This is a list of Spanish monarchs, that is, rulers of the country of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The forerunners of the

monarchs A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in ...

of the Spanish throne were the following: *

Kings of the Visigoths The Visigothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of the Goths ( la, Regnum Gothorum), was a kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic successor states to ...

* Kings of Asturias * Kings of Navarre *

Kings of León In the reign of Ordoño I of Asturias (850–866), the kingdom began to be known as that of León. In 910, an independent Kingdom of León was founded when the king of Asturias divided his territory amongst his three sons. Below follows a ...

Kings of Galicia Galicia is an autonomous community and historical nationality in modern-day northwestern Spain on the Iberian Peninsula, which was a major part of the Roman province known as Gallaecia prior to 409. It consists of the provinces of A Coruña, ...

Kings of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre in ...

Kings of Castile This is a list of kings and queens of the Kingdom and Crown of Castile. For their predecessors, see List of Castilian counts. Kings and Queens of Castile Jiménez dynasty House of Ivrea The following dynasts are descendants, in the ...

These seven lineages were eventually united by the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon (king of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

) and Isabella I of Castile (queen of the Crown of Castile). Although their kingdoms continued to be separate, with their

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...

they ruled them together as one dominion. The

regnal number Regnal numbers are ordinal numbers used to distinguish among persons with the same name who held the same office. Most importantly, they are used to distinguish monarchs. An ''ordinal'' is the number placed after a monarch's regnal name to differ ...

s follow those of the rulers of Asturias, León, and Castile; thus,

Alfonso XII 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 ...

is numbered in succession to Alfonso XI of Castile.

House of Trastámara (1479–1555)

Under Isabella and Ferdinand, the royal dynasties of Castile and Aragon, their respective kingdoms, were united into a single line.

Historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

of Spain generally treats this as the formation of the Kingdom of Spain, but in formality, the two kingdoms continued for many centuries with their own separate institutions. It was not until the Nueva Planta decrees of 1707–1716 that the two lands were formally merged into a single state. , life1 = – , reignstart1 = 11 December 1474
, reignend1 = 26 November 1504
, notes1 = Daughter of

John II of Castile John II of Castile ( es, link=no, Juan; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was King of Castile and León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister, Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, as Prince of Asturias in 1405. Regency John was the ...

and Isabella of Portugal , family1 = Trastámara , image1 = IsabellaofCastile03.jpg , alt1 = Isabella I of Castile , name2 = Ferdinand V & II , nickname2 = the Catholic , native2 = es, Fernando V & II , life2 = – , reignstart2 = 15 January 1475

20 January 1479
, reignend2 = 26 November 1504

23 January 1516
, notes2 = Son of

John II of Aragon John II ( Spanish: ''Juan II'', Catalan: ''Joan II'', Aragonese: ''Chuan II'' and eu, Joanes II; 29 June 1398 – 20 January 1479), called the Great (''el Gran'') or the Faithless (''el Sense Fe''), was King of Aragon from 1458 until his death ...

and

Juana Enríquez Juana Enriquez, 5th Lady of Casarrubios del Monte (1425 – 13 February 1468) was Queen of Aragon and de facto Queen of Navarre as the wife of King John II. Juana Enríquez was the Regent of Navarre during the absence of her husband in the N ...

, family2 = Trastámara , image2 = Michel Sittow 004.jpg , alt2 = Ferdinand V of Castile and II of Aragon , name3 =

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice ...

, nickname3 = the Mad , native3 = es, Juana I , life3 = – , reignstart3 = 26 November 1504

23 January 1516
, reignend3 = 12 April 1555 , notes3 = Daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon , family3 = Trastámara , image3 = Juan de Flandes 003.jpg , alt3 = Joanna of Castile and Aragon (later: Joanna of Spain) , name4 =

Philip I Philip(p) I may refer to: * Philip I of Macedon (7th century BC) * Philip I Philadelphus (between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) * Philip the Arab (c. 204–249), Roman Emperor * Philip I of France (1052–1108) * Philip I (archbishop of Cologne) (1 ...

