List of Spanish monarchs

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This is a list of Spanish monarchs—that is, rulers of the country of Spain in the modern sense of the word. The forerunners of the Spanish throne, as well as of the Portuguese throne, were the following:

These lineages were eventually united by the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Although their kingdoms continued to be separate, with their personal union they ruled them together as one dominion. Ferdinand also conquered the southern part of Navarre and annexed it to what was to become Spain. Isabella left her kingdom to her daughter Joanna of Castile. Ferdinand served as her regent during her insanity; though rebuffed by the Castilian nobility and replaced with Joanna's husband Philip the Handsome, he resumed his regency after Philip's death. In 1516 Joanna's son, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, succeeded his grandfather Ferdinand as King of Aragon and also as regent (with the title of a King of Castille) for his mother, thereby uniting the thrones permanently.

Contents

[edit] Kings, Queens of Spain

Officially, the monarchy of "Spain" came into the Bourbon monarch's titulary as late as in 1837, when the regency of Isabella II of Spain adopted it to the place of the old, lengthy titulary (that had started "...of Castile, Leon, Aragon," and so on). Even then, it was in plural : Reina de las Españas - Queen of the Spains. Only in 1874 was the name Spain changed into singular in the Bourbon monarchical titulary. However, colloquial use of the name Spain (Hispania) as the name of the kingdom had already taken place around three centuries earlier. Where brevity was necessary, the state used it: beginning with Philip II Spanish coinage had regularly used the short rex Hispaniarum to exclusion of other, longer titles. Thus, the "birth of Spain" cannot be definitively dated. There are four alternative moments (and three different persons) where the Kingship of Spain is variously considered to have begun:

  • in 1479, when Ferdinand, already King Consort of Castile as husband of Isabel I of Castile, inherited the Kingdom of Aragon at his father John II of Aragon's death. However, after this, the kingdoms shortly became separate, as Joanna of Castile and her husband Philip the Handsome inherited Castile in 1504, but Aragon remained Ferdinand's; he even married again and had he produced a son, that son would have taken precedence in Aragon and kept that country separate in the future.
  • in 1516, when the future Emperor Charles V became the King of Aragon (after his grandfather Ferdinand) and guardian as well as co-king of Castile, in conjunction with his mother Joanna who was incapable to rule. However, the old Hispania was not united, as Portugal remained independent. And in Castile, Charles was not the sole monarch, only in Aragon. It has been reported that in a coinage of two silver reals, minted in Mexico, the son and mother were "Carolus et Johana, reges Hispaniarum et Indiarum".
  • in 1555 at the death of Joana, when Charles (already the sole King of Aragon) became also sole king of Castile, being elevated to full kingship in Castile after some four decades of "co-kingship". However, the old Hispania was not united, as Portugal was independent.
  • in 1580, when, after the Portuguese dynastic crisis, at the moment of personal union between Portugal and all other Iberian monarchies, it is said the old Hispania, became a united realm. Charles's son Philip II of Spain who already was King of Castile and Aragon (directly from his father) also became King of Portugal, and no longer there was any other monarchy in the Iberian Peninsula. Later, in 1640, Portugal rebelled and separated from this union under the House of Braganza (recognized by Spain only in 1668), and thenceforth the name of Spain does not refer to the whole of the Iberian peninsula (ancient Hispania), but only to this one of its two constituent countries.

The Spanish monarchs traditionally sign Yo El Rey (I the King), or Yo El Reyna (I the Queen).

[edit] House of Habsburg / House of Austria

The House of Habsburg (or "of Austria", as it was known to contemporaries) descended from Charles I of Spain (who was also the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V). He left behind a Spanish monarchy that also, for some time, retained control of the Netherlands; however, the title of Holy Roman Emperor did not pass to these Spanish monarchs.

Picture Name King From King Until
Charles I January 23, 1516 January 16, 1556
Philip II January 16, 1556 September 13, 1598
Philip III September 13, 1598 March 31, 1621
Philip IV March 31, 1621 September 17, 1665
Charles II September 17, 1665 November 1, 1700

[edit] House of Bourbon

After Charles II died without heirs, the crown of Spain passed to his nephew Philip V, a grandson of Louis XIV of France.

Picture Name King From King Until
Philip V November 16, 1700 January 14, 1724
Louis I January 14, 1724 August 31, 1724
Philip V September 6, 1724 July 9, 1746
Ferdinand VI July 9, 1746 August 10, 1759
Charles III August 10, 1759 December 14, 1788
Charles IV December 14, 1788 March 19, 1808
Ferdinand VII March 19, 1808 May 6, 1808
Charles IV May 6, 1808 June 6, 1808

[edit] House of Bonaparte

See also: Bonaparte

The only king from this dynasty was Joseph I, imposed by his brother Napoleon I of France after he conquered Spain. The title used by Joseph was King of the Spains and the Indias, by divine grace.

Picture Name King From King Until
Joseph I Napoleon June 6, 1808 December 11, 1813

[edit] House of Bourbon (first restoration)

Again the title used was king of Castile, Leon, Aragon,… by divine grace.

Picture Name King From King Until
Ferdinand VII December 11, 1813 September 29, 1833
Isabella II September 29, 1833 September 30, 1868[1]

[edit] House of Savoy

See also: House of Savoy

The only king of this dynasty was Amadeo I, elected by the Cortes after the Spanish revolution deposed Isabella II. The new title used was King of Spain, by divine grace and will of nation.

Picture Name King From King Until
Amadeus I January 2, 1871 February 11, 1873

[edit] First Spanish Republic

The First Spanish Republic lasted from 1873 to 1874.

[edit] House of Bourbon (second restoration)

Constitutional king of Spain.

Picture Name King From King Until
Alfonso XII December 29, 1874 November 25, 1885
Alfonso XIII May 17, 1886 April 14, 1931

[edit] Second Spanish Republic

The Second Spanish Republic lasted from 1931 to 1939.

[edit] Francisco Franco's dictatorship

Francisco Franco ruled parts of Spain from 1 October 1936 and the entire country from 1 April 1939 until his death on 20 November 1975. In 1947, Franco proclaimed the restoration of the monarchy, but did not allow the pretender, Juan de Borbón, Count of Barcelona, to take the throne. In 1969, Franco declared that Juan Carlos, the Count of Barcelona's son, would be his successor. The Count renounced his claims in favor of his son in 1977, two years after Franco's death and Juan Carlos's accession.

[edit] House of Bourbon (third restoration)

The title is King of Spain.

Picture Name King From King Until
Juan Carlos I November 22, 1975 Incumbent

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Following Isabel's abdication, there was a more than two year interregnum, during which time the government sought a new monarch from abroad.

[edit] See also

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