Prince Ranieri Maria Gaetano, Duke of Castro (3 December 1883 – 13 January 1973) was a claimant to the headship 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 ...

Biography

He was born in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) 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 Internatio ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the ninth child but fifth son of Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta and Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1851–1938). Ranieri for a time served in the Royal

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

. Following the death of his brother Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria on 7 January 1960 Prince Ranieri was declared Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies by all relatives except for Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria and his children, because the Infante's senior branch of the family abdicated their claims in order to be in line for the Spanish throne. He remained head of the house until his death on 13 January 1973 in Lacombe. He handed over the functions associated with the headship of the house to his son in 1966.The Dynasty to Present Date

Marriage and children

Ranieri married his first cousin Countess Maria Carolina Zamoyska (1896–1968) on 12 September 1923 in Vyšné Ružbachy,

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

, from the marriage he had two children: *Princess ''Maria del Carmen'' Carolina Antonia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1924–2018). * Prince ''Ferdinando'' Maria Andrea Alfonso Marcus, Duke of Castro (1926–2008).

Honours

* Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George * Grand Master of the Order of Saint Januarius * Grand Master of the Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit * Grand Master of the Royal Order of Francis I * Grand Master of the Order of Saint George and Reunion * Knight of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece * Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert of Bavaria * Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation * Bailiff Grand Cross of Honor and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III * Knight of the Order of Alcántara

Arms

File:Coat of Arms of Princes of the Two Sicilies (c.1840).svg, Prince Rainieri's arms
Until 1960 File:Coat of Arms of Prince Ranieri of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro.svg, Prince Rainieri's arms
used in Spain File:Great Royal Coat of Arms of the Two Sicilies.svg, Prince Ranieri's arms as head of the Royal House
1960-1973

Ancestry

References

External links

Royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranieri Of Castro, Duke, Prince 1883 births 1973 deaths People from Cannes Princes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Pretenders to the throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Dukes of Castro Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Bailiffs Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Knights of the Order of Alcántara Burials at the Cimetière du Grand Jas French Roman Catholics