, nickname4 = the Handsome , native4 = es, Felipe I , life4 = – , reignstart4 = 27 June 1506
, reignend4 = 25 September 1506
, notes4 = Husband of

Joanna of Castile Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad ( es, link=no, Juana la Loca), was the nominal Queen of Castile from 1504 and Queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was married by arrangement to P ...

, family4 = Habsburg , image4 = Juan de Flandes 004.jpg , alt4 = Philip I of Castile Joanna was confined from 1509 till her death for alleged insanity.

House of Habsburg (1516–1700)

Following the deaths of Isabella (1504) and Ferdinand (1516), their daughter Joanna inherited the Spanish kingdoms. However, she was kept prisoner at Tordesillas due to an alleged mental disorder. As Joanna's son,

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

(the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V), did not want to be merely a regent, he proclaimed himself king of Castile and Aragon jointly with his mother. Subsequently, Castilian and Aragonese ''Cortes'' alleged oath to him as co-monarch with his mother. Upon her death, he became sole King of Castile and Aragon, and the thrones were left permanently united to Philip II of Spain and successors. Traditional numbering of monarchs follows the Castillian crown; i.e. after King Ferdinand (II of Aragon and V of Castile ''jure uxoris'' as husband of Queen of Castille Isabella I), the next Ferdinand was numbered VI. Likewise,

takes his number following that of Alfonso XI of Castile rather than that of Alfonso V of Aragon, the prior Spanish monarchs with that name. , life1 = – , reignstart1 = 14 March 1516 , reignend1 = 16 January 1556 , notes1 = Son of

and

Philip I of Castile Philip the Handsome, es, Felipe, french: Philippe, nl, Filips (22 July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the first Habsburg K ...

, family1 = Habsburg , image1 = Titian - Portrait of Charles V Seated - WGA22964.jpg , alt1 = Carlos I of Spain , name2 =

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

, nickname2 = the Prudent , native2 = es, Felipe II , life2 = – , reignstart2 = 16 January 1556 , reignend2 = 13 September 1598 , notes2 = Son of

, family2 = Habsburg , image2 = Portrait of Philip II of Spain (by Workshop of Titian) - Museo del Prado, Madrid.jpg , alt2 = Felipe II of Spain , name3 = Philip III , nickname3 = the Pious , native3 = es, Felipe III , life3 = – , reignstart3 = 13 September 1598 , reignend3 = 31 March 1621 , notes3 = Son of

, family3 = Habsburg , image3 = Felipe III de España.jpg , alt3 = Spain , name4 = Philip IV , nickname4 = the Great , native4 = es, Felipe IV , life4 = – , reignstart4 = 31 March 1621 , reignend4 = 17 September 1665 , notes4 = Son of Philip III , family4 = Habsburg , image4 = Philip IV of Spain - Velázquez 1644.jpg , alt4 = Felipe IV of Spain , name5 = Charles II , nickname5 = the Bewitched , native5 = es, Carlos II , life5 = – , reignstart5 = 17 September 1665 , reignend5 = 1 November 1700 , notes5 = Son of Philip IV , family5 = Habsburg , image5 = King Charles II of Spain by John Closterman.jpg , alt5 = Carlos II of Spain In the year 1700, Charles II died. His will named the 16-year-old Philip, the grandson of Charles's sister

Maria Theresa of Spain Maria Theresa of Spain ( es, María Teresa de Austria; french: Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche; 10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683) was Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV. She was born an Infanta of Spain and Portugal a ...

, as his successor to the whole

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

. Upon any possible refusal of the undivided Spanish possessions, the Crown of Spain would be offered next to Philip's younger brother Charles, Duke of Berry, or, next, to

Archduke Charles of Austria Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...

