List of living legitimate male Capetians
The Capetian dynasty is the largest dynasty in Europe, with over 120 living male members descended in the legitimate agnatic line. Since the extinction of the House of Courtenay in 1733, the House of Bourbon is the only remaining branch of legitimate descent.
Descendants in the male line of Louis XIV through his grandson Philip V of Spain are designated as House of Bourbon; descendants in the male line of Philip I, Duke of Orléans, are designated as House of Orleans. All those listed below are actually descendants of King Louis XIII; after the death in 1830 of Louis Henry II, the last Prince of Condé (descended from the youngest son of Charles, Duke of Vendôme), no other legitimate lines of descent from Hugh Capet continued to exist.
Patrilineal descent
The Capetian lineage can be traced back more than 1,200 years and is one of the oldest in Europe. The dynasty has achieved royal status either in 888, at the election of Odo (a Robertian) to the crown of France, or in 987, at the election of Hugh Capet, making it the oldest Western European royal dynasty in existence.
- Robert II of Worms and Rheingau, 770–807
- Robert III of Worms and Rheingau, 808–834
- Robert the Strong, Margrave of Neustria, 820–866
- Robert I, King of the Franks, 866–923
- Hugh the Great, Duke of the Franks, 895–956
- Hugh Capet, King of the Franks, 941–996
- Robert II, King of the Franks, 972–1031
- Henry I, King of the Franks, 1008–1060
- Philip I, King of the Franks, 1053–1108
- Louis VI, King of the Franks, 1081–1137
- Louis VII, King of the Franks, 1120–1180
- Philip II, King of France, 1165–1223
- Louis VIII, King of France, 1187–1226
- Louis IX, King of France, 1214–1270
- Robert, Count of Clermont, 1256–1317
- Louis I, Duke of Bourbon, c. 1280–1342
- James I, Count of La Marche, 1315–1362
- John I, Count of La Marche, 1344–1393
- Louis, Count of Vendôme, c. 1376–1446
- John II, Count of Vendôme, 1428–1478
- Francis, Count of Vendôme, 1470–1495
- Charles, Duke of Vendôme, 1489–1537
- Antoine, King of Navarre, 1518–1562
- Henry IV, King of France, 1553–1610
- Louis XIII, King of France, 1601–1643
Ancestral lines of the Bourbons
- Louis XIII, King of France (1601-1643)
- Louis XIV, King of France (1638-1715)
- Louis, Dauphin of France (1661-1711)
- Philip V, King of Spain (1683-1746)
- Charles III, King of Spain (1716-1788)
- Charles IV, King of Spain (1748-1819)
- Francisco de Paula, Duke of Cádiz (1794-1865)
- Francisco de Asis, Duke of Cadiz (1822-1902)
- Enrique, 1st Duke of Seville (1823-1870)
- Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Castellví (1853-1942)
- Alberto, 1st Duke of Santa Elena (1854-1939)
- House of Bourbon-Santa Elena
- Francisco de Paula, Duke of Cádiz (1794-1865)
- Ferdinand I, King of Two Sicilies (1751-1825)
- Francis I, King of Two Sicilies (1777-1830)
- Ferdinand II, King of Two Sicilies (1810-1859)
- Francis I, King of Two Sicilies (1777-1830)
- Charles IV, King of Spain (1748-1819)
- Philip I, Duke of Parma (1720-1765)
- Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma (1751-1802)
- Louis, King of Etruria (1773-1803)
- Charles II, Duke of Parma (1799-1883)
- Charles III, Duke of Parma (1823-1854)
- Charles II, Duke of Parma (1799-1883)
- Louis, King of Etruria (1773-1803)
- Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma (1751-1802)
- Charles III, King of Spain (1716-1788)
- Philip V, King of Spain (1683-1746)
- Louis, Dauphin of France (1661-1711)
- Philippe I, Duke of Orleans (1640-1701)
