Which dynasty rules in Spain? Head of State of Spain

Now, when not everything is calm in the Spanish kingdom, how does the 49-year-old monarch, who finds himself at the head of a country that is being torn apart, react to what is happening? Philip VI does not spoil his subjects with his public appearances. He made his last official address to the people on October 3.

In it, Philip VI accused the Catalan government of conducting voting outside the law and democracy, and that it seeks to “disrupt the unity of Spain.” The king also accused the Catalan authorities of violating the Spanish constitution and the law on regional autonomy.

We have already written about the troublemaker President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont. Today we bring to your attention 10 facts about one of the most secretive monarchs in Europe, King Philip VI of Spain.

1) Peaceful reign... disrupted by Catalonia

The last coup attempt in Spain took place in 1981, when it was successfully resisted by King Juan Carlos. His son Philip VI took the throne of Spain on June 19, 2014 and most likely hoped to rule quietly and peacefully. However, it didn’t work out. The Catalans' dreams of independence have disturbed the peace of those who are supposed to be the guarantor of the unity of the kingdom.

A week after his oath, the king went to Girona to make a friendly speech there and calm down the hot Catalans (separatist unrest in this region arose a long time ago). However, now, three years later, the king is forced to admit that “Catalan society is broken and divided into two opposing sides.” The king called on the legitimate government to establish constitutional order in the country.

And so, on the evening of October 27, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced the decision of the Spanish Senate and Cabinet to dissolve the government and parliament of Catalonia.

2) The King of Spain speaks Catalan

This is his trump card. The King of Spain, as head of the Spanish state and various autonomous communities, learned to speak Catalan at an early age. The decision to teach his son the language of the rebellious province belonged to his father Juan Carlos de Bourbon and his mother Sophia of Greece, daughter of the Hellenic king, Paul I.

And if during his visit to Girona in 2014, the monarch made an effort to deliver part of his speech in Catalan. Then in his last speech (October 3, 2017), he gave preference to the Spanish (Castilian) language. This performance received praise in the Spanish press. Edition El Confidencial wrote:

The king played for his crown and won it.

3) Catalans hate Philip VI

Of course, not all. However, the city of Girona declared the King of Spain persona non grata. Political scientist Fernando Vallespin, a professor at the University of Madrid, argues: “Philip VI’s speech undoubtedly convinced those who were already monarchists, but it is unlikely that he made the Spaniards “Filippists” in the same way that his father managed to make them “Juan-Carlists” after trying coup d'etat on February 23, 1981."

At the end of August, separatists marched through the streets of Barcelona shouting: “No Bourbon!” Unlike the Scottish separatists, who wanted to remain under the auspices of the British crown, within the Commonwealth, the Catalans truly yearn for a Republic.

4) The king also speaks French, English and Greek

In order to fulfill all the protocol duties of the monarch as best as possible during visits abroad, Philip VI learned to speak the languages ​​of Moliere and Shakespeare from an early age. He is said to regularly communicate in French and English with his daughters Leonora and Sofia. In addition, thanks to his grandmother, the Queen of Greece, Philip speaks some Greek.

5) He competed as an athlete at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona

This has already been forgotten, although it happened only a quarter of a century ago: in 1992, Philip VI took part in the Olympic Games in Barcelona as a member of the Spanish sailing team. The team took a modest sixth place in the standings.

Photos of his athletic past remain: Philip holding his country's flag during the opening ceremony.

5) The Spanish king loves Atlético Madrid

The Monarch sometimes visits stadiums to support his favorite team, Atlético Madrid. By the way, his father Juan Carlos always supported Atlético's rivals, Real Madrid. One can imagine the intensity of passions in the Bourbon family.

But this passion for Spanish football is sometimes frowned upon. Philip's appearance on September 16 at the opening of the stadium Wanda Metropolitano, Atlético's new stronghold, many did not like it. Allegedly, the king pointedly ignored the demonstrations that were already taking place in Catalonia.

6) In the event of his death, a woman will take the throne

Philip's marriage, which took place on May 22, 2004, attracted enormous media attention. Of course: the prince married a commoner, and a divorcee at that. Conservatives were angry.

And if this seems insignificant to us, then within the royal family this event became a real revolution. The woman who provoked her is called Leticia Ortiz. In her marriage to Philip, she had two daughters.

The eldest daughter Leonora is the closest heir to the throne of Spain. She might not have received this privilege, according to the Spanish Constitution of 1978, if a brother had been born into the family. But so far Leonora has only a younger sister named Sofia.

7) Director Pedro Almodovar loves Philip very much

They say that the great Pedro Almodóvar adores King Philip. On the monarch’s 45th birthday, the director personally sang “cumpleaños feliz” (a Spanish happy birthday song) to him.

