French Pretenders Part I: 2022

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Duke of Anjou, French pretenders, French Revolution, House of Bourbon, House of Bourbon -Orléans, Jean d'Orléans, Legitimists, Louis Alphonse de Bourbon, Louis XIV of France and Navarre, Philip V of Spain, Treaty of Utrecht, War of the Spanish Succession

From the Emperor’s Desk: When I began this blog back in 2012 I initially wrote a series of articles on the various pretenders to vacant thrones of Europe. Many of these articles need an update so today I start with the pretenders to the vacant throne of France.

One of the most interesting battles for the claims to a vacant or non existent throne is that of France. The argument on who is the rightful heir to the French throne rests on the legality of the renunciation of rights to the French throne by King Felipe V of Spain (1700-1746) and his descendents at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714.

Felipe V of Spain (Philippe Duc d’Anjou) was born a French Prince of the Blood (Prince Du Sang) the second son of Louis the Grand Dauphin and a grandson of King Louis XIV of France and Navarre (1643-1715). Felipe V of Spain was also a maternal great-grandson of King Felipe III of Spain and Portugal (1598-1621) from whose descent he was appointed successor to the childless King Carlos II of Spain (1665-1700).

King Felipe V of Spain

King Louis XIV and his son and heir, The Grand Dauphin, had the strongest genealogical claim to the Spanish throne held by his maternal uncle, King Carlos II. The great European powers would never accept a united France and Spain under the leadership of King Louis XIV of France.

However, since neither the Grand Dauphin nor his eldest son, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, could be displaced from the succession to the French throne, King Carlos II of Spain named Prince Philippe de Bourbon, the Duke of Anjou as his heir-presumptive in his will. He ascended the Spanish throne in 1700 upon the death of Carlos II as King Felipe V of Spain.

What followed was the the 13-year War of the Spanish Succession, which continued until the Treaty of Utrecht forbade any future possibility of unifying the French and Spanish crowns while confirming the Duke of Anjou’s accession to the throne of Spain.

The treaty required King Felipe V of Spain to renounce his claim to the French throne, both for himself and his descendants, with reciprocal renunciations by French Bourbon Prince and Princesses to the Spanish throne, including Louis XIV’s nephew Philippe, Duke of Orléans. These renunciations became increasingly important after a series of deaths between 1712 and 1714 that left the five year old, Prince Louis, Duke of Anjou, (the future King Louis XV ) as his great-grandfather’s heir.

Although the House of Bourbon still reigns in Spain, the French monarchy was abolished in 1848 with the abdication of Louis Philippe I, King of the French of the House of Bourbon-Orléans.

Louis Alphonse de Bourbon (King Louis XX of France)

After the death of Henri, Comte de Chambord in 1884, who died without an heir, the claim to the vacant throne of France has been contested between the descendants of the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon and the descendants of Louis Philippe I, King of the French of the House of Bourbon-Orléans.

As previously mentioned, the arguments of which of these pretenders is the rightful heir to the French throne rests on the legality of the renunciations to the French and Spanish thrones by Spanish and French members of the House of Bourbon as outlined in the Treaty of Utrecht.

Today there are two claimants from the different lines of the House of Bourbon. The first is Prince Louis Alphonse of Bourbon, Duke of Anjou who is the senior male heir of Hugh Capét, King of the Franks (987-996). Louis Alphonse is also the senior descendant of King Louis XIV of France through the aforementioned King Felipe V of Spain.

Those that support the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon to the French throne are called Legitimist. According to the Legitimists, Louis Alphonse of Bourbon, Duke of Anjou is recognized as the rightful claimant to the French throne and is considered King Louis XX of France by his supporters.

Prince Jean of Orléans, Comte de Paris (King Jean IV of France)

The other claimant to the French throne is Prince Jean of Orléans, Comte de Paris and Duc de France. Prince Jean is a descendant of King Louis Philippe I (1830-1848), the last King of the French. Known as King Jean IV of France by his supporters and he is the current head of the Orléans line of the Bourbon dynasty.

