Prince Ferdinand Pius (''Ferdinando Pio Maria''), Duke of Calabria and Castro (25 July 1869,

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, ...

– 7 January 1960,

Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...

), was head of the

House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon 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 male line through Phili ...

and pretender to the throne of the extinct

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

from 1934 to 1960. Professionally, he was an officer in the

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and Bavarian armies.

Family

Ferdinand was the eldest child of Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta and his wife Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He was a grandson of

Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand II (; ; ; 12 January 1810 – 22 May 1859) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death in 1859. Family Ferdinand was born in Palermo to King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Isabella of Spain. ...

and an older brother of

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Don Carlos, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain (Full Italian language, Italian name: ''Carlo Maria Francesco d'Assisi Pasquale Ferdinando Antonio di Padova Francesco de Paola Alfonso Andrea Avelino Tancredi, Principe di Borbone dell ...

, Maria Immaculata, Princess Johann Georg of Saxony, Maria Cristina, Archduchess Peter Ferdinand of Austria, Maria di Grazia, Princess Imperial of Brazil, Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro, Prince Philip of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and Prince Gabriel of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Marriage

Ferdinand married

Princess Maria Ludwiga Theresia of Bavaria Princess Maria Ludwiga Theresia of Bavaria (6 July 1872 – 10 June 1954) was the daughter of the last King of Bavaria, Ludwig III of Bavaria, Ludwig III, and Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (1849–1919), Maria Theresia of Austria-Este. Her husband ...

, daughter of King

Ludwig III of Bavaria Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfred; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially, he served in the Bavarian Army, Bavarian military as a lieutenant and went on to hold ...

on 31 May 1897. They had six children: *Princess Maria Antonietta (1898–1957) *Princess Maria Cristina (1899–1985), married in 1948 to Manuel Sotomayor-Luna,

Vice President of Ecuador The vice president of Ecuador is the second highest political position in Ecuador. In many instances, the vice president succeeded the President of Ecuador, president in turbulent political situations. The last time was in 2005 after the resignat ...

*Prince Ruggiero Maria, Duke of

Noto Noto (; ) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and its church were decl ...

(1901–1914) *Princess Barbara Maria Antonietta Luitpolda (1902–1927), married in 1922 to Count Franz Xaver zu

Stolberg-Wernigerode The County of Stolberg-Wernigerode () was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz region around Wernigerode, now part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg. History The Counts of Wernigerode h ...

*Princess ''Lucia'' Maria Raniera (1908–2001), married in 1938 to Prince Eugenio of Savoy, Duke of Ancona * Princess Urraca Maria Isabella Carolina Aldegonda (1913–1999) Ferdinand and Maria lived for many years at Villa Amsee,

. It was there that he died in 1960.

Disputed succession

Following Ferdinand's death, the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was claimed by both his nephew Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, and his brother Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro, and remains disputed between their descendants. The basis of Alfonso’s claim was that his late father,

(1870–1949), had been Ferdinand's next oldest brother.Philippe de Montjouvent, ''Le Comte de Paris et sa Descendance'' (Charenton: Editions du Chaney, 1998 ), pp. 251-261, 264-265, 270-272 But Henri, Count of Paris, upheld the claim of Ferdinand's younger brother, Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro (1883–1973), contending that Carlos had renounced his rights of succession for himself and his descendants in 1901 when he married the Spanish heiress presumptive María de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias. The Count of Paris was well aware that his own claim to the French throne depended on the validity of the renunciation in 1713 of

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

, in favor of the junior

House of Orléans The 4th House of Orléans (), sometimes called the House of Bourbon-Orléans () to distinguish it, is the fourth holder of a surname previously used by several branches of the House of France, Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimat ...

. In 1900, Prince Carlos had executed the Act of Cannes, in anticipation of his marriage to María de las Mercedes, and in 1901 he became a Spanish subject and accepted the title of

Infante Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...

. The position of Ranieri was that by so doing Carlos had renounced any claim to the throne of the Two Sicilies. But Alfonso had a different interpretation, which was that the Act of Cannes would have taken effect only if Mercedes and Carlos had succeeded to the Spanish throne. He also argued that the Act of Cannes was invalid under the succession rules of the house of Two Sicilies. The dispute remains unresolved.

Military service

Ferdinand initially served in the Spanish Army, and after leaving service held the honorary rank of ''Comandante'' of the General Staff of the Spanish Army. On 1 March 1911, he was named

Inhaber ''Inhaber'', or Proprietor, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a weal ...

(honorary chief) of the Royal Bavarian 6th Field Artillery Regiment (''Königlich Bayerisches 6. Feld-Artillerie-Regiment "Prinz Ferdinand von Bourbon, Herzog von Calabrien"''), which was renamed in honor of him. He held the rank of ''

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

'' ''

à la suite À la suite (, ''in the entourage f') was a military title given to those who were allotted to the army or a particular unit for honour's sake and were entitled to wear a regimental uniform but otherwise had no official position. In Prussia ...

