The Franjul family is a prominent and respected family in the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
with strong political and economic influence in the southwest provinces of the country. The family considers the city of Baní ( Province of Peravia) as the center of its Dominican heritage. In 2020, they welcomed King Juan Carlos I, monarch emeritus of Spain, who stayed in a magnificent complex of the Franjul family.
Origins
The origins of the family can be traced to the region of
Asturias, Spain
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensive ...
. Members of the family emigrated to the Dominican Republic in the 19th century, and settled in the small town of Bani, in the Dominican province of Peravia, west of the Dominican capital of
Santo Domingo
, total_type = Total
, population_density_km2 = auto
, timezone = AST (UTC −4)
, area_code_type = Area codes
, area_code = 809, 829, 849
, postal_code_type = Postal codes
, postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional)
, webs ...
. Dominican historians consistently argue about the Family's origins. Some have recently argued that the phonetics of the surname is one of Arab descent, which implies the family is one of Moorish descent. The
Moors
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinct or ...
were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...
(the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
including the present day Spain and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
) and the
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
, whose culture is often also called "Moorish".
The first Dominican-born member of the family was Francisco Fanjul, whose father became a naturalized Dominican citizen after the Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti in 1844. It was then when, because of a misunderstanding in pronunciation, the family name was mistakenly changed from "Fanjul" to "Franjul" in official census records of the time. Other members of the family settled in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, and later fled to the United States after Fidel Castro took power in 1959. While family members in the Dominican Republic became the "Franjul" family, those who settled in Cuba remained as "Fanjul". Today most members of the Franjul family reside in the Dominican Republic.
The first family reunion between the "Franjuls" and "Fanjuls" took place in 1995 in
La Romana, Dominican Republic
La Romana is a municipality and capital of the southeastern province of La Romana, opposite Catalina Island. It is one of the 10 largest cities in the Dominican Republic with a population estimated in 2010 at 130,426 within the city limits (m ...
. Although the surname "Franjul" is also known to exist among families in the Balkans, no links have been proven to exist.
Listín Diario
''Listín Diario'' (Lit. ''Small Daily List'') is one of the leading newspapers in the Dominican Republic, and the oldest still being published.Engracia Franjul de Abate former top executive at Banco Popular Dominicano. First female
member of Banco Popular Board of Directors. Former president of the Dominican-American Cultural Institute board of directors, member of ICDA executive committee, and FUNDAPEC board member (former president). Former director of ADOPEM, a leading micro-lending institution.
Luis Franjul Dume, former mayor of Bani 1966-1968.
Nelson Franjul Montero: former mayor of Bani and fiscal prosecutor (1959)
Claudia Franjul: Actress and model. Miss Dominican Republic 1994.
Rafael Franjul Troncoso, former member of Dominican Congress as Senator for the province of Peravia for the Dominican Reformist Christian Party (PRSC). Former mayor of the city of Bani (1990-1994).
Milciades Franjul, member of Dominican Senate representing the Province of Peravia for the Modern Revolutionary Party. In 2020 elections, won over incumbent 68% vs. 32%.
Manuel Díaz-Franjul, Chief negotiator of Free Trade Agreement between Dominican Republic and United States, known as DR-CAFTA. Special adviser for the Dominican embassy in Washington, D. C. and General Secretary of Dominican Commission for Price Controls. Currently Chief Trade Negotiator at Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Marcos Peña Franjul, renowned ecologist and expert on natural resources. Former professor at UNPHU. Author of "Los Franjul: Una Familia del Banilejismo", a genealogical book on the Franjul family, its history and its origins.