The current Spanish constitution refers to the monarchy as "The Crown" and the constitutional title of the monarch is simply rey/reina de España:[1] that is, "king/queen of Spain". However, the constitution allows for the use of other historic titles pertaining to the Spanish monarchy,[1] without specifying them. A decree promulgated 6 November 1987 at the Council of Ministers regulates the titles further, and on that basis the monarch of Spain has a right to use ("may use") those other titles appertaining to the Crown.[2] Contrary to some belief, the long titulary that contains the list of over 20 kingdoms is not in state use, nor is it used in Spanish diplomacy. In fact, it has never been in use in that form, as "Spain" was never a part of the list in the pre-1837 era when the long list was officially used.[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg/150px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg.png)
Spain, mentioned differently in the titulary depending on which monarch was reigning, was for more than three centuries also symbolized by the long list that started "... of Castile, León, Aragón, ..." The following long titulary in the feudal style was last used officially in 1836 by Queen Isabella II (see the account of titulary in her article) before she became constitutional queen.
Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon were together described as the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. The first king to officially use a derivation of the name "Spain" as the realm in the titulary was Charles I of Spain, who used Rex Hispaniarum et Indiarum (i.e. King of the Spains and the Indies). This title was often used after his title of Holy Roman Emperor which was superior to that of king. During his brief and controversial occupancy of the throne Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Emperor Napoleon, also used a similar title, King of the Spains and the Indies, and conferred the title "Prince of Spain" to be hereditary on his children and grandchildren in the male and female line.
During the first restoration of the Bourbons, it returned to the traditional format ("of Castile, Leon, Aragon, ...") until 1837, when the short version "queen of the Spains" was taken into use by Isabella II. The singular Spain was first used by Amadeo—he was "by divine grace and will of nation, king of Spain". During the second restoration, King Alfonso XII started to use "constitutional king of Spain, by divine and constitutional grace".
Juan Carlos I, King from 1975 to 2014, did not use the style of Catholic Majesty and the other titles and honours, but did not relinquish them.[4] Like his father, King Felipe VI uses the simple title of "King of Spain", without any divine, national or constitutional reference.[citation needed]
Titles associated with the Spanish Crown
editThe titles used by the last Habsburg king of Spain, Charles II, were:[5][6]
By the Grace of God, King of Castile, of León, of Aragon, of the Two Sicilies, of Jerusalem, of Dalmatia, of Croatia, of Navarre, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Mallorca, of Seville, of Sardinia, of Córdoba, of Corsica, of Murcia, of Jaén, of the Algarves, of Algeciras, of the Canary Islands, of the East and West Indies, of the Islands and Mainland of the Ocean Sea; Archduke of Austria; Duke of Burgundy, of Brabant, of Milan, of Athens and Neopatria; Count of Habsburg, of Flanders, of Tyrol, of Barcelona, of Roussillon, and of Cerdanya; Marquess of Oristano and Count of Goceano.
The title used by the first Bourbon (Bourbon-Anjou branch of the House of Capet) king of Spain, King Philip V of Spain, was:[7] Don Philip, By the Grace of God, King of Castile, of León, of Aragon, of the Two Sicilies, of Jerusalem, of Navarre, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Mallorca, of Seville, of Sardinia, of Cordóba, of Corsica, of Murcia, of Jaen, of the Algarves, of Algeciras, of Gibraltar, of the Canary Islands, of the East and West Indies, of the Islands and Mainland of the Ocean Sea, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Anjou, of Burgundy, of Brabant and of Milan, Count of Habsburg, of Flanders, of Tyrol and of Barcelona, Lord of Biscay and of Molina, etc.
Kingdoms
edit- King of Spain
- King of Asturias
- King of Castile
- King of León
- King of Aragon
- King of Jerusalem[fn 1]
- King of Cyprus[fn 1]
- King of Navarre
- King of Pamplona
- King of Granada
- King of Mallorca
- King of Toledo
- King of Seville
- King of Valencia
- King of Galicia
- King of Sardinia[fn 1]
- King of Cordoba
- King of Corsica[fn 1]
- King of Menorca
- King of Murcia
- King of Jaén
- King of the Algarves[fn 1][fn 2]
- King of Algeciras
- King of Gibraltar[fn 3]
- King of the Canary Islands
- King of the Spanish East and West Indies and of the Islands and Mainland of the Ocean Sea[fn 1]
Duchies
edit- Duke of Burgundy[fn 1]
- Duke of Brabant[fn 1]
- Duke of Limburg[fn 1]
- Duke of Lothier[fn 1]
- Duke of Milan[fn 1]
- Duke of Luxembourg[fn 1]
- Duke of Athens[fn 1]
- Duke of Neopatria[fn 1]
Counties
edit- Count of Habsburg[fn 1]
- Count of Flanders[fn 1]
- Count of Holland[fn 1]
- Count of Zeeland[fn 1]
- Count of Burgundy[fn 1]
- Count of Hainaut[fn 1]
- Count of Namur[fn 1]
- Count of Artois[fn 1]
- Count of Charolais[fn 1]
- Count of Tyrol[fn 1]
- Count of Roussillon[fn 1]
- Count of Cerdanya
- Count of Barcelona
- Count of Girona
- Count of Osona
- Count of Besalú
- Count of Covadonga
Lordships
editOther titles maintained, but usually abbreviated with "etc."
