Henry of Spain, Duke of Seville

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Don Enrique, the 1st Duke

Henry of Spain, Duke of Seville ( Spanish Infante Enrique María Fernando Carlos Francisco Luis de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Duque de Sevilla ; born April 17, 1823 in Seville , † March 12, 1870 in Madrid ) was a member of the House of Borbón , Spanish Infante and Duke of Seville and grandson of King Charles IV of Spain. During the reign of his cousin and sister-in-law Isabella II of Spain he was known for his progressive, almost revolutionary ideas.

Life

Infante Enrique (in German Heinrich) was born in Seville as the fourth child and second son of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain and his wife, Luise Charlotte of Naples-Sicily .

Enrique was baptized in the name of Enrique María Fernando Carlos Francisco Luís ; His godparents were his maternal aunt, Maria Carolina, Princess of Bourbon-Sicily, Duchess of Berry , and her son, Heinrich von Artois, Count of Chambord, Duke of Bordeaux . Born in the Andalusian city of Seville, his uncle, King Ferdinand VII of Spain , awarded him the title of Duke of Seville in 1820 .

At the death of King Ferdinand VII of Spain in 1833, the Spanish court was divided into the supporters of Queen Isabella II and her mutual uncle Don Carlos . Enrique's aunt, Maria Christina , the queen mother and widow of King Ferdinand VII, took over the government from 1833 to 1840 and married Agustín Fernando Muñoz, Duke of Riánsares , on December 28, 1833 . This marriage, only two months after the king's death in September of the same year, founded the rift between her and her sister, Luise Charlotte of Naples-Sicily . Thereupon Luise Charlotte was banished with her family to Paris to her aunt, the French queen.

Enrique and his brothers were raised in the French capital, where he met his cousin Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, at the Lycée . A deep rivalry developed between the two that would later end tragically. Enrique spent another part of his youth in Belgium with his cousin Louise , Queen of the Belgians. In Belgium in 1840 he learned that the Queen Mother Maria Christina had left Spain, although her daughter Isabella II remained Queen of Spain under the reign of General Baldomero Espartero. This enabled him to return to Spain and begin his military career in Ferrol in Galicia . In 1843, also because of his exemplary behavior, he was promoted to lieutenant and was given command of the ship 'Manzanares'. In 1845 he became a frigate captain .

Some court circles considered marrying the young queen to Enrique, but in 1846 the queen married Enrique's older brother Franz, the Duke of Cadiz , who then became titular king of Spain. At the same time the Queen's younger sister, Infanta Luisa , was married to Enrique's cousin Antoine, Duke of Montpensier .

In this way, Enrique was also publicly accused of having been involved in a revolt against the monarchy in Galicia . Before his brother's marriage to the Queen, he had to leave Spain again in 1846 and sought refuge in Belgium . At the time, Enrique was thought of as a possible candidate for the Mexican throne.

family

Enrique was allowed to return to Spain shortly after his renewed exile , where he met Elena María de Castellvi y Shelly (1821–1863), daughter of Antonio de Padua de Castellvi y Fernández de Córdoba, Count of Castellá and his wife Margarita Shelly. The queen refused to agree to this mesalliance , so the couple fled to Rome on May 6, 1847 . When they returned to Spain they were exiled to Bayonne and then lived in Toulouse .

The couple had four sons and one daughter:

  • Enrique de Borbón y Castellví, 2nd Duke of Seville (October 3, 1848 - July 1, 1894), who married Joséphine Parade in 1870
  • Luis de Borbón y Castellví (November 7, 1851 - February 25, 1854)
  • Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Castellví (March 29, 1853 - March 28, 1942) who married Maria Luisa de La Torre y Bassave in 1877. In 1890 Don Francisco married Felisa de León y Navarro de Balboa.
  • Alberto de Borbón y Castellví (February 22, 1854 - January 21, 1939), 1st Duke of Santa Elena, who married Marguerite d'Ast de Novelé in 1878
  • María del Olvido de Borbón y Castellví (November 28, 1863 - April 14, 1907) who married Cárlos Fernández-Maquieira y Oyanguren in 1888.

Exile in France and return to Spain

During his exile in France, Enrique called himself a revolutionary several times and was asked to join the International Workers' Association. In addition, he became a Freemason in public and reached the 33rd rank of the Scottish Rite .

On May 13, 1848, he lost his royal rank and titles (his children had no title due to the morganatic marriage ). In 1849 he asked the Queen for forgiveness and permission to return to Spain. The family then settled in Valladolid in 1851, but were forced to go back to France shortly afterwards . In 1854 he returned to Valencia , where his fourth son, Alberto, was born and shortly afterwards his second son, Luis, died. As a result, Enrique got his ducal title back, but had to permanently renounce the title of Infante of Spain.

Shortly after the Duke of Seville expressed radical left-wing ideas again in 1860, he was again sent into exile in France. There he reached the rank of Captain General of the Army and was promoted to Lieutenant General three years later . In 1863 his wife died while giving birth to the fifth child and was buried in the Descalzas Reales convent instead of the royal tomb reserved for the queens and infanta of Spain in the Escorial .

death

Between 1869 and 1870 Enrique published a number of pamphlets and articles against his cousin Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, and challenged him to a duel. The duel took place on March 12, 1870 near La Fortuna in Leganés , Madrid , with a fatal outcome for Enrique . Since he had lost the title of Infante, he was not buried in the Escorial , but in the San Isidro cemetery in Madrid. The Duke of Montpensier offered Enrique's eldest son, as reparation, blood money of 30,000 pesetas , which the latter refused.

Enrique's children were then adopted by his brother Franz.

title

medal

literature

  • Ricardo Mateos Sáinz de Medrano: The Unknown Infant of Spain (The Unknown Infant of Spain). Thassalia, 1996.
  • Ricardo Mateos Sáinz de Medrano: Nobleza Obliga (nobility obliged). La Esfera de Los Libros, 2006. ISBN 84-9734-467-7 .

Web links

Commons : Enrique de Borbón  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ La Ilustración Española y Americana March 25, 1870, p. 94.
personal data
SURNAME Henry of Spain, Duke of Seville
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Enrique María Fernando Carlos Francisco Luis de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish Infant and Duke of Seville
DATE OF BIRTH April 17, 1823
PLACE OF BIRTH Seville
DATE OF DEATH March 12, 1870
Place of death Madrid