8) He is a descendant of the “Sun King”

The most noble of the most noble, Philippe is a descendant of the French kings Louis IX and Louis XIV. French journalist Raphael de Gubernatis studied his genealogy in detail.

The list of ancestors of the Spanish monarch is a list of all the empires, kingdoms and principalities of Europe. His ancestors include: Emperor Charlemagne, Henry the Pious, Rudolf I, Philip Augustus, Blanca of Castile, Francis I, Joan of Albret, Henry IV and Louis Philippe I.

9) The king served in the army

To this fabulous pedigree must be added the fact that Philip VI spent almost 30 years preparing for his role as head of state. He studied law at the University of Madrid and received a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown University in the United States.

Then, as the future commander of his country's army, he served for one year in all branches of the military: land, navy and air force. He eventually became a lieutenant colonel in the Army and Air Force, as well as a captain in a Navy frigate. Philip often wears a beautiful captain's white uniform.

10) And is listed in the Guinness Book of Records

Philip's height is 1.97 m; thanks to this parameter, in 2012 the famous book of records awarded him the title of “tallest prince in the world” and included his name on its pages.

The first monarch to officially accept the title “King of Spain” was the Spanish King Philip II. This happened in 1556. But this does not mean that Spanish kings and queens did not exist before him. In the 14th century, Spanish kings ruled the separate kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Leon and Navarre. As a single state, Spain appeared on the world map only at the end of the 15th century, after the Spanish king Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile concluded a dynastic union and completely expelled the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. In 1492, the Spanish King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I received the keys to Granada from the hands of the last Arab emir in Spanish territory. All kings of Spain come from five dynasties. And the complete list of kings of Spain includes 22 names.

The service center for business and life in Spain “Spain in Russian” reminds you that we offer you more than 100 types of services in Spain. Contact us by phone numbers listed on the website.

The current head of state became at one time the youngest European monarch, leading the country after his father abdicated the throne. Spain is a constitutional monarchy, so Philip carries out mainly representative functions, reserving for himself the role of a kind of arbiter during crises in different branches of government.

From dirt to Kings

Philip was born in Madrid in 1968, becoming the third child in a family of well-born aristocrats. By that time, Sophia of Greece was already raising daughters - Infanta Elena and Infanta Christina. At that time, Spain's form of government remained unchanged after the establishment of a military dictatorship in 1938 and the rise to power of General Franco.

Therefore, Prince Philip did not yet have the status of heir to the throne and was a modest landless prince. However, everything changed after the death of General Franco. The country's ruling circles realized the need for change in society and the need for democratic reforms.

Political prisoners were released from prisons, and the activities of parties and independent social movements were allowed. The most important blow to tyranny was the dissolution of the “national movement,” that is, the sinister phalanx that exercised total control over the country.

The result of all the transformations was the restoration of the monarchy on a constitutional basis. So Infante Philip became the heir to the throne on November 22, 1975, and his father became the head of state of Spain.

Raising a Monarch

In 1986, the infante, having reached adulthood, took a solemn oath to the king and the Constitution in parliament, officially accepting the status of heir to the throne. Since then, his subjects began to closely monitor the life of the future king.

Juan Carlos Bourbon carefully approached the education of the monarch of a great European power. Suffering from some shortcomings in education and upbringing, he passionately desired that Philip would become the ideal head of state of Spain and highly raise the status of the monarchy in society.

After graduating from high school, the infant went to Canada, where he studied for one year at Lakefield School. In 1985, he returned to his homeland, where he was expected to continue his painstaking upbringing.

Since the king is, according to the Constitution, the armed forces of Spain, there was a need for the military education of Philip, for whom a long period of army drill began. From 1985 to 1988, he diligently studied at the Military Academy, the Navy School, and the Air Force Academy, along the way mastering the profession of an army helicopter pilot.

From 1988 to 1993, he studied law and economics at the University of Madrid, and completed his impressive education in 1995 with a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown.

Sports feats

The heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Spain continued the family tradition of sailing. Before this, the main achievements belonged to his father, Juan Carlos I, who competed at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and took fifteenth place. Infanta Philip's mother competed as a member of the Greek sailing team in 1960 at the Olympic Games in Rome. Sister Christina finished 20th at the 1988 Seoul Games.

Philip was luckier, as he competed on home soil, entering the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Infant competed in three-seater yacht races and took sixth place.

State activities in the status of a prince

In preparation for independent rule, Philip began working on Spanish foreign policy, making a huge number of visits to foreign countries with the aim of establishing economic and cultural relations as the official representative of the kingdom.