- Philippe II, Duke of Orleans (1674-1723)
- Louis IV, Duke of Orléans (1703-1752)
- Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orleans (1725-1785)
- Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orleans (1747-1793)
- Louis Philippe I, King of the French (1773-1850)
- Ferdinand, Duke of Orleans (1810-1842)
- Robert, Duke of Chartres (1840-1910)
- Louis, Duke of Nemours (1814-1896)
- Gaston, Count of Eu (1842-1922)
- Antoine, Duke of Montpensier (1824-1890)
- Antonio, Duke of Galliera (1866-1934)
- Ferdinand, Duke of Orleans (1810-1842)
- Louis Philippe I, King of the French (1773-1850)
- Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orleans (1747-1793)
- Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orleans (1725-1785)
- Louis IV, Duke of Orléans (1703-1752)
- Philippe II, Duke of Orleans (1674-1723)
- Louis XIV, King of France (1638-1715)
Living Bourbon males born of Catholic marriages
House of Bourbon
- Alfonso XII of Spain (1857-1885), eighth-generation descendant of Louis XIII
- Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886-1941)
- Jaime, Duke of Segovia (1908-1975)
- Alfonso, Duke of Cadiz (1936-1989)
- Jaime, Duke of Segovia (1908-1975)
- Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886-1941)
- Louis Alphonse de Bourbon, Duke of Anjou (Madrid 25.4.1974, aged 42), Aîné des Capétiens
- Louis de Bourbon, Duke of Burgundy (New York 28.05.2010, aged 6)
- Alphonse de Bourbon, Duke of Berry (New York 28.05.2010, aged 6)
House of Bourbon-Spain
- Alfonso XII of Spain (1857-1885)
- Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886-1941)
- Juan, Count of Barcelona (1913-1993)
- Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886-1941)
- Juan Carlos I, former King of Spain (Rome 5.1.1938, aged 78)
- Felipe VI, King of Spain (Madrid 30.1.1968, aged 48)
House of Bourbon-Seville
- Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Castellví (1853-1942), eighth-generation descendant of Louis XIII
- Francisco de Paula de Borbón y de la Torre, Duke of Seville (1882-1952)
- Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Borbón (1912-1995)
- Francisco de Paula de Borbón y de la Torre, Duke of Seville (1882-1952)
- Don Francisco de Borbón y Escasany, 5th Duke of Séville (Madrid 16.11.1943, aged 73)
- Don Francisco de Borbón y Hardenberg (Madrid 21.1.1979, aged 37)
- Don Alfonso Carlos de Borbón y Escasany (Madrid 10.2.1945, aged 71)
- Don Alfonso de Borbón y Yordi (Madrid 16.11.1973, aged 43)
- Don Enrique de Borbón y Garcia de Lobez (Madrid 18.3.1970, aged 46)
- Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Castellví (1853-1942)
- José de Borbón y La Torre (1883-1962)
- Carlos de Borbón y Rich (1915-1978)
- José de Borbón y La Torre (1883-1962)
- Don Carlos de Borbón y Oro (Ciempozuelos 26.6.1940, aged 76)
- Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Castellví (1853-1942)
- José de Borbón y La Torre (1883-1962)
- Alberto de Borbón y Rich (1916-1997)
- José de Borbón y La Torre (1883-1962)
- Enrique José de Borbón y Campos (Madrid 11.1.1948, aged 68) (naturalized)
- Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Castellví (1853-1942)
- Alfonso de Borbón y de León, 2nd Marquess of Squilache (1893-1936)
- Don Alfonso de Borbón y Caralt, 3rd Marquess of Squilache (Madrid 5.5.1926, aged 90)
Santa Elena branch
- Alberto María de Borbón y Castellvi, 1st Duke of Santa Elena (1854-1939), eighth-generation descendant of Louis XIII
- Alberto de Borbón y d'Ast, 2nd Duke of Santa Elena (1883-1959)
