Infante Enrique, Duke of Seville (17 April 182312 March 1870), was an
Infante of Spain and a member of the
Spanish branch of the
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...
. He was a grandson of
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV (; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808.
The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability, but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disa ...
and became the first
Duke of Seville in 1823. He was known for his progressive, even revolutionary, ideas during the reign of his
double first cousin and sister-in-law,
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain.
Isabella wa ...
.
Early life
Infante Enrique was born in
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
, Spain, the fourth child and third son of
Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain (1794–1865; son of
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV (; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808.
The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability, but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disa ...
and
Princess Maria Luisa of Parma) and his wife,
Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies (1804–1844), who was the daughter of
Francis I of the Two Sicilies
Francis I of the Two Sicilies (; 19 August 1777 – 8 November 1830) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1825 to 1830 and regent of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1806 to 1814.
Early life
Francis was born the son of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicili ...
and
Infanta Maria Isabella of Spain.
Born in the
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
n city of Seville, his uncle
King Ferdinand VII granted him the title of
Duke of Seville in 1823. Ferdinand VII had conferred the title of
Duke of Cádiz on Infante Francisco de Paula's first son (Francisco de Asís) in 1820 and then, after the child's death the following year, on Infante Francisco de Paula's next son,
Francis
Francis may refer to:
People and characters
*Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025)
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Francis (surname)
* Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...
. Enrique was baptized with the name ''Enrique María Fernando Carlos Francisco Luís'' and his godparents were his maternal aunt,
Princess Marie Caroline, Duchess of Berry, and her son, the
Duke of Bordeaux, for whom he was named.
In 1833, the death of his uncle, King Ferdinand VII, divided the court between supporters of
Queen Isabella II and their mutual uncle,
Don Carlos. Enrique's aunt,
Queen mother
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also ...
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, the widow of Ferdinand VII, served as
regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
of Spain on Isabella's behalf from 1833 to 1840.
The second marriage of Maria Christina with
Agustín Fernando Muñoz y Sánchez in 1833 caused a disagreement between her and her sister,
Infanta Luisa Carlotta, resulting in the banishment of Luisa Carlota and her family to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where the
queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...
of France,
Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, was her aunt.
Enrique and his brothers were educated in the French capital. At the ''
Lycée'', he met his cousin
Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, with whom he later developed an intense rivalry that would eventually end in tragedy. Enrique spent time in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, where his cousin,
Louise, was queen. There, he learned of the expulsion from Spain of Maria Christina and her husband in 1840.
Finally able to return to Spain, Enrique soon began his military career in
Ferrol, Galicia
Ferrol (, ) is a city in the province of A Coruña in Galicia, Spain, located in the Rías Altas, in the vicinity of Strabo's Cape Nerium (modern-day Cape Prior). According to the 2021 census, the city had a population of 64,785, making it the ...
, where he was praised for his excellent conduct. In 1843, he was promoted to
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
and was
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
of the ship ''Manzanares''. By 1845, he was captain of a
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
.
Exile
Although a possible marriage between Enrique and Isabella II was considered, she married Enrique's brother
Francis, Duke of Cádiz, who was Enrique's elder, but whose
effeminacy had been construed as rendering him an unlikely father and therefore a less suitable marital candidate. At the same time, the queen's younger sister,
Infanta Luisa, was married to the Duke of Montpensier at the instigation of France.
Openly offended at these setbacks, and accused of taking part in a revolt against the monarchy in
Galicia, Enrique was expelled from Spain in March 1846, shortly before the wedding of his brother and the Queen. Enrique took refuge in Belgium, where his sister Isabel Fernandina was staying. At that time, he was considered a candidate for the
throne of Mexico, although there is little evidence that Enrique pursued that prospect.
Marriage and family
Shortly thereafter, Enrique was allowed to return to Spain, where he met (1821–1863), daughter of Antonio de Padua de Castellvi y Fernández de Córdoba, Count of Castellá, and his wife Margarita Shelly. The Queen did not support the ''
mésalliance'', thus the couple
eloped to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
on 6 May 1847. Upon the couple's return to Spain, they were banished to
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
, later settling in
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
.