August 10, 1759: Death of Fernando VI, King of Spain

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Charles III of Spain Infanta Barbara of Portugal, Emperor Leopold I, Ferdinand VI of Spain, Fernando VI of Spain, Philip V of Spain

Fernando VI (September 23, 1713 – August 10, 1759), was King of Spain from July 9, 1746 until his death. He was the third ruler of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty. He was the son of the previous monarch, Felipe V, and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy, the third daughter and second surviving child of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and Anne Marie of Orléans, the youngest daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and Princess Henrietta of England.

In her youth, Maria Luisa Gabriella was described as “intelligent, playful, and fun-loving” and had received an excellent education. She remained close to her older sister Maria Adelaide, who later married Louis, Duke of Burgundy, the eldest grandson of Louis XIV, and the mother of Louis XV.

Early life

Born at the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, Fernando endured a lonely childhood. His stepmother, the domineering Elisabeth Farnese, had no affection except for her own children, and looked upon Fernando as an obstacle to their fortunes. The hypochondria of his father left Elisabeth mistress of the palace.

Fernando VI, King of Spain

Fernando was by temperament melancholic, shy and distrustful of his own abilities. When complimented on his shooting, he replied, “It would be hard if there were not something I could do.” Shooting and music were his only pleasures, and he was the generous patron of the famous singer Farinelli, whose voice soothed his melancholy.

Marriage

Fernando was married in 1729 to Infanta Barbara of Portugal, daughter of João V of Portugal and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, she was the eleventh child and seventh daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1640–1705) by his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg (1655–1720). Two of her brothers, Joseph and Charles later became emperors. Through Charles, she was an aunt of Empress Maria Theresa, the only woman to ever rule the Habsburg dominions in her own right.

Reign

When Fernando came to the throne in 1746, Spain found itself in the War of the Austrian Succession, which ended with little benefit for Spain. He started his reign by eliminating the influence of his stepmother and her group of Italian courtiers. As king he followed a steady policy of neutrality in the conflict between France and Great Britain and refused to be tempted by the offers of either into declaring war on the other.

Infanta Barbara of Portugal

Prominent figures during his reign were Marquis of Ensenada, a Francophile; and José de Carvajal y Lancáster, a supporter of the alliance with Great Britain. The fight between both ended in 1754 with the death of Carvajal and the fall of Ensenada, after which Ricardo Wall became the most powerful advisor to the monarch.

Fernando VI’s reign proved peaceful, as he avoided involving of Spain in any European conflicts. Moderate changes to Spain were initiated under the king, including reforms of taxation, advance commerce, and the Spanish navy, as well as a ban on freemasonry.

However, the last years of Fernando VI’s reign were marked by mental instability, much like his direct predecessor Felipe V. Upon his death, Fernando VI was succeeded by his half-brother, who became King Carlos III.

Carlos III (January 20, 1716 – December 1788) was King of Spain (1759–1788). Prior to his accession as the King of Spain he also was Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Carlo I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Carlo VII, and King of Sicily, as Carlo V (1734–1759).

Carlos III was the fifth son of King Felipe V of Spain, and the eldest son of Felipe V’s second wife, Elisabeth Farnese. A proponent of enlightened absolutism and regalism.

July 12, 1651: Birth of Infanta Margaret Theresa of Spain. Part II.

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Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, Holy Roman Empire, House of Bourbon, House of Habsburg, King Louis XIV of France, Margaret Theresa of Spain, Philip IV of Spain, Philip V of Spain, War of the Spanish Succession

Holy Roman Empress and German Queen

The Infanta Margaret-Theresa formally entered Vienna On December 5, 1666. The official marriage ceremony was celebrated seven days later. The Viennese celebrations of the imperial marriage were among the most splendid of all the Baroque era, and lasted almost two years.

