List of Dukes of Alba
Encyclopedia
Duke of Alba
is a Spanish title of nobility
accompanied with the dignity Grandee of Spain. In 1472 the title Count of Alba de Tormes, inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo
, was elevated to the title Duke of Alba by King Henry IV of Castile
.
Duke of Alba de Tormes
is one of the main titles of Spain and which gives its name to the House of Alba
. However, it should be borne in mind that three families have succeeded in the Duchy: the original House of Alba or the Álvarez de Toledo, extinct in 1755, the second House of Silva, extinct in 1802, and the third and current House of FitzJames
, derived from the bastard son of King James II of England
.
Famous Dukes include Don
Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
, governor of the Spanish Netherlands (references to "Alba" (Alva in Dutch), particularly in the context of Dutch history, are usually about him); and Doña María del Pilar de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba, a muse
of the painter Francisco Goya
.
Dukes married into the families of Christopher Columbus
and Cosimo de Medici and the line of the Dukes of Berwick, making them distant relatives of the Earl Spencers
and Dukes of Marlborough.
House of Alba
The House of Alba is an important Spanish aristocratic family who derive from the 12th century Mozarab nobility of post-conquest Toledo. Their claim to Alba traces to 1429, when the first Álvarez de Toledo was made Lord of the City of Alba de Tormes...
is a Spanish title of nobility
Spanish nobility
Spanish nobles are persons who possess the legal status of hereditary nobility according to the laws and traditions of the Spanish monarchy. A system of titles and honours of Spain and of the former kingdoms that constitute it comprise the Spanish nobility...
accompanied with the dignity Grandee of Spain. In 1472 the title Count of Alba de Tormes, inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo
García Álvarez de Toledo, 1st Duke of Alba
García Álvarez de Toledo y Carrillo, 1st Duke of Alba de Tormes was a Spanish nobleman, military leader and politician....
, was elevated to the title Duke of Alba by King Henry IV of Castile
Henry IV of Castile
Henry IV , King of the Crown of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent , was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile...
.
Duke of Alba de Tormes
Alba de Tormes
Alba de Tormes is a municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. The town is on the River Tormes upstream from the city of Salamanca. Alba gave its name to one of Spain's most important dukedoms. St Teresa of Ávila died at a convent...
is one of the main titles of Spain and which gives its name to the House of Alba
House of Alba
The House of Alba is an important Spanish aristocratic family who derive from the 12th century Mozarab nobility of post-conquest Toledo. Their claim to Alba traces to 1429, when the first Álvarez de Toledo was made Lord of the City of Alba de Tormes...
. However, it should be borne in mind that three families have succeeded in the Duchy: the original House of Alba or the Álvarez de Toledo, extinct in 1755, the second House of Silva, extinct in 1802, and the third and current House of FitzJames
House of FitzJames
The House of FitzJames is a noble house of British-origin founded by James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick who was the illegitimate son of James II & VII, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, a Catholic monarch from the House of Stuart...
, derived from the bastard son of King James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
.
Famous Dukes include Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba was a Spanish general and governor of the Spanish Netherlands , nicknamed "the Iron Duke" in the Low Countries because of his harsh and cruel rule there and his role in the execution of his political opponents and the massacre of several...
, governor of the Spanish Netherlands (references to "Alba" (Alva in Dutch), particularly in the context of Dutch history, are usually about him); and Doña María del Pilar de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba, a muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of the painter Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
.
Dukes married into the families of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
and Cosimo de Medici and the line of the Dukes of Berwick, making them distant relatives of the Earl Spencers
Earl Spencer
Earl Spencer is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was created on 1 November 1765, along with the title Viscount Althorp, of Althorp in the County of Northamptonshire, for John Spencer, 1st Viscount Spencer, a great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
and Dukes of Marlborough.
Lords of Alba de Tormes (1429-1438)
- Don Gutierre III Alvarez de Toledo (also Bishop of Palencia and Archbishop of Seville and Toledo)
Counts of Alba de Tormes (1438-1472)
- Don Hernando Álvarez de Toledo, 1st Count of Alba
- Don García Álvarez de Toledo, 2nd Count of AlbaGarcía Álvarez de Toledo, 1st Duke of AlbaGarcía Álvarez de Toledo y Carrillo, 1st Duke of Alba de Tormes was a Spanish nobleman, military leader and politician....
(created Duke of Alba in 1472)
Dukes of Alba de Tormes (since 1472)
- Don García Álvarez de Toledo, 1st Duke of AlbaGarcía Álvarez de Toledo, 1st Duke of AlbaGarcía Álvarez de Toledo y Carrillo, 1st Duke of Alba de Tormes was a Spanish nobleman, military leader and politician....
- Don Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 2nd Duke of AlbaFadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 2nd Duke of AlbaFadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Enríquez, 2nd Duke of Alba was a Spanish nobleman, military leader and politician....
- Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of AlbaFernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of AlbaDon Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba was a Spanish general and governor of the Spanish Netherlands , nicknamed "the Iron Duke" in the Low Countries because of his harsh and cruel rule there and his role in the execution of his political opponents and the massacre of several...
(1507–1582) - Don Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of AlbaFadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of AlbaFadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Enríquez de Guzmán, 4th Duke of Alba, Grandee of Spain, , , was a commander in the Spanish army during the Eighty Years' War....
- Don Antonio Álvarez de Toledo, 5th Duke of AlbaAntonio Álvarez de Toledo, 5th Duke of AlbaAntonio Álvarez de Toledo y Beaumont, 5th Duke of Alba, Grandee of Spain, , was a Spanish nobleman and politician....
- Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 6th Duke of Alba
- Don Antonio Álvarez de Toledo, 7th Duke of Alba
- Don Antonio Álvarez de Toledo, 8th Duke of Alba
- Don Antonio Álvarez de Toledo, 9th Duke of Alba
- Don Francisco Álvarez de Toledo, 10th Duke of Alba
- Doña María Teresa Álvarez de Toledo, 11th Duchess of Alba
- Don Fernando de Silva, 12th Duke of AlbaFernando de Silva, 12th Duke of AlbaFernando de Silva Mendoza y Toledo, 12th Duke of Alba, Grandee of Spain , was a Spanish politician and general.-Biography:...
- Doña María del Pilar de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba (1762–1802)
- Don Carlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart, 14th Duke of AlbaCarlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart, 14th Duke of AlbaDon Carlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 14th Duke of Alba, Grandee of Spain 1st Class was a Spanish aristocrat.-Biography:...
—see also list of Duke of Berwick - Don Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 15th Duke of AlbaJacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 15th Duke of AlbaJacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Ventimiglia, 15th Duke of Alba was a Spanish nobleman....
- Don Carlos María Fitz-James Stuart, 16th Duke of Alba
- Don Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of AlbaJacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of AlbaDon Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó, 17th Duke of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain was a Spanish noble, diplomat, politician and art collector...
- Doña María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of AlbaCayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of AlbaDoña María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain is the current head of the House of Alba and the third woman to carry the title in her own right...