Spice Girls star Geri Halliwell-Horner has family roots in Córdoba through her great-grandfather, a former Republican mayor who was executed following the Spanish Civil War.
Emiliano Hidalgo Fernández served as mayor of Dos Torres during Spain’s Second Republic. He was killed by firing squad on December 27, 1940, aged 61, at La Salud Cemetery in Córdoba.
Hidalgo was arrested in May 1939, shortly after the Civil War ended, and brought before a Francoist court martial. His 116-page military case file records his socialist activism and political role during the conflict.
The documents describe him as the founder of the Socialist Party in Dos Torres and accuse him of involvement in activities considered “subversive and revolutionary” by the Franco regime. Prosecutors also identified Hidalgo as one of the local leaders who opposed the military uprising launched in July 1936.
The indictment labelled him a “Marxist leader” who had acted against what Francoist authorities called the “glorious movement”. However, the case file reportedly acknowledged that some accusations did not establish his direct responsibility for particular events.
Despite those uncertainties, Hidalgo was convicted of “adhering to the military rebellion” and sentenced to death. The charge reflected the reversal of responsibility frequently used by Francoist courts against supporters of Spain’s elected Republican government.
His execution took place more than 20 months after the Civil War had officially ended. The death record states that Hidalgo was killed by firing squad against the walls of La Salud Cemetery.
The family’s suffering did not end with his death. Hidalgo’s son, Máximo, was also arrested following the conflict and received a 20-year prison sentence.
While incarcerated, Máximo reportedly met a woman employed as a prison officer. The couple later began a family, creating the ancestral link that would eventually lead to Geri Halliwell-Horner.
Hidalgo’s story might have remained among those of the thousands of Republicans imprisoned, persecuted or executed in Córdoba during the post-war repression.
Decades later, however, his name returned to public attention through his famous great-granddaughter, who became an international star as Ginger Spice in the Spice Girls, one of the most successful pop groups of the 1990s.
