, title = Count of Caserta , image = Alfonso, Count of Caserta.jpg , caption = , succession = Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , reign-type = Tenure , reign = 27 December 1894 – 26 May 1934 , predecessor = Francis II , successor = Prince Ferdinand Pius , spouse =

Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , title =Countess of Caserta , image =Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.jpg , caption = , reign = , coronation = , predecessor = , successor = , succession = , spouse ...

, issue = Prince Ferdinando Pio, Duke of Castro
Prince Carlos
Prince Francesco di Paola
Princess Maria Immacolata
Princess Maria Cristina
Princess Maria di Grazia
Princess Maria Giuseppina
Prince Gennaro

Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro , title = Duke of Castro , image = Raniero.jpg , image_size = , caption = Portrayed with a cavalry uniform of the Spanish Army and the Order of Alcántara, c. 1914 , succession = Head of the House of Bo ...

Prince Filippo
Prince Francesco d'Assisi
Prince Gabriel , house =

Bourbon-Two Sicilies The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family, Spanish Bourbons that ruled Southern Italy and Sicily for more than a century in the 18th and 19th centuries. It descends from the Capetian dynasty in legitimate ma ...

, father = Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies , mother = Maria Theresa of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place =

Caserta Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Camp ...

, Two Sicilies , death_date = , death_place =

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, place of burial =

Cimetière du Grand Jas The Cimetière du Grand Jas (Grand Jas Cemetery) is located at 205 avenue de Grasse in Cannes on the French Riviera. The nine hectare terraced cemetery began operations in 1866 and is known for its landscaped architecture with rich floral decora ...

, religion =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta (28 March 1841 – 26 May 1934) was the third son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria. He was pretender to the throne of the Two Sicilies in succession of his older half-brother, Francis II of the Two Sicilies. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Ferdinand Pius.

Heir to the throne

Born in

, Alfonso was the fourth-in-line heir to the throne of Two Sicilies since the time of his birth. Ahead of him in line were his older half-brother

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

and older brothers Prince Louis, Count of Trani and Prince Alberto, Count of Castrogiovanni. On 12 July 1844, Alberto died, two months short of his fifth birthday and naturally childless which made Alfonso the third-in-line. On 22 May 1859, Ferdinand II died, making Francis the king, but had no children yet from his wife Duchess Maria Sophie in Bavaria. Louis became his

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

and Alfonso the second-in-line heir to their half-brother. The Two Sicilies were conquered by the

Expedition of the Thousand The Expedition of the Thousand ( it, Spedizione dei Mille) was an event of the Italian Risorgimento that took place in 1860. A corps of volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto, near Genoa (now Quarto dei Mille) and landed in Ma ...

under

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

in 1861 leading to the end of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Garibaldi served the Kingdom of Sardinia which was in the process of

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

. The deposed Royal House survived with Francis still at its head, even though he was no longer King. On 8 June 1886, Louis died. His only daughter Princess Maria Teresa was not in line for the throne because females were barred from succession which made Alfonso the heir presumptive to Francis who had survived his own daughter. On 27 December 1894, Francis II died, making Alfonso the head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Alfonso later died at Cannes on May 26th, 1934.

Personal life

Alfonso was also an artist, and received tuition from Achille Vianelli.

Marriage and issue

Alfonso was married to his cousin,

(16 March 1851 – 12 September 1938) on 8 June 1868. She was a daughter of Prince Francis, Count of Trapani and his wife

Archduchess Maria Isabella of Austria , title = Countess of Trapani , image = Countess of Trapani.jpg , caption = , reign = , coronation = , predecessor = , successor = , succession = , spouse = Prince Francis, Count of ...

, Princess of Tuscany. Her paternal grandparents were Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Isabella of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were

Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II( it, Leopoldo Giovanni Giuseppe Francesco Ferdinando Carlo, german: Leopold Johann Joseph Franz Ferdinand Karl, English: ''Leopold John Joseph Francis Ferdinand Charles''. (3 October 1797 – 29 January 1870) was Grand Duke of Tusc ...

and his second wife Maria Antonietta of the Two Sicilies. Maria Isabella was a daughter of

Charles IV of Spain , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles III of Spain , mother =Maria Amalia of Saxony , birth_date =11 November 1748 , birth_place =Palace of Portici, Portici, Naples , death_date = , death_place = ...

and

Maria Luisa of Parma Maria Luisa of Parma (Luisa Maria Teresa Anna; 9 December 1751 – 2 January 1819) was, by marriage to King Charles IV of Spain, Queen of Spain from 1788 to 1808 leading up to the Peninsular War. Her relationship with Manuel Godoy and influence o ...

. Maria Antonietta was another daughter of Francis I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Isabella of Spain. They had twelve children. * Prince Ferdinand Pius of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria (25 July 1869 – 17 January 1960) : ∞

Princess Maria Ludwiga Theresia of Bavaria , title = Duchess of Calabria , image = Herzogin von Calabrien und Prinzessin Urraca.jpg , caption = Princess Maria Ludwiga Theresia with her youngest child Princess Urraca , spouse = Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duk ...

, daughter of Ludwig III of Bavaria. This marriage produced six children. * Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (10 November 1870 – 11 November 1949) : ∞ Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, daughter of

Alfonso XII of Spain Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885 ...

