During the final stages of the Second World War, Ángel Sanz Briz saved more than 5,200 Jews in Budapest by utilizing diplomatic loopholes and administrative deception. Serving as the Spanish chargé d'affaires, he circumvented official limitations to provide refuge to families fleeing persecution in German-occupied Hungary, marking a critical intervention that shielded thousands from deportation to concentration camps.
Early Career and Civil War Service
Born in Zaragoza in 1910, Sanz Briz pursued his education at the School of St. Thomas Aquinas of the Piarist Schools of Zaragoza and the University of Zaragoza before completing his studies at the Universidad Central and the Diplomatic School of Spain. He joined the Spanish Foreign Ministry in 1933. During the Spanish Civil War, he served as a volunteer truck driver within the Moroccan Army Corps under General Juan Yagüe. Following the conflict, he resumed his diplomatic trajectory, eventually leading to his pivotal assignment in Hungary.
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Appointed to the Spanish Embassy in Budapest in 1942, Sanz Briz became chargé d'affaires by the summer of 1944. He secured authorization to assist 200 Jews but deliberately expanded this mandate to support 200 families. He fabricated a legal justification based on a lapsed 1924 decree from Miguel Primo de Rivera, which purportedly granted citizenship to descendants of Sephardic Jews. By renting multiple properties and marking them with Spanish flags, he established protected housing for those holding fake documentation. In December 1944, he departed for Switzerland under official government orders, leaving his operations to Giorgio Perlasca.
Diplomatic Assignments and Later Years
His post-war career included roles across diverse regions, serving as ambassador to Peru from 1964 to 1967, the Netherlands from 1967 to 1972, and Belgium from 1972 to 1973. In 1973, he became the first Spanish ambassador to the People's Republic of China, holding the position until 1976. His final appointment was as ambassador to the Holy See. He died on 11 June 1980 at the Palazzo di Spagna and was buried at the Torrero Cemetery.
Honours and Legacy
In 1966, Yad Vashem recognized Sanz Briz as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for his humanitarian efforts. His decorations include the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru, and the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III. Posthumously, he was awarded the Hungarian Order of Merit in 1994 and named a Dearest Son of Zaragoza City in 1977.
Fast facts
- Born: 1910, Zaragoza
- Died: 1980, Palazzo di Spagna
- Diplomatic roles: Ambassador to Peru, China, Guatemala, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Holy See
- Major award: Righteous Among the Nations (1966)
- Burial site: Torrero Cemetery
- Civil War service: Moroccan Army Corps
Questions readers ask
How many individuals did Ángel Sanz Briz save in Hungary?
He is credited with saving more than 5,200 Jews during the later stages of World War II.
What mechanism did he use to protect Jewish families?
He issued fake Spanish papers based on a defunct 1924 decree regarding Sephardic descendants and rented buildings as safehouses under Spanish diplomatic protection.
Achievements
- Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit — 1961
- Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III — 1980
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru — 1967
- Hungarian Order of Merit — 1994
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Quetzal
- Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau
- Worked as diplomat
- Educated at School of St. Thomas Aquinas of the Piarist Schools of Zaragoza and University of Zaragoza
