Íñigo Méndez de Vigo y Montojo, 9th Baron of Claret (born 21 January 1956) is a Spanish politician. He was Minister of Education, Culture and Sport between 26 June 2015 and 1 June 2018, when a vote of no-confidence against

Mariano Rajoy Mariano Rajoy Brey (, ; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a 2018 vote of no confidence in the government of Mariano Rajoy, vote of no confidence ousted his government. A m ...

ousted the government. He was also the Spokesperson of the Government from 4 November 2016 until his departure on 1 June 2018.

Childhood and education

Méndez de Vigo was born on 21 January 1956 in Tetuan, then part of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco, where his father (descendant of the Minister of War and his wife Ana Isabel Osorio y Zayas, Countess ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' ) was a lieutenant in the infantry. He is descended from the Marquesses of Cubas, the Dukes of Riánsares and

Queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also ...

of Spain

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (, ; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878) was the queen consort of Spain, Queen of Spain from 1829 to 1833 and Queen regent of the kingdom from 1833, when her daughter became queen at age two, to 1840. By virtue ...

(María Cristina de Borbón), and via his maternal grandmother, the novelist Carmen de Icaza, he succeeded, on 8 January 1981, to her

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

as 9th ''Baron de Claret''. Íñigo Méndez de Vigo y Montojo is a fourth cousin once removed of

Felipe VI Felipe VI (; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed For ...

through common descent from Queen Maria Cristina,

Consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

and later Regent of Spain. Méndez de Vigo has a brother, Pedro, an army officer, and two sisters, Beatriz and Valeria, one of whom is the secretary general of the National Intelligence Center, and the other for a non-governmental organisation. He completed his schooling at the German School in Madrid, as well as studying French language at the Académie française and learning English at the British Institute School. He graduated in law from the

Universidad Complutense de Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

in 1978. Following the completion of his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and after passing the public exams, he became legal advisor to the

Cortes Generales The (; ) are the Bicameralism, bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house) and the Senate of Spain, Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, ...

in 1981. He is married to María Pérez de Herrasti y Urquijo, since 8 January 2020 Marchioness of Albayda (with Grandeeship of Spain) and Marchioness of la Conquista.

Career

Political career

In 1982, at the age of 26, Méndez de Vigo was appointed

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of interparliamentary relations for the

. In 1984 he accepted the position of special advisor to then-secretary general of the Council of Europe, Marcelino Oreja. He joined the People's Party at its founding Conference in 1989, and stood unsuccessfully in that year as one of its candidates at the European election. In October 1992 he was elected a

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

, a position he held until December 2011. He also served as a member of the People's Party's National Steering Committee. Méndez de Vigo served as the

European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian democracy, Christian democratic, liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative, and conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other p ...

co-ordinator on the

Committee on Constitutional Affairs The Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) is a committee of the European Parliament dealing with institutional matters such as revisions to the Treaties of the European Union, inter-institutional agreements, and the Parliament's internal rules ...

from 1994 and on its Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (2009–2011), as well as: * Chairman of the EP Delegation to the Convention drafting the Charter of Fundamental Rights (1999–2000); * Chairman of the EP Delegation to the European Convention (2003–04); * EP representative to the IGC (2004); * Parliament's rapporteur (with

Richard Corbett Richard Graham Corbett CBE (born 6 January 1955) is a former British politician who served as the final Leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party (EPLP), from 2017 to 2020. He was for decades one of the leading political and academ ...

MEP) on the Treaty establishing a European Constitution (2004); * Parliament's rapporteur (with

MEP) on the

Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states o ...

. Between 2006 and 2007, Méndez de Vigo served as member of the

Amato Group The Amato Group, officially the Action Committee for European Democracy (ACED) was a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working, over 2006–2007, on rewriting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe into what became ...

, a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working on rewriting the

Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an Ratification, unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for ...

into what became known as the

following its rejection by French and Dutch voters. In 2009 he was appointed

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

College of Europe The College of Europe (; ; ) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with three campuses in Bruges, Belgium; Warsaw, Poland; and Tirana, Albania. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 as a result of the 1948 Congress of ...

