Duke of la Alcudia (Spanish: ''Duque de la Alcudia'') is a title of
Spanish nobility
Spanish nobles are persons who possess the legal status of hereditary nobility according to the laws and traditions of the Spanish monarchy and historically also those who held personal nobility as bestowed by one of the three highest orders of ...
Manuel Godoy
Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, Prince of the Peace, 1st Duke of Alcudia, 1st Duke of Sueca, 1st Baron of Mascalbó (12 May 17674 October 1851) was First Secretary of State of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808. He received many t ...
, who was the
Prime Minister of Spain
The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government ( es, link=no, Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of Spain, Constitution of 1978 a ...
from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808. Its name refers to the '' Valle de Alcudia'' in the Province of Ciudad Real in Spain.
It is used as a waiting title by the first-born of the house of Sueca and
Chinchón
Chinchón () is a town and municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Located 50 km south-east of the city of Madrid, the municipality covers an area of 115.91 km2. , it has a population of 5,239. Its historic centre, with a nota ...
.
Manuel Godoy
King Charles IV also granted to Manuel Godoy the Duchy of Sueca, the Barony of Mascalbó and the title of Prince of the Peace. The granting of the latter was an exception in Spanish noble history; since the Middle Ages, no one had held the princely dignity in Spain except the heir of the crown, who did so through three titles:
Prince of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias ( es, link=no, Príncipe/Princesa de Asturias; ast, Príncipe d'Asturies) is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the throne of Spain. According to the Spanish Constitution ...
, Gerona and of Viana.
He was granted the Portuguese county of Évoramonte, which was due to his marriage to the
Countess of Chinchón
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
. However, he was exiled in 1808 when Spain came under Bonaparte rule, and he was not authorized to return to Spain until 1844.
Godoy was also, by papal concession, Prince of Bassano, a title he obtained after acquiring the Italian fief of Bassano di Sutri, located between Rome and Viterbo, during his long exile in Rome.
It seems that he was also "Marqués de Álvarez", as it is named in different documents, although it is a title that was never used by his successors, nor has anyone attempted to rehabilitate it, nor is it stated in the Cast of Greatness and Titles Nobiliarios Españoles or in the Directory of the ''Diputación de la Grandeza''. He was also "Lord of Soto of Rome" and "Viscount of High Andalusia".
Manuel Godoy
Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, Prince of the Peace, 1st Duke of Alcudia, 1st Duke of Sueca, 1st Baron of Mascalbó (12 May 17674 October 1851) was First Secretary of State of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808. He received many t ...
, I Duke of la Alcudia, and later, I
Duke of Sueca
Duke of Sueca is a title of Spanish nobility, Grandee of Spain 1st class. It was created by King Charles IV of Spain in 1804 for Manuel Godoy, who was the Prime Minister of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808. Its name refers to '' Su ...
Countess of Chinchón
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
List of current Grandees of Spain
Grandees of Spain ( es, Grandes de España) are the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility. They comprise nobles who hold the most important historical landed titles in Spain or its former colonies. Many such hereditary titles are held ...
References
* Elenco de Grandezas y Títulos Españoles. Instituto "Salazar y Castro" C.S.I.C.
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AlcudiaGrandees of SpainAlcudia