.Kamen, Henry. "Philip V of Spain:: The King who Reigned Twice", p.6. Published by Yale University Press, 2001. Both claimants, both Charles of Austria and Philip, had a legal right to the Spanish throne because Philip's grandfather, King

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...

and Charles's father, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, were sons of Charles II's aunts,

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

and Maria Anna. Philip claimed primogeniture because Anne was older than Maria Anna. However, Philip IV had stipulated in his will the succession should pass to the Austrian Habsburg line, and the Austrian branch also claimed that Maria Theresa, Philip's grandmother, had renounced the Spanish throne for herself and her descendants as part of her marriage contract. This was countered by the French claim that it was on the basis of a dowry that had never been paid. After a long council meeting where the Dauphin spoke up in favour of his son's rights, it was agreed that Philip would ascend the throne. Following this, the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

broke out and

Archduke Charles Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...

was also proclaimed king of Spain, as Charles III, in opposition to Philip V. He was proclaimed in Vienna, and also in Madrid in the years 1706 and 1710. Charles renounced his claims to the Spanish throne in the

Treaty of Rastatt The Treaty of Rastatt was a peace treaty between France and Austria that was concluded on 7 March 1714 in the Baden city of Rastatt to end the War of the Spanish Succession between both countries. The treaty followed the Treaty of Utrecht of 11 A ...

of 1714, but was allowed the continued use of the styles of a Spanish monarch for his lifetime. Philip ascended the Spanish throne but had to renounce his claim to the throne of France for himself and his descendants.

Disputed claimant of the House of Habsburg

House of Bourbon (1700–1808)

, life1 = – , reignstart1 = 16 November 1700 , reignend1 = 14 January 1724 , notes1 = Great-grandson of Philip IV
Half-grandnephew of Charles II , family1 = Bourbon , image1 = Hyacinthe Rigaud - Philippe V, roi d'Espagne (1683-1746) - Google Art Project.jpg , alt1 = Philip V of Spain , name2 =

Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois ...

, nickname2 = the Beloved and the Liberal , native2 = es, Luis I , life2 = – , reignstart2 = 14 January 1724 , reignend2 = 31 August 1724 , notes2 = Son of Philip V , family2 = Bourbon , image2 = Luis I, príncipe de Asturias2.jpg , alt2 = Louis I of Spain , name3 = Philip V , nickname3 = the Spirited , native3 = es, Felipe V , life3 = – , reignstart3 = 6 September 1724 , reignend3 = 9 July 1746 , notes3 = Father of

, family3 = Bourbon , image3 = Felipe V de España, Rey de.jpg , alt3 = Philip V of Spain , name4 =

Ferdinand VI , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Savoy , birth_date = 23 September 1713 , birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Madrid, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Villavic ...

, nickname4 = the Learned , native4 = es, Fernando VI , life4 = – , reignstart4 = 9 July 1746 , reignend4 = 10 August 1759 , notes4 = Son of Philip V , family4 = Bourbon , image4 = Fernando_VI_de_España_(Museo_del_Prado).jpg , alt4 = Fernando VI of Spain , name5 =

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

, nickname5 = the Enlightened and the King-Mayor , native5 = es, Carlos III , life5 = – , reignstart5 = 10 August 1759 , reignend5 = 14 December 1788 , notes5 = Son of Philip V , family5 = Bourbon , image5 = Charles III of Spain.jpg , alt5 = Carlos III of Spain , name6 = Charles IV , nickname6 = the Hunter , native6 = es, Carlos IV , life6 = – , reignstart6 = 14 December 1788 , reignend6 = 19 March 1808 , notes6 = Son of

, family6 = Bourbon , image6 = Carlos IV de rojo.jpg , alt6 = Charles IV of Spain , name7 =

Ferdinand VII , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_plac ...

, nickname7 = the Desired and the Felon King , native7 = es, Fernando VII , life7 = – , reignstart7 = 19 March 1808 , reignend7 = 6 May 1808 , notes7 = Son of Charles IV , family7 = Bourbon , image7 = Fernando VII en un campamento, por Goya.jpg , alt7 = Fernando VII of Spain

House of Bonaparte (1808–1813)

The only monarch from this dynasty was

Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to: *Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283 * Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711) *Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696) *Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777) ...

