Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Prince Carlos
Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Spouse Mercedes, Princess of Asturias
Princess Louise of Orléans
Issue
Prince Alfonso, Duke of Calabria
Prince Fernando
Princess Isabel Alfonsa
Prince Carlos
Princess Maria de los Dolores
Maria Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona
Princess Maria de la Esperanza
Full name
Italian: Carlo Maria Francesco d'Assisi Pasquale Ferdinando Antonio di Padova Francesco de Paola Alfonso Andrea Avelino Tancredi
House House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Father Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
Mother Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Born 10 November 1870(1870-11-10)
Gries, Bolzano, Italy
Died 11 November 1949(1949-11-11) (aged 79)
Seville, Spain
Religion Roman Catholic

Don Carlos, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain[1][2] (Full Italian name: Carlo Maria Francesco d'Assisi Pasquale Ferdinando Antonio di Padova Francesco de Paola Alfonso Andrea Avelino Tancredi, Principe di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, Infante di Spagna[1][2]) (10 November 1870, Gries, Bolzano, Italy[1][2] – 11 November 1949, Seville, Spain[1][2]) was the son of Prince Alfonso of the Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta and his wife Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and nephew of the last King of the Two Sicilies, Francis II.[1][2]

Contents

Marriages and children

On 14 February 1901 in Madrid, Carlos married Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, elder daughter of the late King Alfonso XII of Spain and of his wife Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria.[1][2] Mercedes was the elder sister and heiress presumptive to King Alfonso XIII of Spain, an unmarried teenager. A week before the wedding, on 7 February, Carlos was given the title, Infante of Spain.

Carlos and Mercedes had three children:[1][2]

Mercedes died in childbirth in 1904.

In 1907, Carlos married secondly to Princess Louise of Orléans, daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris.[1][2] The couple had four children:[1][2]

Prince Carlos's descendants include the King of Spain (King Juan Carlos), the present Duke of Calabria (Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria) and the present Brazilian Imperial Family.

Military service

Carlos served in the Spanish Army in the Spanish–American War and received the Military Order of Maria Cristina.[3] Eventually he rose to the rank of Inspector General.[4]

He was the 1,099th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain in 1901 and the 280th Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword.

Two Sicilies succession

In 1894, Carlos's father Alfonso became the Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. On marrying his first wife, Carlos renounced his rights of succession to the Crown of Two Sicilies on 14 December 1900. In 1960, Carlos's older brother Ferdinand died without male issue, and Carlos' son Alfonso reclaimed his rights. However, Carlos's younger brother Ranieri objected and also claimed rights based on the renunciation of 1900. The dispute is still not resolved. While most royal houses in Europe recognize the claim of Ranieri's descendants, the Spanish Royal House recognizes the claim of Carlos's descendants.

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Darryl Lundy (4 April 2008). "Carlos Maria François di Borbone, Principe di Borbone delle Due Sicilie". thePeerage.com. http://thepeerage.com/p10328.htm#i103275. Retrieved 2008-10-03. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Paul Theroff. "Two Sicilies". Paul Theroff's Royal Genealogy Site. http://www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/gotha/2sicilies.html. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
  3. ^ "Carlos of Bourbon Dead in Spain at 79", The New York Times (12 November 1949): 15.
  4. ^ "Infante Don Carlos", The Times (12 November 1949): 7.

External links