Medal of the Order of Tourist Merit. He left a large offspring as a result of his marriage to Carmen Franco.
Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú and Carmen Franco at their wedding. Source:
Family
Cristóbal Martínez was born in Mancha Real, province of Jaén, in 1922. Son of José María Martínez and María de la O Esperanza Bordiú y Bascarán. He had two brothers, Andrés Martínez-Bordiú and José María Martínez Bordiú y Ortega. He received the marquisate of Villaverde by the lineage of Pope Pedro Luna (Benedict XIII of Avignon).
On April 10, 1950 he married Carmen Franco, with whom he had a great offspring, a total of seven children, three men and four women: Francisco, José Cristóbal, Jaime, Carmen, María de la O, María del Mar and María de Aranzazu.
With the passing of the years his children also expanded the family by giving the Marquis and Carmen several grandchildren.
Studies
Martínez-Bordiú was born into a noble family. He began his high school studies in Madrid, at the Colegio del Pilar and finished them in San Sebastián, where he traveled when he was 15 years old, at the end of the Civil War.
He began a career in Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid. His first practices were carried out with Dr. Nogueras, at the Reina Victoria Hospital of the Red Cross in Madrid. He then obtained his Doctor of Medicine at the same university.
Wedding with Carmen Franco
Cristóbal Martínez married on April 10, 1950 with Franco's only daughter, Carmen. He had conquered her with ranchera sounds, Carmen's favorite music.
The ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop of Toledo, Monsignor Pla, and was held in the chapel of the Palacio del Pardo, the residence of the Franco family at that time.
Carmen wore a very classic silk dress and the hairdresser was in charge of a very contemporary hairstyle: a parting in the middle and a bow from which the veil was detached. It had everything you could expect from a royal wedding.
Over the years love was cracking, the initial expectations of the Franco family collapsed, as the man who seemed very educated, outgoing and cocky ended up becoming the man capable of many infidelities.
Paloma Barrientos, in her book Carmen Martínez-Bordiú. In my own way, it revealed that what Martinez wanted first and foremost was to fall in love with a pretty girl and live a comfortable life. She quickly realized that working did not make money, so she had to be with a family like the Francos. In fact, years later her own son José Cristóbal criticized her very strongly, assuring that her father only wanted to live as well as possible.
Carmen Franco distanced herself from her husband over the years, despite the fact that they went on trips continuously. Although he carried a great reputation as a seducer, his wife tried to keep quiet and maintain her forms.
But what was said in a low voice at the beginning ended up being spoken quietly in various social gatherings. Carmen never wanted a divorce and did not allow anyone to criticize him.
But relatives of the family commented that Franco had not had luck with Carmen's wedding and assured that El Pardo previously lived under a certain austerity, but with the arrival of Martínez this had been completely lost.
A stumbled race
Cristóbal Martínez's career had several setbacks. Although he is known as the first Spaniard who managed to perform a heart transplant in 1968, and declared to the media that the surgery had been a success, 24 hours later the patient died due to kidney failure.
He actively participated in congresses and conferences, but it was also known that he dedicated time to influence peddling with Vespa motorcycles. Many nicknamed him "Marquis of Vayavida" for his love of living a quiet life. In any case, thanks to his contacts and influences, he obtained positions in public hospitals where, it is said, he did not have much presence.
Another well-known matter was his expulsion when in 1986 he was director of the School of Thorax Diseases. Martínez-Bordiú decided to appeal the decision and go to court, who ruled against him three years later.
Likewise, in 1987 he wanted it to be compatible to receive two Social Security pensions while he was working. And in 1992, he was accused by a patient who claimed that Martínez had forgotten some gauze pads on his chest while undergoing an operation.
Franco inheritance
Carmen Franco was the only daughter of the dictator Franco, for this reason, after her mother Carmen Polo died, in 1988, she inherited all the assets of her father, among which were El Canto del Pico, Pazo de Meirás, the farm of Valdefuentes, the Cornides house, among other properties.
Martínez-Bordiú was always in favor of selling his father-in-law's assets, he even assured at times that their support was very expensive and they did not give enough profits.
Death
When Cristóbal Martínez turned 65, against himself, he retired from his office as a surgeon. He assured his colleagues that he did so even knowing that he could go on for at least five more years.
He had already helped his father-in-law die by leading the team of doctors who provided the last services to Franco, although later he was also accused of not having made the best decisions. Some photographs that were published of the dictator, where he appears dying, were said to have been taken by Martínez.
He died in Madrid on February 4, 1998 due to a cerebral hemorrhage. In the hospital where he spent his last moments, he was surrounded by his closest family, his children Francisco, Jaime and Carmen, a grandson and his brother José María, as well as some nephews.
References
- ABC.ES (2017). Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú. Recovered from abc.es
- Barrientos, P. (2017). The unhappy marriage of Carmen Franco and the Marquis of Villaverde. Recovered from vanitatis.elconfidencial.com
- The Trade (2017). Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú, the son-in-law of Francisco Franco. Recovered from elcomercio.es
- The Country (1998). The Marquis de Villaverde, Franco's son-in-law, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage. Recovered from elpais.com
- Europa Press (1998). Biography of the Marquis of Villaverde, Cristóbal Martínez Bordiu. Recovered from elmundo.es