Luis Jesús Fernández de Córdoba y Salabert, 17th Duke of Medinaceli, GE (16 January 1880 – 13 July 1956), was a Spanish nobleman and distinguished hunter. He was born the world's most titled person since his father, the 16th Duke, had died months before in a hunting accident. He was 11 times a

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, 17 a

marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, 15 a

count 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: ...

and 4 a

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

Early life

Born as the only son of the 16th

Duke of Medinaceli Duke of Medinaceli () is an hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, created the title and awarded it on 31 October 1479 to Lui ...

, Luis María Fernández de Córdoba y Pérez de Barradas, and his second wife Casilda Remigia de Salabert y Arteaga, 9th Marchioness of Torrecilla. He was baptised the day after his birth in the parish church of San Luis Obispo of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. He was born posthumously to his father, who had died in a hunting accident some months earlier and as such he assumed the historical titles of the House of Medinaceli from birth. His mother, who would become the 11th Duchess of Ciudad Real in her own right, remarried the politician Mariano Fernández de Henestrosa, 1st Duke of Santo Mauro, in 1884. Through them, Luis was a half brother to Rafael and Casilda Fernández de Henestrosa.

Marriage and issue

In 1911, he married Ana María Fernández de Henestrosa y Gayoso de los Cobos,

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

of Queen Ena, daughter of the 8th Count of Moriana del Río, a Gentilhombre Grandee of

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alfo ...

. The ceremony took place in Madrid. 17th Duke of Medinaceli wedding

From his first marriage he had two daughters: * Victoria Eugenia Fernández de Córdoba y Fernández de Henestrosa, 18th Duchess of Medinaceli (Madrid, April 16, 1917 - Seville, August 18, 2013) *María de la Paz Fernández de Córdoba y Fernández de Henestrosa (Madrid, January 22, 1919 - Alcalá de los Gazules, October 3, 1998), who would become the 16th Duchess of Lerma in 1957 In 1938 his first wife Ana María died. He remarried on December 22, 1939, with María de la Concepción Rey de Pablo Blanco, with which he had a daughter: *Casilda Fernández de Córdoba y de Pablo Blanco (Madrid, 1941 - Córdoba, April 19, 1998), 20th Duchess of Cardona

Later life

In 1929, he was granted the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

. The collar he had been bestowed with had once belonged to Louis Bonapart, Napoleon's younger brother. He inherited his fondness for hunting and horse-riding from his grandmother Angela Pérez de Barradas y Bernuy, 1st Duchess of Denia and

Tarifa Tarifa (, Arabic: طريفة) is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world's most popular destinations for windsports. Tarifa ...

— titles that he also held when his uncle Carlos María Fernández de Córdoba died. He was an indefatigable traveler, at the same time that he carried out numerous investigations, especially in the field of

falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...

, and founded the Spanish Museum of Trophy Hunting. In 1927 he was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences; His entrance speech was about birds of prey in falconry. Considered one of the main exponents of

big-game hunting Big-game hunting is the hunting of large game animals for meat, commercially valuable by-products (such as horns/antlers, furs, tusks, bones, body fat/oil, or special organs and contents), trophy/taxidermy, or simply just for recreation ("s ...

in Europe, the duke made expeditions to

British East Africa East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Controlled by Britai ...

(1908-1909) and the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

(1910, 1921). In addition, he wrote numerous publications on hunting and nature, and in his palace in Madrid he founded a museum of natural history, the collection of which had to be transferred to the

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales The National Museum of Natural Sciences ( es, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales) is the national museum of natural history of Spain. It is situated in the center of Madrid, by the Paseo de la Castellana. It is managed by the Spanish National Re ...

at the outbreak of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

in 1936. After suffering a

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

, Luis Fernández de Córdoba died on July 13, 1956 in the now disappeared

Palace of the Duke of Uceda The Palace of the Councils or Palace of the Duke of Uceda (in Spanish, Palacio de los Consejos or Palacio del duque de Uceda) is a building from the 17th century located in central Madrid, Spain. It is located on the Calle Mayor, corner of calle Ba ...

in Madrid. Palacio Uceda plaza Colón

He is buried in the Basilica of Jesús de Medinaceli in Madrid.

Titles and styles

TitlesFundación Casa Ducal de Medinaceli: Luis Jesús Fernández de Córdoba y Salabert, XVII Duque de Medinaceli
/ref>

Dukedoms

*17th

( GE) *15th

Duke of Alcalá de los Gazules Duke of Alcalá de los Gazules ( es, Duque de Alcalá de los Gazules), commonly known as Duke of Alcalá, is an hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain accompanied by the dignity of Grandee, granted in 1558 by Philip II to Pedro Afán de Rib ...