- Alfonso María de Borbón y Pintó, Marquess of Santa Fe de Guardiola (1909-1938)
- Alberto de Borbón y Perez del Pulgar, 3rd Duke of Santa Elena (1933-1995)
- Alfonso María de Borbón y Pintó, Marquess of Santa Fe de Guardiola (1909-1938)
- Alberto de Borbón y d'Ast, 2nd Duke of Santa Elena (1883-1959)
- Don Alfonso de Borbón y Sanchiz, 4th Duke of Santa Elena (Madrid 31.3.1961, aged 55)
- Don Alfonso de Borbón y Escrivá de Romani (Madrid 2.2.1995, aged 21)
- Alberto María de Borbón y Castellvi, 1st Duke of Santa Elena (1854-1939)
- Alberto de Borbón y d'Ast, 2nd Duke of Santa Elena (1883-1959)
- Alfonso María de Borbón y Pintó, Marquess of Santa Fe de Guardiola (1909-1938)
- Alfonso de Borbón y Perez del Pulgar (1937-2007)
- Alfonso de Borbón y Medina (1963-2005)
- Alfonso de Borbón y Perez del Pulgar (1937-2007)
- Alfonso María de Borbón y Pintó, Marquess of Santa Fe de Guardiola (1909-1938)
- Alberto de Borbón y d'Ast, 2nd Duke of Santa Elena (1883-1959)
- Don Alfonso de Borbón y Pérez-Menzel (6.11.1999, aged 17)
- Don Fernando de Borbón y Medina (Seville 15.6.1966, aged 50)
- Fernando de Borbón y Vallejo (12.3.2001, aged 15)
- Ignacio de Borbón y Vallejo (12.10.2005, aged 11)
- Don Jaime de Borbón y Medina (Seville 19.7.1971, aged 45)
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Calabria branch
- Alfonso, Count of Caserta (1841-1934), eighth-generation descendant of Louis XIII
- Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1870-1949)
- Alfonso, Duke of Calabria (1901-1964)
- Carlos, Duke of Calabria (1938-2015),
- Alfonso, Duke of Calabria (1901-1964)
- Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1870-1949)
- Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria (Madrid 16.10.1968, aged 48)
- Prince Juan of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Madrid 18.4.2003, aged 13)
- Prince Pablo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Madrid 28.6.2004, aged 12)
- Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Madrid 3.1.2007, aged 9)
Castro branch
- Alfonso, Count of Caserta (1841-1934)
- Ranieri, Duke of Castro (1883-1973)
- Ferdinand, Duke of Castro (1926-2008)
- Ranieri, Duke of Castro (1883-1973)
- Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro (St.Raphael 24.2.1963, aged 53)
- Alfonso, Count of Caserta (1841-1934)
- Filippo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1885-1949)
- Gaëtano of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1917-1984)
- Filippo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1885-1949)
- Adrian de Bourbon (Warrington 7.4.1948, aged 68)
- Philippe de Bourbon (Harare 5.5.1977, aged 39)
- Gregory de Bourbon (Warrington 2.1.1950, aged 66)
- Christian de Bourbon (Vancouver 11.4.1974, aged 42)
- Raymond de Bourbon (Harare 8.11.1978, aged 38)
- Alfonso, Count of Caserta (1841-1934)
- Gabriel of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1897-1975)
- Prince Antoine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Cannes 20.1.1929, aged 87)
- Prince François of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Ravensburg 20.6.1960, aged 56)
- Prince Antoine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Geneva 6.6.2003, aged 13)
- Prince Gennaro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Ravensburg 27.1.1966, aged 50)
- Prince Casimir of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Warsaw 8.11.1938, aged 78)
- Prince Louis of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Rio de Janeiro 28.11.1970, aged 45)