They had four sons and one daughter:
*
Enrique de Borbón y Castellví, 2nd Duke of Seville (3 October 1848 – 12 July 1894), who married Joséphine Parade in 1870, and had issue.
*Luis de Borbón y Castellví (7 November 1851 – 25 February 1854).
*
Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Castellví (29 March 1853 – 28 March 1942), who married Maria Luisa de La Torre y Bassave in 1877, and had issue. He married secondly Felisa de León y Navarro de Balboa in 1890, and had further issue.
*Alberto de Borbón y Castellví, 1st Duke of Santa Elena (22 February 1854 – 21 January 1939), who married Marguerite d'Ast de Novelé in 1878, and had issue.
*María del Olvido de Borbón y Castellví (28 November 1863 – 14 April 1907), who married Cárlos Fernández-Maquieira y Oyanguren in 1888, and had issue.
Return to Spain
While in France, Enrique several times proclaimed himself a
revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society.
Definition
The term—bot ...
, and he was asked to join the
International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA; 1864–1876), often called the First International, was a political international which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, social democratic, communist, and anarchist g ...
. He publicly became a
freemason
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
and attained the 33rd rank in the
Masonic Scottish Rite.
On 13 May 1848, he was stripped of his royal rank and titles (his children, being born of a
morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spou ...
, were untitled). In 1849, he asked the Queen's forgiveness in order to return from exile. The family settled in
Valladolid
Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
in 1851 but were soon forced to return to France. In 1854, he returned to Spain and resided in
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, where his fourth son (Alberto) was born and where his second son (Luis) died shortly after Alberto's birth. Enrique's ducal title was restored, but not the title of
Infante of Spain.
Exile to France
Soon after, the Duke of Seville again expressed leftist ideas in 1860, and he went in exile to France once more. There, he obtained the rank of
Captain General of the army, and three years later, he was promoted to
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
. In 1863, his wife died after giving birth to their fifth child. She was buried in the
Convent of Las Descalzas Reales rather than in the Spanish royal tombs at
El Escorial
El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...
, which are reserved for queens and infantas of Spain.
Death
Between 1869 and 1870, Enrique published several pamphlets and articles hostile to his cousin
Antoine, Duke of Montpensier. He challenged Montpensier to a
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
, which took place near La Fortuna in
Leganés,
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, on 12 March 1870. Enrique was shot and killed, removing him as a public critic of the duke's alleged aspirations to the Spanish throne.
Enrique's eldest son refused to accept the 30,000 ''
pesetas'' that the Duke of Montpensier offered as
compensation. Enrique, who was no longer an
Infante of Spain, could not be buried in
El Escorial
El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...
, thus he was buried at the
Saint Isidore Cemetery in Madrid.
Enrique's children were adopted by his brother, Francis.
[Fuente: ]La Ilustración Española y Americana
''La Ilustración Española y Americana'' was a weekly Spanish magazine that was published from 1869 to 1921 on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 30th of every month. It was also published biweekly.
History
The magazine was a continuation of ''El Museo U ...
25.3.1870 pag.94 - Don Enrique de Borbón
Arms
File:Coat of Arms of Infante Enrique of Spain, Duke of Seville.svg, Coat of arms of Enrique as Infante of Spain
and Duke of Seville
(Until 1848)
File:Coat of Arms of Enrique of Bourbon, Duke of Seville.svg, Coat of arms of Enrique as Duke of Seville
(1848–1870)
Ancestry
Notes and sources
*Mateos Sáinz de Medrano, Ricardo. ''The Unknown Infant of Spain''. Thassalia, 1996.
*Mateos Sáinz de Medrano, Ricardo. ''Nobleza Obliga''. La Esfera de Los Libros, 2006. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enrique Of Spain, Infante
1823 births
1870 deaths
Duelling fatalities
101
House of Bourbon (Spain)
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain
Spanish infantes
Grandees of Spain
Spanish Freemasons
Spanish duellists