. In December 2011 he joined

's first government as

Secretary of State for the European Union The Secretary of State for the European Union (SEUE) is a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Spain), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Government of Spain. The SEUE is appointed by the Monarchy of ...

. In June 2015 he was appointed Minister of Education, Culture and Sport in replacement of José Ignacio Wert. In November 2016, in the Second Rajoy Government, he was also appointed Spokesperson of the Government. In March 2019 he left active politics.

Academic career

* Lecturer in constitutional law (UCM, 1981–1984) ** Lecturer in community law (1989–1991) * Jean Monnet Chair in European Institutions (UCM, 1999–2004) ** Honorary Jean Monnet Chair (2004)

Other activities

* Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies, member of the board of trustees *

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decis ...

(ECFR), member *

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (, ; named after its founder, Baron Heinrich Thyssen, Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza), or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Museo del Prado, Prado Museum on one of the city ...

, chairman of the board of trustees * Museo Picasso Málaga, honorary member of the board of trustees *

Universal Forum of Cultures The Universal Forum of Cultures (, was an international cultural event intended to take place every three years. History The first Forum was held in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain), from May 9 to September 26, 2004. It was organized by Barcelona's ...

, honorary member of the board of trusteesBoard of Trustees

Publications

Méndez de Vigo has written numerous books and articles on

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

: * ''Una Reforma Fiscal para España'', with José Manuel García-Margallo (Ed. Lid, 1996) * ''Financiación de las Comunidades Autónomas y Corresponsabilidad Fiscal'', with José Manuel García-Margallo and Vicente Martínez-Pujalte (Fundación Bancaixa, 1996) * ''La Apuesta Europea: de la moneda a la Unión Política'', with José Manuel García-Margallo (Ed. Política Exterior, 1998) * ''Europa paso a paso'' (2002) * ''El rompecabezas. Así redactamos la Constitución europea'' (Ed. Biblioteca Nueva and Real Instituto Elcano, 2005) * ''¿Por qué una Constitución para Europa? 25 respuestas'', with Marcelino Oreja and Juan Antonio Carrillo Salcedo (Ed. Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas, 2005) * ''Alegato por Europa'' (Ed. Biblioteca nueva, 2006) * Coordinator: ''¿Qué fue de la Constitución europea?'' (Ed. Planeta, 2007) * Editor: ''Liber Amicorum Marcelino Oreja Aguirre'' (Ed. Cinterco, 2010) Méndez de Vigo also writes for '' ABC'', and is an online contributor for ''El Economista''.

Titles, honours and awards

Titles

* 9th Baron of Claret (1981–present) *Consort of the Marchioness of Albayda (2020–present) *Consort of the Marchioness of la Conquista (2020–present) *Consort of the Countess of Antillón (2021–present) *Consort of the Countess of Padul (2021–present)

Honours

* 2001: Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

* 2008:

Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity * 2010: GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 4 GrVK

Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* 2011:

Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

of the

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

* 2011: Medal of the Spanish Order of Constitutional Merit * 2018: Band to Order of Charles III

Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

Awards

* 1999:

Salvador de Madariaga Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo (23 July 1886 – 14 December 1978) was a Spanish "eminent liberal", diplomat, writer, historian and pacifist who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Nobel Peace Prize and awarded the Charl ...

European Journalism Prize * 2001: Silver Medal of the Royal Institute of European Studies * 2002: Medal of Honour of the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores * 2002: Gold Medal of the Foundation of European Merit * 2003: Prize to the MEP of the year by the Association of Parliamentary Journalists * 2007: Gold Medal of the Committees of Action for European Union * 2009: Prix Capalbio – European Special Award

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendez de Vigo, Inigo 1956 births Living people People from Tétouan 20th-century Spanish nobility Government ministers of Spain People's Party (Spain) MEPs MEPs for Spain 1989–1994 MEPs for Spain 1994–1999 MEPs for Spain 1999–2004 MEPs for Spain 2004–2009 MEPs for Spain 2009–2014 Order of Civil Merit members Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Knights of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of Constitutional Merit Culture ministers of Spain Members of the 12th Congress of Deputies (Spain) Secretaries of State for the European Union