- Prince Alexander of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (São Paulo 9.8.1974, aged 42), priest
House of Bourbon-Parma
- Charles III, Duke of Parma (1823-1854), eighth-generation descendant of Louis XIII
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Xavier, Duke of Parma (1889-1977)
- Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma (1930-2010)
- Xavier, Duke of Parma (1889-1977)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma (Nijmegen 27.1.1970, aged 46)
- Carlos, Hereditary Prince of Bourbon-Parma (The Hague 24.4.2016, aged 0)
- Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi (Nijmegen 13.10.1972, aged 44)
- Prince Sixte Henri of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Aranjuez (Pau 22.7.1940, aged 76)
Luxembourg branch
- Charles III, Duke of Parma (1823-1854)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Felix of Bourbon-Parma (1893-1970)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Chat. Colmar-Berg 5.1.1921, aged 95)
- Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Chat. Betzdorf 16.4.1955, aged 61)
- Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Luxembourg 11.11.1981, aged 35)
- Prince Félix of Luxembourg (Luxembourg 3.6.1984, aged 32)
- Prince Louis of Luxembourg (Luxembourg 3.8.1986, aged 30)
- Prince Noah of Nassau (Luxembourg 21.9.2007, aged 9)
- Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg (Luxembourg 17.4.1992, aged 24)
- Prince Jean of Luxembourg (Chat. Betzdorf 15.5.1957, aged 59)
- Prince Constantin of Nassau (Paris 22.7.1988, aged 28)
- Prince Wenceslas of Nassau (Paris 17.11.1990, aged 26)
- Prince Carl-Johan of Nassau (Paris 15.8.1992, aged 24)
- Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg (Chat. Betzdorf 1.5.1963, aged 53)
- Prince Paul Louis of Nassau (Luxembourg 4.3.1998, aged 18)
- Prince Léopold of Nassau (Luxembourg 2.5.2000, aged 16)
- Prince Jean of Nassau (Luxembourg 13.7.2004, aged 12)
- Charles III, Duke of Parma (1823-1854)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Felix of Bourbon-Parma (1893-1970)
- Charles of Luxembourg (1927–1977)
- Felix of Bourbon-Parma (1893-1970)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Prince Robert of Luxembourg (Fischbach 22.8.1968, aged 48)
- Prince Alexandre of Nassau (Aix-en-Provence 18.4.1997, aged 19)
- Prince Frederik of Nassau (Aix-en-Provence 18.3.2002, aged 14)
House of Bourbon-Parma
- Charles III, Duke of Parma (1823-1854)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- René of Bourbon-Parma (1894-1962)
- Jacques of Bourbon-Parma (1922-1964)
- René of Bourbon-Parma (1894-1962)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Prince Philippe of Bourbon-Parma (Copenhagen 22.1.1949, aged 67)
- Jacques of Bourbon-Parma (Roskilde 3.1.1986, aged 30)
- Joseph of Bourbon-Parma (Roskilde 6.6.1989, aged 27)
- Prince Alain of Bourbon-Parma (Roskilde 15.5.1955, aged 61)
- Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma (Paris 4.3.1926, aged 90)
- Prince Eric of Bourbon-Parma (Copenhagen 28.8.1953, aged 63)
- Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma (Lejre 12.2.1989, aged 27)
- Prince Henri of Bourbon-Parma (Roskilde 14.10.1991, aged 25)
- Prince Charles Emmanuel of Bourbon-Parma (Paris 3.6.1962, aged 54)
- Prince Amaury of Bourbon-Parma (Paris 30.10.1991, aged 25)
- Charles III, Duke of Parma (1823-1854)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- René of Bourbon-Parma (1894-1962)
- André of Bourbon-Parma (1928-2011)