'' of the

Bavarian Army The Bavarian Army () was the army of the Electorate of Bavaria, Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom of Bavaria, Kingdom (1806–1918) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereig ...

.Bayerisches Kriegsministerium (Herausg.): ''Militär-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern'', Drucksachen-Verlag des Kriegsministeriums, Munich 1914 In

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he saw action initially in 1914 on the Western Front at

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

and La Bassée.''Kriegsrangliste der 11. bayerischen Infanterie-Division'', Bavarian State Archives, Department IV, War Archive, Kriegsranglisten und -stammrollen, 1914-1918, Munich. On 27 May 1915, he was promoted to ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'' ''à la suite'' of the Army and on 6 June 1915 he was named ''Ordonnanzoffizier'' (aide-de-camp or orderly officer) on the staff of the newly-formed

11th Bavarian Infantry Division The 11th Bavarian Infantry Division (''11. Bayerische Infanterie-Division'') was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army, part of the Imperial German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on March 24, 1915, and organized over the next few week ...

. The division saw action on the Eastern and Western Fronts, and in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Honours

: ** Order of Saint Januarius, Grand Master ** Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit, Grand Master **

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (; ), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Order of the Constantinian Angelic Knights of Saint George, is a dynastic order of knighthood ...

, Grand Master **

Royal Order of Francis I The Royal Order of Francis I (properly 'The Royal Order of Francis I of the Two Sicilies' ) was an extinct order of merit of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which was annexed in 1861 by the King of Italy (until 1860 King of Piedmont and S ...

, Grand Master ** Order of Saint George and Reunion, Grand Master *

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

: ** Order of Saint Hubert, Knight ** Jubilee Medal for the Bavarian Army ** Military Merit Order, 3rd Class with Crown and Swords (3 September 1915)Erhard Roth: ''Verleihungen von militärischen Orden und Ehrenzeichen des Königreichs Bayern im Ersten Weltkrieg 1914-1918'', Phaleristischer Verlag Michael Autengruber, Offenbach am Main, 1997, ISBN 3-932543-19-X ** Military Merit Order, Officer's Cross with and Swords (1 January 1918) *

Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

: **

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

, Knight **

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

, Knight Grand Cross ** Order of Military Merit, 1st Class ** , 1st Class ** Regency Medal ** Coronation Medal in Gold ** Commemorative Medal ** Campaign Commemorative Medal *

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

: ** Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration **

Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary The Order of Saint Stephen () is an order of chivalry founded in 1764 by Maria Theresa. In 1938, Miklós Horthy took the rights and activities of Grand Master as Regent of Hungary. The name of the Order changed to the Royal Hungarian Order of ...

, Grand Cross *

Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria (), also known as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom (), usually known in English as the Kingdom of Bulgaria, or simply Bulgaria, was a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Europe, which was established on , when the Bulgaria ...

: ** Order of Saint Alexander, Grand Cross ** Military Order for Bravery, 3rd Class, 1st Grade *

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...

: ** Princely

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses an ...

, Cross of Honor 1st Class ** Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Cross of Honor 1st Class with Swords (19 May 1916)Richard Lundström and Daniel Krause: ''Verleihungen des Fürstlichen Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern und der Goldene Ehrenmedaille mit Schwertern 1914-1947'', Phaleristischer Verlag Michael Autengruber, Konstanz am Bodensee, 2008, ISBN 3-937064-12-5 * Kingdom of Italy:

Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation () is a Catholic order of chivalry, originating in County of Savoy, Savoy. It eventually was the pinnacle of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Italy#The Kingdom of Italy, honours system in the ...

, Knight *

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

: Bailiff Grand Cross of Honor and Devotion *

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

: ** Liakat Medal in Gold with Sabers ** War Medal *

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

1st and 2nd Class *

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

: Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Grand Cross *

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

: Order of Saint Joseph, Grand Cross

Arms

File:Coat of Arms of Princes of the Two Sicilies (c.1840).svg, Prince Ferdinand's arms
Until 1894 File:Coat of Arms of the Crown Prince of the Two Sicilies.svg, Prince Ferdinand's arms as titular heir to the throne
1894-1934 File:Great Royal Coat of Arms of the Two Sicilies.svg, Prince Ferdinand's arms as head of the Royal House
1934-1960

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand Pius Of Castro, Duke 1869 births 1960 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholics 20th-century Roman Catholics Burials at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul (Rieden, Swabia) Dukes of Calabria Dukes of Castro Dukes of Noto Italian Roman Catholics Knights of Malta Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Nobility from Rome Pretenders to the throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Princes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies