kings to Felipe VI The monarchy in Spain has its roots in the
Visigothic Kingdom and its Christian
successor states of
Navarre,
Asturias (later
Leon and
Castile) and
Aragon, which fought the
Reconquista or Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula following the
Umayyad conquest of Hispania in the 8th century. One of the earliest influential dynasties was the
House of Jiménez which united much of Christian Iberia under its leadership in the 11th century. From
Sancho III of Navarre (r. 1000–1035) until
Urraca of León and Castile (r. 1106–1125), members of the Jiménez family claimed the historic Visigothic title
Imperator totius Hispaniae or
Emperor of All Spain. The Jiménez rulers sought to bring their kingdoms into the European mainstream and often engaged in cross-
Pyrenees alliances and marriages, and became patrons to
Cluniac Reforms (c. 950–c. 1130). Urraca's son and heir
Alfonso VII of León and Castile, the first of the Spanish branch of the
Burgundy Family, was the last to claim the imperial title
of Spain, but divided his empire among his sons. The
Castilian Civil War (1366 to 1369) ended with the death of
King Peter (r. 1334–1369) at the hands of his illegitimate half-brother
Henry, 1st Count of Trastámara who ruled as Henry II (r. 1369–1379). Henry II became the first of the
House of Trastámara to rule over a Spanish kingdom. King Peter's heiress, his granddaughter
Catherine of Lancaster, married
Henry III, reuniting the dynasties in the person of their son,
King John II.
Marital union of the Catholic Monarchs In the 15th century, the marriage between
Isabella I of Castile and
Ferdinand II of Aragon, both members of the
House of Trastámara, known as the
Catholic Monarchs, united two important kingdoms of the
Iberian Peninsula. Each kingdom retained its basic structure. The last
pretender of the crown of the
Byzantine Empire,
Andreas Palaiologos, who styled himself as "Emperor of Constantinople", bestowed his imperial title to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in his last testament, dated 7 April 1502, although the Spanish monarchs have never used the title. In 1492 the Catholic Monarchs conquered the
Kingdom of Granada in southern Spain, the last Muslim territory in the Iberian peninsula. The unification of Spain is marked from this date, though the Spanish kingdoms continued past that date. The territories of the
Spanish Empire overseas were dependencies of the Crown of Castile, and Castile had an outsized influence there. Following the Spanish explorations and settlement in the Caribbean, the
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and the
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the crown established high courts ("Audiencias") and
viceroyalties in important regions (
Mexico, 1535;
Panama, 1538, which was later replaced by
Lima, 1542). The viceroy (vice-king) and the Audiencias were the effective administrators of royal policy.
Habsburg Monarchy In 1505, the Spanish monarchy passed to the
House of Habsburg in the person of King
Charles I (also
Holy Roman Emperor as Charles V), son of Queen
Joanna and King
Philip I of Castile (usually
Philip the Handsome in English). With the death of
Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1516 the Aragonese lands were added to Charles and Joanna's territories. With his mother and co-monarch Joanna confined in
Tordesillas, claimed to be mad, Charles I was the sole ruler, but the legal situation remained slightly ambiguous until her death in 1555 left Charles the undoubted sole monarch, though as Holy Roman Emperor it was not his principal title. Only in the reign of his son
Philip II of Spain from 1556 did "King of Spain" become the usual way to refer to the monarch, in Spain and the rest of Europe. Philip's reign marked the peak of the
Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659), a period of great
colonial expansion and trade. The Hispanic Crown retained control over and profited from all operations in overseas colonies (by and large royal assets under a monopoly on trade), including
slave trade, developed under the purview of the late-medieval system. The death in 1700 of
Charles II, last of the Spanish Habsburgs, triggered the
War of the Spanish succession.
Bourbon Monarchy With the death of the childless Charles II, the succession to the throne was disputed. Charles II had designated his sister
Maria Theresa's grandson,
Philip of France,
Duke of Anjou, as his heir. The possible unification of Spain with France, the two big European powers at the time, sparked the
Spanish War of Succession in the 18th century, culminating in the treaties of
Utrecht (1713) and
Rastatt (1714), which preserved the European
balance of power.
Philip V was the first member of the
House of Bourbon (Spanish:
Borbón) to rule Spain. That dynasty still rules today under Felipe (Philip) VI. In the mid-eighteenth century, particularly under
Charles III of Spain, the Spanish Crown embarked on an ambitious and far-reaching project to implement major reforms in the administration of Spain and the
Spanish Empire. These changes, collectively known as the
Bourbon Reforms, attempted to rationalize administration and produce more revenue from the overseas empire. During the
Napoleonic Wars, the French Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte forced
Ferdinand VII to
abdicate in 1808, and the Bourbons became a focus of popular resistance against French rule. However, Ferdinand's rejection of the liberal
Spanish Constitution of 1812, as well as his ministerial appointments, particularly the exclusion of liberals, gradually eroded popular support for the Spanish monarchy. With the
Pragmatic Sanction of 1830, Ferdinand set aside the
Salic law, introduced by Philip V, that prohibited women from becoming sovereigns of Spain. Thereby, as had been customary before the arrival of the Bourbons, Ferdinand VII's eldest daughter
Isabella became his
heiress presumptive. Opponents of the Pragmatic Sanction argued that it was never officially promulgated, claiming Ferdinand VII's younger brother,
Prince Carlos, the rightful heir to the crown according to the Salic Law.
First Spanish Republic In September 1873, the
First Spanish Republic was founded. A
coup d'état restored the Bourbon dynasty to the throne in 1874.