editBecause of the large number of titles associated with the Spanish Crown, only the most important were written, finishing the list with "etc." or "&c.", referring to minor or obsolete titles. These titles are:
- Duke of Limburg, of Lothier, of Luxemburg, of Gelderland, of Styria, of Carniola, of Carinthia, and of Württemberg;
- Landgrave of Alsace;
- Prince of Swabia;
- Palatine Count of Burgundy;
- Count of Artois, of Hainaut, of Namur, of Gorizia, of Ferrette, of Haut-Rhin, and of Kyburg;
- Marquis of Oristano, and of Goceano;
- Margrave of the Holy Roman Empire, and of Burgau;
- Lord of Salins, of Mechelen, of the Slovenian March, of Pordenone, and of Tripoli.
- Rex Catholicissimus
Andreas Palaiologos, the nephew of the last Byzantine emperor, designated Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile as his heirs at his death in 1502.[10]: 463 [11][12] However, neither Ferdinand nor Isabella, nor any succeeding monarch of Spain, ever used the title.[12]
Military rank
edit- : Captain General of the Spanish Armed Forces[13]
Hereditary orders of Spain
edit- Sovereign Grand Master of the Celebrated Order of the Golden Fleece
- Grand Master of the Royal & Distinguished Order of Charles III
- Grand Master of the Royal Order of Isabel, the Catholic
- Grand Master of the Royal Order of Civil Merit
- Grand Master of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand
- Grand Master of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild
- Grand Master of the Order of Montesa
- Grand Master of the Order of Alcántara
- Grand Master of the Order of Calatrava
- Grand Master of the Order of Santiago
- Grand Master of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
Titles of the heir apparent or heir presumptive
editTitles and styles are listed in order of degrees of rank, nobility, and honor:[14]
Principalities
edit- Prince of Asturias—title of the first-in-line to the Kingdom of Spain and earlier Crown of Castile-León
- Prince of Girona—title of the first-in-line of the Crown of Aragon
- Prince of Viana—title of the first-in-line of the Kingdom of Navarre
Duchy, county and lordship
edit- Duke of Montblanc—title of the first-in-line to the Principality of Catalonia
- Count of Cervera—title of the first-in-line to the Kingdom of Valencia
- Lord of Balaguer—title of the first in line to the Kingdom of Mallorca
Orders of the heir apparent
editThe following orders are traditionally granted to the heir apparent:
- Knight of the Celebrated Order of the Golden Fleece
- Knight of the Collar of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegildo
- Commandeur-Major of Castile of the Order of Santiago
- Knight of the Order of Alcántara
- Knight of the Order of Calatrava
- Knight of the Order of Montesa
Royal titles
editDuchies
editCounties
editSee also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Titles in Pretence: historical title which is only nominal and ceremonial.
- ^ Spain today holds Ceuta, a city which, at time when the country got hold of it, was part of the Kingdom of the Algarves.
- ^ In 2010 the Government of Gibraltar began referring to Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Gibraltar.[8] Initially just on coinage, the title now appears on many government documents.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Constitution, article 56(2)
- ^ Royal Decee 1368/1987, article 1(1)
- ^ (in Spanish) Article 57 of the Spanish Constitution
- ^ Almanach de Gotha 1999, Page 336, Decree of 1987
- ^ Seiler, Louis (1998). "Las fracturas políticas de la historia europea: una aplicación de la Carta de Rokkan". In Francisco Letamendía (ed.). Nacionalidades y regiones en la Unión Europea (in Spanish). Editorial Fundamentos. pp. 161–182. ISBN 9788424508036., p. 177
- ^ Piferrer, Francisco (1859). Nobiliario de los reinos y señorios de España (in Spanish). Vol. III. Madrid. pp. 239–240 (note 2).
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ V, 1713, Felipe (29 March 2012), Español: Perdon general de Felipe V a los catalanes 30 marzo 1713, retrieved 25 May 2022
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "No. 103/2010" (PDF) (Press release). Gibraltar: Government of Gibraltar. 6 May 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "United Kingdom Partnership Agreement" (PDF). www.gov.uk. HM Government. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
The Governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the Queen of Gibraltar, Queen Elizabeth II.
- ^ Setton, Kenneth M. (1978). The Papacy and the Levant (1204–1571), Volume II: The Fifteenth Century. Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society. ISBN 0-87169-127-2.
- ^ Enepekides, P. K. (1960). "Das Wiener Testament des Andreas Palaiologos vom 7. April 1502" [The Vienna Testament of Andreas Palaiologos from 7 April 1502]. Akten des 11. Internat. Byzantinisten-Kongresses 1958 (in German). Munich: C.H. Beck. pp. 138–143. OCLC 761003148.
- ^ a b Freiberg, Jack (2014). Bramante's Tempietto, the Roman Renaissance, and the Spanish Crown. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-1107042971.
- ^ "Inicio - la Corona Hoy - the Functions of the Head of State".
- ^ Casa de Su Majestad el Rey de España - La Monarquía en la Historia - The Monarchy through History