A work by , the bronze was cast in 1956. The sculptor reportedly found inspiration in the
Donatello's
equestrian statue of Gattamelata. following the refusal of Franco to have his equestrian statue put on the triumphal arch, the
Complutense University of Madrid donated the statue to the Ministry of Housing. it was unveiled on 18 July 1959. The statue spawned two replicas, sent to
Santander and
Valencia's respective
plazas del Generalísimo. The ensemble had a total height of 7.5 m. Over the years, the monument became a meeting point of Francoists every
20 November, while it also became the target for tagging carried out by left-wing sympathizers. Meanwhile the different public administrations denied ownership of the statue and therefore they avoided responsibility for its withdrawal. In the early morning of 17 March 2005, employees of the Tragsa company upon request of the Subsecretariat of the
Ministry of Public Works removed the statue from the plinth during an operative that took some hours. The statue was stored in ministerial premises located in the calle de Gregorio Benítez. After the events, one individual and the
Francisco Franco National Foundation (FNFF) filed for an administrative lawsuit intending to litigate against the removal. In 2009, the Higher Court of Justice of Madrid determined that the Ministry of Public Works had bypassed the historical heritage law, yet the Court also ruled out enforcing the reposition as it would violate the
Law of Historical Memory. == References ==