The heir specialized in the countries of the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, that is, with regions that have the closest ties with Spain for one reason or another.

In 2002, he came to Russia at the invitation of the country's President Vladimir Putin. Here he met with top officials of the state and took part in cultural events dedicated to the anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Apparently, he had good impressions of his trip to Russia, since a year later he made a second visit, spending four days in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Scandals of the Madrid court

The global economic crisis that began in 2008 did not spare Spain, which was among the EU countries most affected by it. Things were worse than in Spain only in Greece, where a kind of collapse generally occurred.

Against this background, the behavior of Juan Carlos I was not ideal. A lover of luxurious life and beautiful women, he was rapidly losing popularity among the people, who expected from the king a certain amount of solidarity with his subjects in difficult times.

His trip to Africa, where he went to hunt elephants, received scandalous publicity. The Spaniards were outraged that their monarch allowed himself to waste public money on his own entertainment in conditions of the strictest austerity and budget deficit.

However, the most important blow to the monarchy was dealt by Infanta Christina. The details of large-scale financial fraud committed by her husband were revealed to the public, and an investigation process was initiated.

The prestige of the throne was terribly low, and Juan Carlos decided to leave the throne in order for the popular infanta to restore former respect for the monarchy.

Coronation

In June 2014, the Prime Minister of Spain announced live on one of the state television channels to his stunned subjects that Juan Carlos was abdicating the throne in favor of his son Philip. In modern history, the country did not know such precedents, so it was even necessary to issue a special law for the procedure for transferring power from father to son.

On June 19, 2014, King Philip VI officially ascended to the throne. The next day, he acquired the status of Supreme Commander, after which he was sworn in and proclaimed king by the Spanish parliament. Thus, the former infante became the youngest monarch of Europe at 46 years old.

Spain's form of government is a constitutional monarchy. The king, as in other European countries, performs representative functions, reigning, but not ruling the country. These provisions were reflected in the speech of the newly-crowned monarch, who promised to be a faithful servant of the people and the state.

Royal Liberal

Brought up in liberal conditions, Philip began to carry out some reforms in conservative areas of life. Thus, he somewhat shocked the Catholic country by becoming the first monarch to host an LGBT delegation in his palace. He then abolished the requirement to swear an oath on a crucifix and a Bible, gaining sympathy among non-Christians.

Against the backdrop of the crazy antics of his father, who made expensive safaris to Africa, Philip looked very advantageous, leading a modest image of a modest intellectual and an exemplary family man. In 2015, he announced that he would cut his salary by 20 percent out of solidarity with his subjects forced to live under crisis-ridden austerity.

Domestic politics of Spain

The new king won the hearts of the people. According to polls, many Spaniards would not mind Philip's more active participation in governing the country. Moreover, formally the king has quite serious levers to influence the government.

In 2015, a serious reason for this arose; Philip had to take an active part in resolving the acute political crisis in Spain. After the parliamentary elections, the former ruling party was unable to obtain a sufficient majority to form a government.

Negotiations with other movements about a coalition stalled, and the country lived in an uncertain state for several months, with virtually no state power.

To resolve the crisis, King Philip exercised his exceptional right and dissolved parliament, calling early elections for 2016. This happened for the first time since the restoration of democracy in the country in 1975.

Principles of International Relations

During Franco's dictatorship, the country was isolated and only after 1975 it slowly began to return to international politics. Since 1982, cooperation with the United States began, which was expressed in economic assistance from the overseas power in exchange for the use of Spanish naval bases.

At the end of the eighties, a course was taken towards integration, the kingdom joined the European Union. The country was also invited to NATO, but the cautious Spaniards chose to limit themselves to political representation in this structure in a national referendum. However, after the collapse of the USSR, the end of NATO became clear and became the leading military bloc, and Spain without hesitation joined the Atlantic Alliance.

Remnants of imperial ambitions

The country does not claim the status of a great power, does not play its own geopolitical games and adheres to the general standard accepted in Western Europe. This is Atlantic solidarity, commitment to liberal values, and so on in the same spirit. The Spanish military took part in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

However, there is a point on which Spain categorically differs from its allies - the right of peoples to self-determination. The Iberian monarchy became one of the few European countries that did not recognize the independence of the state of Kosovo. This is due to the problems of the Spaniards with their autonomous regions, passionately wanting to set off on a free voyage - Catalonia, the Basque Country.

It was the Kosovo precedent, as well as the referendum of supporters, that gave new strength to the Catalan patriots. In October 2017, regional authorities organized a plebiscite, in which the majority of residents of the region spoke in favor of independence.