, imposed by his brother Napoleon I of France after Charles IV and Ferdinand VII had abdicated. The title used by Joseph I was ''King of the Spains and the Indias, by the Grace of God and the Constitution of the State''. He was also later given all of the titles of the previous kings. A government in opposition to the French was formed in

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

on 25 September 1808, which continued to recognize the imprisoned Ferdinand VII as king. This government was diplomatically recognized as the legitimate Spanish government by Britain and other countries at war with France. , life1 = – , reignstart1 = 6 June 1808 , reignend1 = 11 December 1813 , notes1 = Older brother of

Emperor Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, family1 = Bonaparte , image1 = Joseph-Bonaparte.jpg , alt1 = José I of Spain

House of Bourbon (1813–1868)

Charles IV's eldest son was restored to the throne. Again, the title used was ''king of Castile, Leon, Aragon,… by the Grace of God''. , life1 = – , reignstart1 = 11 December 1813 , reignend1 = 29 September 1833 , notes1 = Son of Charles IV , family1 = Bourbon , image1 = Fernando VII - Vicente López.jpg , alt1 = Fernando VII of Spain , name2 =

Isabella II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successi ...

, nickname2 = the Queen of Sad Mischance
the Traditional Queen , native2 = es, Isabel II , life2 = – , reignstart2 = 29 September 1833 , reignend2 = 30 September 1868 , notes2 = Daughter of

, family2 = Bourbon , image2 = Isabel de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias.jpg , alt2 = Isabel II of Spain

House of Savoy (1870–1873)

After the Spanish Revolution of 1868 deposed Isabella II, while a new monarch was sought, a provisional government and a regency headed by

Francisco Serrano y Domínguez Francisco Serrano Domínguez Cuenca y Pérez de Vargas, 1st Duke of la Torre, Grandee of Spain, Count of San Antonio (17 December 1810 – 25 November 1885) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He was Prime Minister of Spain in 1868–69 ...

from 8 October 1868 until 2 January 1871 was established. Amadeo was elected as king and the new title used was ''King of Spain, by the Grace of God and will of the nation''.

Spanish Republic (1873–1874)

House of Bourbon (1874–1931)

Isabella II's eldest son was restored to the throne as she had abdicated in his favour in 1870. ''Constitutional King of Spain''.

Spanish Republic (1931–1939)

Dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1936–1975)

On 1 October 1936, General Francisco Franco was proclaimed "Leader of Spain" (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Caudillo de España'') in the parts of Spain controlled by the Nationalists (''nacionales'') after 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, link ...

broke out. At the end of the war on 1 April 1939, General Franco took control of the whole of Spain. In 1947, Franco proclaimed the restoration of the monarchy but did not allow the pretender,

Juan, Count of Barcelona Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona (Juan Carlos Teresa Silverio Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg; 20 June 1913 – 1 April 1993), also known as Don Juan, was a claimant to the Spanish throne as Juan III. He was the third son and designated heir o ...

, to take the throne. In 1969, Franco declared that Juan Carlos, Prince of Spain, the Count of Barcelona's son, would be his successor. After Franco's death in 1975, Juan Carlos succeeded him as the King of Spain.

House of Bourbon (1975–present)

Alfonso XIII's claim descended (due to his two eldest sons' renunciations) to his third son, Juan of Bourbon, Count of Barcelona, who was passed over in favour of his eldest son, whose title is King of Spain. The Count of Barcelona formally renounced his claims in favour of his son in 1977, two years after Franco's death and Juan Carlos's accession. Juan Carlos abdicated in favor of his son

Felipe VI Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and ...

, who became king on 19 June 2014, with Felipe's older daughter,

Leonor Leonor or Léonor is a short form of the given name Eleanor. People bearing the name include: *Leonor Beleza (born 1948), Portuguese politician *Leonor Briones (born 1940), Filipino academic and civil servant *Leonor de Cisneros (died 1568), Sp ...

, next in succession.

Notes

References

External links

Monarchs of Spain (700–present)
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Spanish Monarchs

*List Lists of Spanish nobility