Vicente Pío Osorio de Moscoso y Ponce de León, 13th Count of Altamira, GE, OM, LH (22 July 1801 – 22 February 1864), was a

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 ...

peer, Head of the

House of Osorio The House of Osorio is an old and influential Spanish noble family, which originated from the Kingdom of Castile. History They descend from count Osorio Martínez, a prominent nobleman in the first half of the 12th century who was member of ...

. He held 109 titles of nobility, mostly in the peerage of Spain, and was 14 times a

Grandee Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

, making him the most titled person in the history of the world.

Biography

Family origins

Vicente Pío was born 22 July 1801, son of Vicente Isabel Osorio de Moscoso y Álvarez de Toledo, who was the 12th Count of Altamira and many other titles. His mother was María del Carmen Ponce de León y Carvajal, 5th Duchess of Montemar. Through the deaths with no descendants of several of the main peers in Spain at the time, Osorio's family inherited many of the grandest titles in the country as the closest descendants.

Early years

From a young age, he entered the body of pages of the court, being orphaned of his mother at the age of 12. In 1821, when he was only twenty, he married María Luisa Carvajal y Queralt (1804-1843), daughter of José Miguel de Carvajal, 2nd Duke of San Carlos, in the

Bordeaux Cathedral Bordeaux Cathedral, officially known as the Primatial Cathedral of St Andrew of Bordeaux (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic church dedicated to Saint Andrew and located in Bordeaux, France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Bordeaux-Bazas, Arch ...

. They had 3 daughters and one son, his successor José María Osorio de Moscoso y Carvajal. His father, a moderate liberal, had served in the

Royal Household of Spain The Royal Household of Spain, officially Household of His Majesty the King (), is the constitutional body whose primary function is to provide aid and support to the King of Spain in the exercise of his royal duties and prerogatives. These inc ...

, as

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

's senior groom during the

Liberal Triennium The , () or Three Liberal Years, was a period of three years in Spain between 1820 and 1823 when a liberal government ruled Spain after a military uprising in January 1820 by the lieutenant-colonel Rafael del Riego against the absolutist rule o ...

, for which, in 1823, he had been retaliated, the king removing him from that position and withdrawing the key of Gentilhombre Grande de España con ejercicio y servidumbre. Despite the repeated efforts of his son, the king never rehabilitated him. In 1837 he passed away, and Vicente Pío inherited the numerous paternal titles from him.

Later years

In 1842, the Law of

Confiscation Confiscation (from the Latin ''confiscatio'' "to consign to the ''fiscus'', i.e. transfer to the treasury") is a legal form of search and seizure, seizure by a government or other public authority. The word is also used, popularly, of Tampering w ...

Mayorazgo ''Majorat'' () is a French term for an arrangement giving the right of succession to a specific parcel of property associated with a title of nobility to a single heir, based on male primogeniture. A majorat ( fideicommis) would be inherited by ...

s that made him lose the territories of his large estates (Osorio, Moscoso, Cárdenas, Fernández de Córdoba, Guzmán, etc.), forced him to sell and mortgage a large part of his ''

finca ''Finca'' () is a Spanish term for estate. In English usage, it refers to a piece of rural or agricultural land, typically with a cottage, farmhouse or estate building present, and often adjacent to a woodland or plantation. Overview Especial ...

s''. A widower in 1843, he immediately became close to

Isabella II 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 ...

and his eldest son and heir, José María, married into the royal family in 1847 with Infanta Luisa Teresa. In 1843, he became

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for the

Province of León León (, ; ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the c ...

along with the Marquess of San Isidro, and in 1845, Life Senator. From 1849 to 1850, he was vice-president of the Senate of Spain. Isabella II appointed him, in 1854, her

Caballerizo mayor The Caballerizo mayor (Great Equerry) was the Officer of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain. This role included oversight of the trips, the mews, and the hunt of the King of Spain. Regime during the 16th to 18th centuries ...

and, just two years later, her

Sumiller de Corps The Sumiller de Corps was the Officer of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain in charge of the more intimate and inner rooms of the King of Spain. He was responsible of the most immediate service to the Monarch. This Office was s ...

, who, as head of the Royal Chamber, implied enormous confidence from the queen. In fact, he would not hesitate to marry his daughter Rosalía, in 1859, to José María Ruiz de Arana, a well-known lover of the queen. He was sommelier until his death, which occurred in Madrid in February 1864.
After his death on 22 February 1864,Partida de Fallecimiento (Madrid, 22-02-1864). Copia certificada
/ref> a testamentary commission was established to guarantee the distribution of his substantial inheritance and titles, headed by José Genaro Villanova as executor.