The results of the referendum are not recognized by official Madrid, and its very holding is considered illegal. The head of state of Spain, speaking on behalf of the authorities, also spoke on this issue, without retreating one step from the official position and calling on the Catalans to submit.

A strange dynasty - the Spanish Bourbons. December 24th, 2013

Hello dears!
Among all the royal, imperial, royal and other royal dynasties, sometimes you find those that can only be called strange. Something is wrong with them all the time, and you are very surprised how they can stay on the throne for any more or less long time. One of such dynasties (and still ruling today, which is important) are the Spanish Bourbons. The current monarch, whom I respect immensely, by the way, Juan Carlos I is almost the only one of the entire family (rather the second person) who is not only completely normal, but also a good ruler.

His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Her Majesty Queen Sophia of Greece

The founder of the Spanish Bourbons can be considered the grandson of Louis XIV, Duke Philip of Anjou, who took the Spanish throne according to the will of the childless Charles II of Habsburg, who was his great-uncle as a result of complex marriages and alliances. Philip V (and this is the name he took) became King at the turn of the century - in 1700. By the way, the monarch turned out to be quite strong and even had some chances of becoming simultaneously the ruler of the 2 strongest countries in Europe - France and Spain, but it didn’t work out. I think it's fortunate. However, he had mental problems. All his life he suffered from severe nervous disorders and “black melancholy”, that is, he was not a completely healthy (including mentally) person. During one of his violent attacks, he abdicated the throne in favor of his son Louis. This happened in 1724.

Philip V, founder of the dynasty.

But the 16-year-old king died of smallpox, formally being on the throne for only a little more than six months, and Philip again had to take the reins of power into his own hands for another 22 years, although he was very burdened by this power, and at the end of his life he completely fell into madness.
After the death of Philip V, the next king was his other son from his first marriage, Ferdinand VI, a gentle, prone to compromise, but quite intelligent ruler who was able to gather around himself talented assistants and managers (among whom was the famous castrato singer Farinelli), adhered to competent policies and carried out many useful reforms for the country. But there was one BUT. Ferdinand turned out to be henpecked, and 300% henpecked. It’s also fortunate that he got an energetic and intelligent wife, Barbara Braganza, daughter of King Joan V of Portugal. But the problem is that when she died of asthma in 1746, Ferdinand himself fell ill with a nervous disease (again this nervous disease) and abandoned everything affairs and died of grief for his wife. But he could (and should) still rule and rule, bringing the reforms to their logical conclusion.

Farinelli.

The latter’s half-brother (the son of Philip V’s second wife), Charles III, for the sake of the throne of Spain, renounced the throne of Naples and Sicily and was able to revive the country’s former economic power, tripling treasury revenues, but at the expense of the common people, who constantly rebelled, as well as the clergy, who was also unhappy. The King had particular conflicts with the Jesuit Order and overall won. Perhaps this is one of the best kings of Spain in its entire history. However, at the end of his life, what often happened to him? That's right, you guessed it - mental illness and black melancholy. He died in 1788
His son Charles IV was an absolutely worthless ruler and a weak-willed person, who was twisted as he wanted by his strange wife Maria Louise of Parma and her lover, the intriguer Manuel Godoy, we talked a little about them with you, dear ones, here:

Karl, or as the Spaniards themselves say, Carlos III

As a result, Charles simply squandered his throne in favor of Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother). He was also lucky that in 1813, Napoleon, under the influence of circumstances, recognized the son of Charles Ferdinand VI as the Spanish king, although Ferdinand himself had previously seemed to abdicate the throne along with his father. The reign of this limited and weak monarch led to a series of civil wars within Spain and the complete loss of South America (Simon Bolivar did his best there). Sometimes it seemed that the king’s thoughts were not on governing the country, but on the birth of a child. After going through 4 marriages, the last of his wives finally brought him a child - a girl, though. Then Ferdinand abolished the “Salic law” (transfer of the throne through men) restored by Philip V and put his daughter at the head of the country, thereby laying the foundations for new civil wars (the so-called Carlist wars, named after the king’s brother Don Carlos, who was a contender for the throne ).
His daughter Isabella III ascended the throne in 1833 and showed herself to be a narrow-minded and quarrelsome woman. Having accused her husband (and cousin) Francisco de Asis of homosexuality and impotence (she chose at least one thing...) all her life she spent only bickering and wars with her uncle Don Carlos, as well as numerous lovers from whom she gave birth to as many as 12 children (6 survived). He recognized all these children as his own and helped as best he could until the end of his life by her meek and kind husband, who, even if he was what his wife accused him of (which I have great doubts about), remained a kind, generous and noble man until the end of his life.

Noble Francisco de Asis.

