#Majesty 2 pretenders to the throne full#
#Majesty 2 pretenders to the throne series#

He is the father of the current King of Spain, Felipe VI. Two days after Franco’s death, the Cortes Españolas proclaimed Juan Carlos King of Spain.

#Majesty 2 pretenders to the throne full#

In 1975, the Caudillo Francisco Franco Bahamonde handed over full control as head of state to Juan’s son, Juan Carlos. This left his third son Juan, Count of Barcelona his only male heir. In 1933, his two eldest sons, Alfonso and Jaime, had already renounced their claims to the defunct throne, and in 1934 Alfonso XIII youngest son Gonzalo died. On 15 January 1941, Alfonso XIII renounced his rights to the defunct Spanish throne in favour of his third son Juan, Count of Barcelona (1913-1993). However, he did not formally abdicate and eventually settled in Rome.

Alfonso XIII left the country on 14 April 1931 and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. On 12 April 1931, the republican parties won a significant victory in the municipal elections, perceived as a plebiscite on monarchy. Alfonso XII was succeeded by his unborn son, who became king as Alfonso XIII (1886-1941). Isabella II’s son, Alfonso XII (1857-1885), became king of Spain in 1874, following a military coup against the First Republic. In 1868, during the Glorious Revolution, Isabella II formally abdicated in 1870. Under the regency of her mother, Spain transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy by adopting the Royal Statute of 1834 and Constitution of 1837. Her succession was unsuccessfully disputed by the count of Molina (her father’s younger brother). Isabella came to the throne when her father died in the same year. In 1833, Ferdinand VII issued the mentioned Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the succession of his daughter. In retrospective, the issue had no historical significance.

#Majesty 2 pretenders to the throne series#

Currently, most historians tend to avoid addressing the 1789 series of debates and decisions, taking place and adopted prior, during and after the Cortes sittings. The question to whether the succession law was effectively changed in 1789 turned into a heated juridical, historical and political debate and continued well into the 20th century. The First Carlist War (1833–39) broke out almost immediately.

Upon her father’s death, Isabella (1830-1904) ruled as Queen of Spain from 1833 until 1868. However, a corresponding law, known as the Pragmatic Sanction, was not published until 1830. The proposal was accepted and formally adopted as Cortes’ petition to the king, after a 1789 series of debates and decisions, taking place and adopted prior, during and after the Cortes sittings. The change would consist of giving preference to females of the main descendant line over males of collateral lines. King Carlos IV ( Ferdinand VII’s father) already suggested that the Salic succession law should be altered.

Carlists are advocates of the legitimacy of this male line of succession, proclaiming the conde de Molina as the legitimate successor to Ferdinand VII. This law was implemented to prevent any union of the crowns of Spain and France. However, this right had been abrogated by an act by Philip V in 1713, changing the rules of succession to Salic Law of Succession, which excluded females from the royal succession. By the ancient law of Castile and Leon, women could rule as monatchs in their own right. The mentioned opposition to liberalism was triggered by the birth of the daughter of Ferdinand VII, Isabella, in October 1830. His great personal courage in the face of these attacks, however, won him considerable admiration. The notorious attempt on his life and that of his bride, Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg, on their wedding day (May 31, 1906) was followed by a constant succession of plots to assassinate him. Alfonso XIII, (born May 17, 1886, Madrid, Spain-died February 28, 1941, Rome, Italy).