The Emperor Leopold ordered the construction of an open-air theatre near the present Burggarten, with a capacity of 5,000 people. For Margaret-Theresa’s birthday in July 1668, the theatre hosted the premiere of the opera Il pomo d’oro (The Golden Apple). Composed by Antonio Cesti, the opera was called the “staging of the century” by contemporaries due to its magnificence and expense. The year before, the Emperor gave an equestrian ballet where he personally mounted on his horse, Speranza; due to technical adaptations, the ballet gave spectators the impression that horses and carriages were hovering in the air.

Margaret-Theresa, Holy Roman Empress

Despite the age difference, Leopold was 26 and Margaret-Theresa was 15 at the time of the marriage, according to contemporaries they had a happy marriage. The Empress always called her husband “Uncle” and he called her “Gretl”. The couple had many common interests, especially in art and music.

During her six years of marriage, Margaret gave birth to four children, of whom only one survived infancy:

* Ferdinand Wenceslaus Joseph Michael Eleazar (1667-1668), Archduke of Austria.
* Maria Antonia Josepha Benedicta Rosalia Petronella (1669-1692), Archduchess of Austria, who inherited her mother’s claims to the Spanish throne, married Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria and was the mother of Joseph-Ferdinand of Bavaria.
* John Leopold (born and died 20 February 1670), Archduke of Austria.
* Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Apollonia Scholastica (February 9, 1672 – 23 February 1672), Archduchess of Austria.

The Empress was intensely anti-Semitic, and inspired her husband to expel the Jews from Vienna, because she believed that they were to blame for her children’s deaths. During the Corpus Christi celebration of 1670, the Emperor ordered the destruction of the Vienna synagogue and a church was built on the site on his orders.

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

Even after her marriage, Margaret-Theresa kept her Spanish customs and ways. She did not speak German, and the arrogance of her native retinue led to a strong anti-Spanish sentiment among the imperial court. The courtiers openly expressed the hope that the weak Empress would soon die and thus give Leopold I the opportunity of a second marriage.

Death

During her last pregnancy Margaret-Theresa fell ill with bronchitis; this, along with her already weakened health due to four living childbirths and at least two miscarriages during her marriage, caused her early death on March 12, 1673, at the age of 21.

She was buried in the Imperial Crypt, in Vienna. Only four months later, the widower Emperor – despite his grief for the death of his “only Margareta” (as he remembered her) – entered into a second marriage with Archduchess Claudia-Felicitas of Austria, member of the Tyrol branch of the House of Habsburg.

After Margaret-Theresa’s death, her rights over the Spanish throne were inherited by her only surviving daughter Maria-Antonia, who in turn passed them to her only surviving son Prince Joseph-Ferdinand of Bavaria when she died in 1692.

After Joseph-Ferdinand’s early death in 1699, the rights of inheritance were disputed by both Emperor Leopold I and King Louis XIV of France, son-in-law of King Felipe IV, and grandson of King Felipe III. The outcome of the War of the Spanish Succession was the creation of the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon in the person of King Felipe V, Margaret’s great-nephew.

Daughter

Archduchess Maria-Antonia of Austria

Archduchess Maria-Antonia of Austria (January 18, 1669 – December 24, 1692) the eldest daughter and only surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I and his wife Infanta Margaret-Theresa of Spain. She was the heir to the Spanish throne after her maternal uncle Carlos II of Spain from 1673 until her death. Archduchess Maria-Antonia of Austria was an Electress of Bavaria by marriage to Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria.

On July 11, 2020, I featured Maria-Antonia of Austria’s husband, Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, here on the blog.

https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/2020/07/11/july-11-1662-birth-of/

The Lineage of King Alfonso XII of Spain, Part I.