( GE) *3rd

Duke of Denia Duke of Denia ( es, Duque de Denia), is an hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. It was granted to Ángela Maria Apolonia Pérez de Barradas y Bernuy on 28 June 1886 by king Alfonso XII. The tile wa ...

( GE) *13th Duke of Camiña ( GE) *19th

Duke of Cardona Duke of Cardona ( es, Duque de Cardona) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1482 by Ferdinand II to Juan Ramón Folch de Cardona, 5th Count of Cardona, as an elevation to dukedom ...

( GE) *12th

Duke of Ciudad Real Duke of Ciudad Real ( es, Duque de Ciudad Real) is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility, Peerage of Spain accompanied by the dignity of Grandee, granted in 1613 by Philip III of Spain, Philip III to Alonso de Idiázquez, 1st Count of Arama ...

( GE) *17th Duke of Feria ( GE) *15th

Duke of Lerma Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma, 5th Marquess of Denia, 1st Count of Ampudia (1552/1553 – 17 May 1625), was a favourite of Philip III of Spain, the first of the ''validos'' ('most worthy') through whom the later H ...

( GE) *7th Duke of Santisteban del Puerto ( GE) *17th

Duke of Segorbe Duke of Segorbe ( es, Duque de Segorbe) is an hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1469 by John II of Aragon to Enrique de Aragón, son of Infante Henry, Duke of Villena and Beatriz de ...

( GE) *3rd

Duke of Tarifa Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

( GE)

Marquessates

*13th Marquess of Alcalá de la Alameda *13th Marquess of Aitona ( GE) *15th Marquess of Cogolludo *16th Marquess of Comares *18th Marquess of Denia *10th Marquess of Navahermosa *16th Marquess of las Navas *13th Marquess of Malagón *14th Marquess of Montalbán *19th Marquess of Pallars *16th

Marquess of Priego Marquess of Priego ( es, marqués de Priego) is a hereditary noble title of the Kingdom of Spain that Ferdinand the Catholic granted on 9 December 1501 to Pedro Fernández de Córdoba y Pacheco, 7th Lord of Aguilar in Córdoba, of the house of C� ...

( GE) *12th Marquess of Solera *18th Marquess of Tarifa Duke of Medinaceli Giraffe

*10th Marquess of Torrecilla ( GE) *18th Marquess of Villa Real *14th Marquess of Villafranca *14th Marquess of Villalba

Countships

*18th Count of Alcoutim *51st Count of Ampurias *12th Count of Aramayona *23rd Count of Buendía *19th Count of Cocentaina *15th Count of Castellar *18th Count of Risco *18th Count of los Molares *18th Count of Medellín *7th Count of Ofalia Duke of Medinaceli Africa

*21st Count of Osona *25th Count of Prades *16th Count of Santa Gadea ( GE) *16th Count of Valenza y Valladares *13th Count of Villalonso

Viscountcies

*45th Viscount of Bas *43rd Viscount of Cabrera *11th Viscount of Linares *41st Viscount of Vilamur

Styles

* 16 January 188012 July 1956: ''

The Most Excellent The Most Excellent (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Excelentísimo Señor'' (male) or ''Excelentísima Señora'' (female), literally "Most Excellent Sir/Madam") is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in Spain and certa ...

'' The Duke of Medinaceli

Selected works

* ''Diario de mi viaje alrededor del mundo en 1907'', 1915 * ''Catálogo de aves europeas de mi colección'', 1915 * ''Cómo cacé la jirafa de mi colección venatoria'', 1915 * ''Expedición ártica en el verano de 1910'', 1919 * ''Notas sobre la cacería en el África oriental inglesa'', 1919 * ''Ballenas, focas y similares'', 1924 * ''Aves de rapiña y su caza'', 1927 * ''Expedición ártica en el verano de 1921'', 1929 * ''La profecía de la bruja'', 1940 * ''El elefante en la Ciencia, la Mitología, la Tradición y la Historia'', 1941 * ''Breve historial de las armas de caza'', 1942 * ''La caza de las aves de rapiña'', 1942 * ''El alce y su caza'', 1943 * ''Las aves de rapiña en la cetrería'', 1943

Arms

File:Coat of Arms of Luis Fernández de Córdoba y Salabert, 17th Duke of Medinaceli.svg, Coat of Arms
(1931-1956)

Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernández de Córdoba, Luis 1880 births 1956 deaths 117 Grandees of Spain 19th-century Spanish nobility