Second Spanish Republic and dictatorship of Francisco Franco In
1931 Spanish local elections produced victories (particularly in urban areas) for candidates favoring an end to the monarchy and the establishment of a republic. Faced with unrest in the cities,
Alfonso XIII went into exile, but did not abdicate. The ensuing provisional government evolved into the relatively short-lived
Second Spanish Republic. The
Spanish Civil War began in 1936 and ended on 1 April 1939 with the victory of General
Francisco Franco and his coalition of allied organizations commonly referred to as the Nationalists. Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany aided Franco in the Spanish Civil War. The Soviet Union backed the Republican Government as did Mexico under the government of
Lázaro Cárdenas. After sixteen years without monarchy or kingdom, in 1947, Spain was made a kingdom again by General Franco, who claimed to rule as "Head of state of the Kingdom of Spain" through the
Law of Succession. However, without a king on the throne, he ruled through a coalition of allied organizations from the Spanish Civil War including, but not limited to, the
Falange political party, the supporters of the Bourbon royal family, and the
Carlists, until his death in 1975.
Re-establishment of the Monarchy Despite Franco's alliance with the Carlists, Franco appointed
Juan Carlos de Borbón as his successor, who is credited with presiding over
Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy by fully endorsing political reforms. Impatient with the pace of democratic reforms, the new king, known for his formidable personality, dismissed
Carlos Arias Navarro and appointed the reformer
Adolfo Suárez as President of the Government in 1977. The next year the king signed into law the new liberal democratic
Constitution of Spain, which was approved by 88% of voters. Juan Carlos' "quick wit and steady nerve" cut short the
attempted military coup in 1981 when the king used a specially designed command communications center in the Zarzuela Palace to denounce the coup and command the military's eleven captains general to stand down. ==Crown, constitution, and royal prerogatives== The Crown of Spain (
la Corona de España), with its roots in the Visigothic kingdom from the 5th century and subsequent successor states, is recognized in Title II
The Crown, Articles 56 through 65 of the
Spanish Constitution of 1978. Title VI
Judicial Power, Article 117, Articles 122 through 124, outlines the king's role in the country's
independent judiciary. However, by
constitutional convention established by Juan Carlos I, the king exercises his prerogatives having solicited government advice while maintaining a politically
non-partisan and independent monarchy. Receiving government advice does not necessarily bind the monarch into executing the advice, except where prescribed by the constitution. His acts shall always be countersigned in the manner established in section 64. Without such countersignature they shall not be valid, except as provided under section 65(2). {{Blockquote| It is incumbent upon the King: of the
14th Cortes Generales Constitutionally, the monarch may nominate anyone he sees fit as is his prerogative. However, it remains pragmatic for him to nominate the person most likely to enjoy the confidence of the Cortes and
form a government, usually the political leader whose party commands the most seats in the Cortes. However, if no overall majority was obtained on the first vote of confidence, then the same nominee and program is resubmitted for a second vote within forty-eight hours. According to Title VI of the constitution, Justice in Spain "emanates from the people and is administered on behalf of the King by judges and magistrates members of the Judicial Power". The monarch is assisted in his diplomatic missions by the
Foreign Ministry, and high-ranking members of the Foreign Ministry are made available to the king when he is abroad representing Spain. The royal household coordinates with the Foreign Ministry to ensure successful diplomatic engagements. Additionally, other members of the royal family, most notably the Prince of Asturias, may represent the Spanish State internationally. Though the Spanish monarchy is independent of the government, it is important that royal speeches are compatible with government foreign policy to project a unified diplomatic effort. To achieve balance, royal household
speechwriters confer with the Foreign Ministry to ensure that the official speeches strike the desired diplomatic tone between the king's views and government policy. When necessary and appropriate, the king and his government may focus on two different aspects in a diplomatic engagement. The king may emphasize one aspect, such as the promotion of democracy and historic relations; while the government focuses on the details of strategic planning and bilateral coordination. The king and members of the royal family have represented Spain in Europe, Latin America, in the United States and in Canada, nations in the Middle East and North Africa, in China, Japan, the
Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and many countries in
sub-Sahara Africa. The king and Prince of Asturias have addressed many international organizations which include the
United Nations, the institutions of the
European Union, the
Council of Europe, the
Organization of American States,
UNESCO, the
International Labour Organization, and the
Arab League. Since 2000, Felipe has represented Spain in half of all diplomatic engagements.
King as Commander-in-Chief The role of the Crown in the
Spanish Armed Forces is rooted in tradition and patriotism as demonstrated in the symbols and the history of the military. The role of the Spanish monarch in the chain of command of the forces is established by the constitution of 1978, and other statutory law – Acts of Parliament, Royal Decrees etc. requires the National Defence Council to report to the monarch, and that the king is to be the Chairman of the Council when he attends its sessions. The National Defence Council is Spain's highest advisory body on defense matters, while the
National Security Council is focused on national security and international affairs. King Juan Carlos chaired the first full meeting of the council on 10 November 2007, at which the newly proposed National Defence Directive was reviewed along with the ongoing war missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia and Lebanon. , 2015 As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the king holds the highest-ranking office in the military chain of command. The king's ranks include
Captain General of the Army,
the Navy and
the Air and Space Force. The king is the only officer in the military to hold this
five-star rank (OF-10). The king takes a keen interest in all aspects of military policy as evidenced by "his direct participation in the life of the Spanish Armed Forces". The king's participation in Spanish military life stems from his constitutional duty to "arbitrate and moderate" the regular working of state institutions. Serving in the armed forces is considered an expectation of the heir apparent; Juan Carlos I and Felipe VI served in the various branches of the armed forces before they became kings.
Leonor, Princess of Asturias is currently undergoing military training. The monarch has made his desire for a strong rapport with the armed forces clear in speeches to his officer corps: ==Contemporary monarchy==