Fernando de Prado Pardo-Manuel de Villena (born September 1, 1963 in San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa, Spain) is historian, writer and lecturer. He is known for having conceived and promoted the search for the identification of the remains of the writer Miguel de Cervantes.

Biography

Birth and childhood

Fernando de Prado was born on September 1, 1963 in the town of San Sebastián, San Sebastian in a family of Spanish nobility. His father was Julio de Prado Colon de Carvajal, Conde de la Conquista (Count of the Conquest), brother of Manuel and Diego de Prado and Colon de Carvajal, descendants of Christopher Columbus. His mother, Isabel Pardo-Manuel de Villena Verastegui, is Baroness of Montevillena, belonged to the House of Manuel de Villena, Counts of Via Manuel. Fernando de Prado is the cousin of Borja de Prado Eulate, President of Endesa (Spain), Endesa

Early life

He studied law, history and geography at the Complutense University of Madrid, Complutense University and the University of San Pablo CEU. He graduated in genealogy, heraldry and nobility by the Marquis de Aviles School of the Association of Graduates in Genealogy, Heraldry and Nobility, of which he later became director. He achieved a master's degree in protocol and business relations by the European Institute of Health and Welfare of Madrid.

Later life

In 1991 he was a member of the scientific committee of inquiry, later its coordinator, for the exhibition "May 2, 1808", Exhibition that formed part of the events of Madrid Cultural Capital in 1992. Later he was technical commissioner of the exhibition "The Universities of Madrid", also for the Cultural Capital. For several years he worked as a guide for dignitaries and advisor of the Army Museum in Madrid. He also worked as deputy director of Actas Publishing and deputy director of the Trebol distributor. At last he was the director and promoter of the project search and identification of the remains of Miguel de Cervantes. Currently he develops cultural and other cooperation projects with foreign companies in Spain.

Published works

* ''Catalogue of doctoral thesis on geography and history conserved in the archives of the Complutense University of Madrid'' :1900-1987 Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza (Director) * ''Secret societies in Spain'' León Arsenal e Hipólito Sanchiz (Colaborador)2006 * ''Corners of the Spanish history'' con León Arsenal 2007 * ''Heads of nobility : origen and secrets of the spanish aristocracy'' 2008

Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

*''Knight Commander of the Order of Alfonso X the Wise'' (Cross, 2015) *''Laurel Platinium'' (Award, 2014)Vanity Fair
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Bibliography

* Article by Ashifa Kassam The Guardian, April 25, 201

* Article by Raphael Minder The New York Times,March 11, 201

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prado, Fernando de 1963 births Living people 20th-century Spanish historians Complutense University of Madrid alumni 21st-century Spanish historians