As a result, Isabella was overthrown in 1878 as a result of the so-called October Revolution (Lenin had nothing to do with it :-))) and she abdicated the throne in exile in 1870 in honor of her son Alfonso XII, who was quite possibly illegitimate. This man was so imbued with reverence for the Prussian military spirit that he almost constantly wore the uniform of a Prussian Lancer colonel, for which he was nicknamed the “Ulan King.” Strange, isn't it? In fairness, it should be noted that the king sometimes showed personal courage - just like visiting hospitals with sympathy for his subjects during a cholera epidemic. Domestic policy should also be recognized as relatively successful, but in foreign policy his eyes were clouded by admiration for the Germans and the British. He died in 1885 from tuberculosis, just short of his 28th birthday.

King Alfonso XII in that same uniform

His son Alfonso XIII became the next king. This unfortunate ruler, who had to reign from the very cradle, was not very lucky, of course. There were no smart regents and advisers, and when he reached adulthood, the country was already swinging with might and main. T aka anarchists Four Spanish prime ministers were assassinated. The country lost almost all of its remaining overseas possessions (Cuba and the Philippines) and found itself on the outskirts of Europe. Moreover, Victoria’s wife Eugenia of Battenberg, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, brought hemophilia into the family, so out of 5 sons (in total they had 8 children) 3 died early due to hemophilia, Jaime, Count of Segovia was deaf since childhood and only the father of the current monarch Juan, Duke of Barcelona was a completely healthy man.

But his son is in a hussar uniform (though Spanish, not Prussian) :-)

There is another interesting fact. King Alphonse was distinguished by a monstrous ear for music, bordering on deafness: he absolutely could not distinguish one melody from another. In his retinue there was always a special person, a "hymnar", who informed the king that the National Anthem of Spain was beginning to be played, so that he could get up in advance. That's it
This man was overthrown in 1931, and he left the country. Nowadays only the Los Blancos remember this king. It was under Alfonso XIII that the football club from Madrid began to be called Royal, or otherwise “Real”. This happened in 1920.
Spain became a monarchy again (though without a monarch) in 1947, but the caudillo was in no hurry to invite the king back. And only in 1975, after the death of Francisco Franco, the king from the Bourbon dynasty, Juan Carlos I, began to rule the country wisely and righteously.
This is such a curious dynasty.
Have a nice day!

Juan Carlos I is the reigning king and head of state of Spain, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the country's armed forces.

Despite the fact that he was the grandson of King Alfonso XIII, nothing foreshadowed that he would rule the country as a monarch.

Have you ever thought about the topic: “What is the difference between countries with a dynastic style of government and countries led by an elected president?”

What is the role of the monarch in the modern world and in the Basque Country in particular? Let's try to answer these questions.

The Spanish Royal Family - the difficulties of reviving monarchical traditions

/encyclopedia/mentalitet-prazdnik-tradicii/kultura-i-tradicii-ispanii/">Spanish traditions. And 10 years later, Infante Alfonso dies in an accident due to careless handling of weapons, the development of which was part of the education of the heirs to the throne. Thus , Juan Carlos takes the title of Crown Prince of Spain.

The future king studied at the University of Madrid and the Academy of the Armed Forces, followed by military service. In 1975, after the death of Franco, the monarchical form of government was restored, and Juan Carlos I became king of Spain.

At first, it seemed to everyone that the reign would be short-lived, and the monarchy would again fall under the influence of revolutionary upheavals. But the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, showed remarkable abilities in carrying out democratic reforms, which were expressed in the legalization of all political parties, freedom of speech and expression of one’s civic position. In 1978, a new constitution was adopted, as a result of which the provinces received the opportunity for federal independent government and development.

Such actions displeased adherents of Franco's dictatorial policies, which led to an attempted coup in 1982. A big blow for Juan Carlos was the news that the rebels were led by his tutor and military adviser Alfonso Armada, whom the king trusted most.

But, showing strength of character and conviction, Juan Carlos called on the country's armed forces not to succumb to provocations and remain faithful to the Spanish constitution, and not to involve his people in a new bloody civil war, recalling that similar events in 1936 claimed the lives of half a million people. An armed coup was thus prevented.

Who is the king of Spain now?

/encyclopedia/mentalitet-prazdnik-tradicii/nacionalnye-simvoly/">Spanish symbol of national unity of large and small peoples of the country.

The King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, evokes sincere respect from his subjects for the absence of excessive ambition and arrogance, so characteristic of other “powers of this world.” Juan Carlos lives in a legal marriage with Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark and has two daughters - Elena, Cristina, and a son, Felipe, heir to the throne of Spain.