Titles held

Dukedoms

* 17th

Duke of Maqueda Duke of Maqueda () is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility, Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1529 by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I to Diego de Cárdenas, 2nd Lord of Maqueda and ''adelantado' ...

( GE) * 13th Duke of Baena ( GE) * 15th

Duke of Sessa Duke of Sessa is a Spanish noble title awarded to Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba by Ferdinand II in 1507. It was the fifth ducal title bestowed on Gonzalo, after the ducal titles of Santángelo (1497), Terranova (1502), Andría (1507) and M ...

( GE) * 14th Duke of Soma ( GE) * 11th

Duke of Sanlúcar la Mayor Duke of Sanlúcar la Mayor () is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility, Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1625 by Philip IV of Spain, Philip IV to Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, Gaspar de Guz ...

( GE) * 9th

Duke of Medina de las Torres Duke of Medina de las Torres () is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility, Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1625 by Philip IV of Spain, Philip IV to Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, Gaspar de G ...

( GE) * 8th Duke of Atrisco ( GE) * 6th Duke of Montemar ( GE) * 14th

Duke of Terranova Duke of Terranova () is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1502 by Ferdinand II to "El Gran Capitán" (Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba), a general who negotiated the Surrender of Gr ...

( GE) - held unofficially due to extinction * 14th Duke of Santángelo ( GE) - held unofficially due to extinction * 14th

Duke of Andría Duke of Andría () is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility, Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1507 by Ferdinand II of Aragon, Ferdinand II to "El Gran Capitán" (Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba), a gener ...

( GE) - held unofficially due to extinction

Marquessates

*18th

Marquess of Astorga Marquess of Astorga () is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility, Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1465 by Henry IV of Castile, Henry IV to Álvar Pérez Osorio, 2nd Count of Trastámara and captain gener ...

( GE) *9th Marquess of Castromonte ( GE) *9th Marquess of Leganés ( GE) *12th Marquess of Velada ( GE) *12th Marquess of Almazán *13th Marquess of Poza *9th Marquess of Mairena *8th Marquess of Morata de la Vega *9th Marquess of Monasterio *15th Marquess of Ayamonte *10th Marquess of Villamanrique *10th Marquess of Villa de San Román *17th Marquess of Elche *12th Marquess of Montemayor *11th Marquess of Águila

Countships

*13th Count of Altamira ( GE) *14th Count of Cabra ( GE) *19th Count of Palamós *15th Count of Trivento *15th Countof Avellino *14th Count of Oliveto *17th Count of Monteagudo de Mendoza *12th Count of Losada *10th Count of Arzacóllar *14th

Count of Trastámara Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

*17th Count of Santa María de Ortigueira *12th Count of Lodosa *11th Count of Saltés *20th Count of Nieva *6th Count of Garcíez *5th Count of Valhermoso *? Count of Cantillana

Viscountcies

*14th Viscount of Iznájar

Baronies

*24th Baron of Bellpuig *15th Baron of Calonge *16th Baron Liñola

Other titles

He held 4 princely titles from the peerage of the

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 ...

, namely the principalities of

Maratea Maratea (; ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza. It is the only ''comune'' of the region on the Tyrrhenian coast, and is known as "the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian". Owing to the considerable number of its ch ...

Venosa Venosa (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Pala ...

Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...

and

Aracena Aracena () is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, southwestern Spain. , the city has a population of 7,814 inhabitants. The town derived its name from the Sierra de Aracena, which is part of the Sierra Morena system. Arac ...

. He was also Guarda Mayor de Castilla, Alférez mayor del pendón de la Divisa del rey, Grand Admiral of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Grand Chancellor of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and of the Tax Council, Chancellor of the

Real Audiencia A ''Real Audiencia'' (), or simply an ''Audiencia'' (), was an appellate court in Spain and its empire. The name of the institution literally translates as Royal Audience. The additional designation ''chancillería'' (or ''cancillería'', Catala ...

of the Indies and ''

adelantado ''Adelantado'' (, , ; meaning 'advanced') was a title held by some Spain, Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was later used as a military title held by some Spanish ''conquistadores'' of the 15th, 16th a ...

'' mayor of the

Kingdom of Granada The Emirate of Granada, also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, was an Islamic polity in the southern Iberian Peninsula during the Late Middle Ages, ruled by the Nasrid dynasty. It was the last independent Muslim state in Western Europe. ...

References

1801 births 1864 deaths {{Spain-noble-stub Dukes of Sessa