. This marriage produced three issue. : ∞

Princess Louise of Orléans , title = Princess Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , image = Louise of France Princess of Bourbon.jpg , image_size = , caption = , spouse = , issue = , house = Orléans , father = Prince Phi ...

, daughter of Prince Philippe of Orléans, Count of Paris. This marriage produced four children. *Prince Francesco di Paola of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (14 July 1873 – 26 June 1876) * Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (30 October 1874 – 28 November 1947) : ∞

Prince Johann Georg of Saxony en, John George Pius Charles Leopold Maria Januarius Anacletus , image = PrinceJohannGeorg.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = Prince Johann Georg with his second wife Princess Maria Immaculata in Cannes. , spouse = , iss ...

, son of George of Saxony. This marriage produced no issue. *

Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , succession= Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany , image =Marie Christine, Prinzessin von Bourbon-Sizilien.jpg , reign = 28 February 1942 – 4 October 1947 , spouse = , issue = , house =Bourbon-Two Sicilies , father ...

(10 April 1877 – 4 October 1947) : ∞ Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria, Prince of Tuscany, son of

Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany ( it, Ferdinando IV, Granduca di Toscana; 10 June 1835 – 17 January 1908) was the last Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1859 to 1860. Biography Born at Florence, he was the son of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tus ...

. This marriage produced four children. *

Princess Maria di Grazia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , image = Maria Pia de Bourbon, 1909 (2).jpg , spouse = Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza(m. 1908; died 1920) , issue = Prince Pedro Henrique Prince Luiz Gastão Princess Pia Maria, Countess of Nicolay , house = Bo ...

(12 August 1878 – 20 June 1973) : ∞ Prince Luiz Maria of Orléans-Braganza, son of

Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil , house = Braganza , father = Pedro II of Brazil , mother = Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies , birth_date = , birth_place = Palace of São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , death_date = , death_place = C ...

. This marriage produced three children. * Princess Maria Giuseppina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (25 February 1880 – 22 July 1971) : °° Count Alfredo Galanti (1882-1951). This marriage produced two children. * Prince Gennaro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (24 January 1882 – 11 April 1944) : ∞ Beatrice Bordessa, Countess of Villa Colli. This marriage produced no issue. * Prince Ranieri of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro (3 December 1883 – 13 January 1973) : ∞

Countess Maria Carolina Zamoyska , title = Duke of Castro , image = Raniero.jpg , image_size = , caption = Portrayed with a cavalry uniform of the Spanish Army and the Order of Alcántara, c. 1914 , succession = Head of the House of B ...

, daughter of Andrzej Przemysław Zamoyski, Count Zamoyski. This marriage produced two children. *

Prince Filippo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

(10 December 1885 – 9 March 1949) : ∞ Princess Marie Louise of Orléans, daughter of Prince Emmanuel of Orléans, Duke of Vendôme. This marriage produced one child. : ∞ Odette Labori. This marriage produced no issue. *Prince Francesco d'Assisi of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (13 January 1888 – 26 March 1914) *

Prince Gabriel of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , image = Gabriel de Borbón Franzen.jpg , caption = Portrayed wearing a cavalry uniform of the Spanish Army, c. 1914 , spouse = Princess Malgorzata Izabella Czartoryska Princess Cecylia Lubomirska , issue = Prince Ant ...

(1 January 1897 – 22 October 1975) : ∞ Princess Malgorzata Izabella Czartoryska, daughter of Prince Adam Ludwik Czartoryski. This marriage produced one child. : ∞

Princess Cecylia Lubomirska Princess Cecylia Lubomirska (28 June 1907 – 20 September 2001) was a member of the House of Lubomirski by birth and a Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies through her marriage to Prince Gabriel of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Family Cecylia was the sec ...

, daughter of Prince Kasimierz Lubomirski. This marriage produced four children.

Honours and arms

Orders and decorations

* : ** Knight of the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (german: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; hu, Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; cs, Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; pl, Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; sl, Vojaški red Marije Terezije; hr, Vojni Red Marije Te ...

, ''1861'' ** Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian

Order of Saint Stephen The Order of Saint Stephen (Official: Sacro Militare Ordine di Santo Stefano Papa e Martire, "Holy Military Order of St. Stephen Pope and Martyr") is a Roman Catholic Tuscan dynastic military order founded in 1561. The order was created by C ...

, ''1894'' * : Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III, ''28 January 1871'' * : Knight of the Royal

Order of Saint Hubert The Royal Order of Saint Hubert (german: Sankt Hubertus Königlicher Orden), or sometimes (german: Königlicher Orden des Heiligen Hubertus) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood founded in 1444 or 1445 by Gerhard VII, Duke of Jülic ...

, ''1895''
Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern
' (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 9

Arms

File:Coat of Arms of Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta (c.1840-1886).svg, Prince Alfonso's arms as Count of Caserta c.1840-1886 File:Coat of Arms of the Crown Prince of the Two Sicilies.svg, Prince Alfonso's arms as titular heir to the throne 1886-1894 File:Great Royal Coat of Arms of the Two Sicilies.svg, Prince Alfonso's arms as head of the Royal House 1894-1934

Ancestry

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfonso Of Caserta, Count 1841 births 1934 deaths People from Caserta Pretenders to the throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Princes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Italian Roman Catholics Dukes of Calabria Counts of Caserta Burials at the Cimetière du Grand Jas 19th-century Roman Catholics 20th-century Roman Catholics Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Sons of kings