PRINCE OF ASTURIAS

(Redirected from Prince of the Asturias)


The title 'Prince of Asturias' is given to the heir apparent to the Spanish throne, and the earlier kingdom of Castille. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia. If the heir apparent exists, the title is not given to the heir presumptive, whereas (contrary to practice in other than Iberian countries) in the event of the lack of an heir apparent, the title can be (but is not necessarily) given to the heir presumptive. For example of heirs presumptive who had received the title: The grandson and heir presumptive of Queen Isabel I, Miguel de la Paz, Infante of Portugal, only son of the queen's deceased eldest daughter, was styled Prince of Asturias sometime during his two-year long life.
Infanta Maria de las Mercedes of Spain, eldest daughter of Alfonso XII, was styled Princess of Asturias during her childhood, particularly when her posthumous brother Alfonso XIII was not yet born.
Other associated titles originate from the rest of the kingdoms that formed Spain: Prince of Viana, Prince of Girona, Duke of Montblanc, Count of Cervera and Lord of Balaguer.
Military dictator Francisco Franco appointed Juan Carlos de Borbón as his "successor with the title of King" but gave him the new title of Prince of Spain instead of Prince of Asturias.
The current Prince of Asturias has instituted the Prince of Asturias Awards.

Contents

History and list of the Princes of Asturias

See also

External link

History and list of the Princes of Asturias

After the death of Pedro of Castile, the kingdom was drawn yet deeper in a civil war, disputes and long rivalled between English claimant, John, Duke of Lancaster, and two successive Trastamare claimants, Kings Henry II of Castile and his son John I of Castile. After two decades of conflicts of varying intensity, the parties arrived at compromise through means of marriage: the future Henry III of Castile (1379-1406) was married to Katherine of Lancaster in 1388. A part of the pact ("Accord of Bayonne") was to elevate the young couple to a title, Prince and Princess of Asturias, which was modelled after that of Prince of Wales in English kingdom. The title was to belong to the official successor of the Castilian throne. Thus the first holders of the princedom was the young don Enrique de Castilla y de Aragon and his wife dona Catalina de Lancastre y de Castilla.
In the first years the title was not only honorary, as it included the ownership of the territory of Asturias; the Prince ruled the Principality in representation of the King and was able to appoint judges, mayors... This was changed by the Catholic Monarchs, who limited the scope of the title making it merely honorary; this decision was upheld by the ''Austrias'' (as the Habsburg are commonly known in Spain) and the House of Bourbon, till the present day.
The holders of the title have been:

Prince of Asturias	Parent	From	To
Prince Henry	John I	1388	1390 (acceded as Henry III)
Prince John	Henry III	1405	1406 (acceded as John II)
Prince Henry	John II	1425	1454 (acceded as Henry IV)
Juana la Beltraneja	Henry IV	1462	1464 (deposed)
Infante Alfonso	John II	1464	1468 (death)
Infanta Isabel	John II	1468	1474 (acceded as queen Isabella)
Prince Juan	Isabella	1480	1497 (death)
Isabella, queen of Portugal	Isabella	1497	1498 (death)
Infante Miguel de La Paz	Isabella, queen of Portugal	1498	1500 (death)
Princess Juana	Isabella	1502	1504 (acceded as Queen Juana)
Prince Charles	Juana	1504	1516 (acceded as Charles I)
Prince Philip	Charles I	1527	1556 (acceded as Philip II)
Prince Carlos	Philip II	1556	1568 (death)
Infante Fernando	Philip II	1571	1578 (death)
Infante Diego	Philip II	1578	1582 (death)
Prince Philip	Philip II	1578	1598 (acceded as Philip III)
Prince Philip	Philip III	1605	1621 (acceded as Philip IV)
Prince Baltasar Carlos	Philip IV	1629	1646 (death)
Prince Felipe Prospero	Philip IV	1657	1661 (death)
Prince Charles	Philip IV	1661	1665 (acceded as Charles II)
Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria	nephew of Charles II	1698	1699 (death)
Duc Philip of Anjou	grand-nephew of Charles II	1699	1700 (acceded as Philip V)
HRH Prince Louis	Philip V	1707	1724 (acceded as King Louis)
HRH Prince Ferdinand	Philip V	1724	1746 (acceded as Ferdinand VI)
HRH Prince Charles	Philip V	1746	1759 (acceded as Charles III)
HRH Prince Charles	Charles III	1759	1788 (acceded as Charles IV)
HRH Prince Ferdinand	Charles IV	1788	1808 (acceded as Ferdinand VII)
Infante Carlos María Isidro	Charles IV	1808	1830 (separated by the birth of the next)
HRH Princess Isabella	Ferdinand VII	1830	1833 (acceded as Isabella II)
HRH Princess Isabel	Isabella II	1851	1857, first time (separated by the birth of the next)
HRH Prince Alfonso	Isabella II	1857	1868 (acceded as Alfonso XII in 1875)
HRH Princess Isabel	Isabella II	1875	1880, second time (separated by the birth of the next)
HRH Princess Maria de las Mercedes	Alfonso XII	1880	1904 (death)
HRH Prince Alfonso of Naples and Sicily	Mercedes, Princess of Asturias	1904	1907 (separated by the birth of the next)
HRH Prince Alfonso	Alfonso XIII	1907	1931/1938 (alleged own renouncement/death)
HRH Prince Felipe	Juan Carlos I	1977	''current title-holder''

See also

★ Asturias

★ Spanish monarchy

★ Prince of Asturias Awards

★ Spanish aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias

★ Spanish monarchy full Titulary

External link

★ The title of Prince of Asturias (in Spanish)