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Alfonso XII of Spain, Charles III of Spain, Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily, Francis I of the Two Sicilies, House of Bourbon, Kingdom of Spain, María Isabel of Spain, Maria Louisa of Parma, Philip V of Spain, Spain

I did a post many years ago about the lineage of Carlos II of Spain and how inbreeding resulted in his physical and mental state. Unable to father any children with his two wives, this resulted in the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty being replaced by a branch of the French Bourbon Dynasty, with Philippe, Duke of Anjou, a grandson of King Louis XIV of France (also a great grandson of Felipe IV of Spain) who became the first Spanish king of the House of Bourbon as King Felipe V. Felipe V’s accession provoked the 13-year War of the Spanish Succession, which continued until the Treaty of Utrecht forbade any future possibility of unifying the French and Spanish crowns while confirming his accession to the throne of Spain.

Alfonso XII of Spain

Felipe V was King of Spain from November 1, 1700 to his abdication in favour of his son Luis on January 14, 1724, and from his reaccession of the throne upon his son’s death, September 6, 1724 to his own death on July 9, 1746. The sum of his two reigns, 45 years and 21 days, is the longest in modern Spanish history.

Although the Spanish Bourbons didn’t intermarry at first, once this branch obtained the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily (later the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies) and the Duchy of Parma, along with Spain, they then began inbreeding at an alarming rate.

One of the members of the Spanish Bourbons who seems to be as inbred as Carlos II was King Alfonso XII of Spain. If you look at Alfonso XII’s official genealogy it’s very startling. Most of us commoners have eight unrelated great-grandparents. Alfonso XII only had four great-grandparents, and even then they were all from the House of Bourbon. Let’s dissect this.

I will begin with Alfonso XII’s first set of four paternal great-grandparents. His first paternal great-grandfather was Carlos IV of Spain, who’s father and mother were King Carlos III of Spain, Naples and Sicily and his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony.

Carlos IV of Spain

Maria Louisa of Parma

Carlos IV of Spain married his first cousin Maria Luisa of Parma in 1765. Maria Luisa of Parma was the youngest daughter of Felipe of Spain Duke of Parma (also a son of Carlos III of Spain) and his wife Louise Élisabeth of France. This makes Maria Luisa of Parma Alfonso XII’s paternal great-grandmother. Therefore, the father of Carlos IV of Spain and the father of his wife, Marie Louise of Parma, were brothers, Carlos III of Spain, and Felipe of Spain, Duke of Parma, respectively.

Carlos IV and Maria Louisa had three children that were ancestors of Alfonso XII. The only one we’re concerned with at this moment is Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, their youngest son.

Alfonso XII’s next paternal great-grandfather was Francesco I of the Two Sicilies and his his first cousin María Isabel of Spain the daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain. Francesco I was the son of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies who himself was the son of King Carlos III of Spain, Naples and Sicily. Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies was the younger brother of Carlos IV of Spain.

Carlos III was granted the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily after his father, Felipe V conquered the two kingdoms in 1734. His elder half-brother, Fernando VI of Spain, died in 1759 without an heir so Carlos succeeded as King of Spain. Naples and Sicily went to his second son, Infante Ferdinand, and Carlos III’s eldest son became Carlos IV of Spain. On March 8, 1816 Ferdinand merged the thrones of Sicily and Naples into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. This created the Bourbon-Two Siclies branch of the Spanish Bourbons.

Francesco I of the Two Sicilies and his first cousin María Isabel of Spain, the youngest daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma. had many children and the one that concerns us here at this moment is Infanta Louisa Carlotta, Princess of the Two Sicilies.

Francesco I of the Two Sicilies

María Isabel of Spain

On June 12, 1819 in Madrid, Luisa Carlotta married Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, the youngest son of King Carlos IV of Spain and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma. This meant Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain was his wife’s maternal uncle. He was ten years older than Luisa Carlotta.

Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain and his wife Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies were the paternal grandparents of King Alfonso XII of Spain. Their son, Infante Francisco de Asís Duke of Cádiz, was the father of King Alfonso XII.

This completes Alfonso XII’s paternal ancestry. Coming soon is his maternal ancestry.

Below is a simplified chart of his paternal ancestry.