- René of Bourbon-Parma (1894-1962)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Axel of Bourbon-Parma (Paris 18.9.1968, aged 48)
- Côme of Bourbon-Parma (Neuilly 7.5.1997, aged 19)
- Charles III, Duke of Parma (1823-1854)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Luigi of Bourbon-Parma (1899-1967)
- Guy of Bourbon-Parma (1940-1991)
- Luigi of Bourbon-Parma (1899-1967)
- Robert I, Duke of Parma (1848-1907)
- Louis of Bourbon-Parma (Paris 25.6.1966, aged 50)
- Guy of Bourbon-Parma (Genolier, CH 6.2.1995, aged 21)
- Prince Rémy of Bourbon-Parma (Cannes 14.7.1942, aged 74)
- Tristan of Bourbon-Parma (Cannes 30.6.1974, aged 42)
- Prince Jean Bernard of Bourbon-Parma (Cannes 15.10.1961, aged 55)
- Arnaud de Bourbon (Cannes 26.10.1989, aged 27)
- Christophe de Bourbon (Mandelieu 4.7.1991, aged 25)
All those listed above are descendants of Louis XIV, King of France |
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House of Orléans
- Robert, Duke of Chartres (1840-1910), eighth-generation descendant of Louis XIII
- Jean, Duke of Guise (1874-1940)
- Henri, Count of Paris (1908-1999)
- Jean, Duke of Guise (1874-1940)
- Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris (Woluwé-Saint-Pierre 14.6.1933, aged 83)
- François d'Orléans, Count of Clermont (Boulogne-Billancourt 7.2.1961, aged 55)
- Jean d'Orléans, Duke of Vendôme (Boulogne-Billancourt 19.5.1965, aged 51)
- Prince Gaston d'Orléans (Paris 19.11.2009, aged 6)
- Prince Joseph d'Orléans (Dreux 2.6.2016, aged 0)
- Eudes d'Orléans, Duke of Angoulême (Paris 18.3.1968, aged 48)
- Prince Pierre d'Orléans (Grasse 6.8.2003, aged 13)
- Michel d'Orléans, Count of Evreux (Rabat, Maroc 25.6.1941, aged 75)
- Charles Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Anjou (Paris 3.3.1973, aged 43)
- Prince François d'Orléans, Count of Dreux (Madrid 10.2.1982, aged 34)
- Jacques d'Orléans, Duke of Orleans (Rabat, Maroc 25.6.1941, aged 75)
- Charles-Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres (Neuilly-sur-Seine 11.7.1972, aged 44)
- Prince Philippe d'Orléans (Buenos Aires 3.11.1998, aged 18)
- Prince Constantin d'Orléans (Paris 15.2.2003, aged 13)
- Foulques d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale (Paris 9.7.1974, aged 42)
- Robert, Duke of Chartres (1840-1910)
- Jean, Duke of Guise (1874-1940)
- Henri, Count of Paris (1908-1999)
- Thibaut, Count of La Marche (1948-1983)
- Henri, Count of Paris (1908-1999)
- Jean, Duke of Guise (1874-1940)
- Robert d'Orléans, Count of La Marche (Edinburgh 6.9.1976, aged 40)
House of Orléans-Braganza
Petrópolis branch
- Gaston, Count of Eu (1842-1922), eighth-generation descendant of Louis XIII
- Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará (1875-1940)
- Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (1913-2007)
- Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará (1875-1940)
- Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 31.10.1945, aged 71)
- Prince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-Braganza (Petropolis 12.1.1979, aged 37)
- Prince Filipe of Orléans-Braganza (Brasília 31.12.1982, aged 33)
- Prince Alfonso Duarte of Orléans-Braganza (Petrópolis 25.4.1948, aged 68)
- Prince Manoel Alvaro of Orléans-Braganza (Petropolis 17.6.1949, aged 67)
- Prince Manoel Alfonso of Orléans-Braganza (Sevilla 9.4.1981, aged 35)
- Prince Francisco Humberto of Orléans-Braganza (Petropolis 9.12.1956, aged 59)
- Prince Francisco Teodoro of Orléans-Braganza (Petropolis 25.9.1979, aged 37)
- Prince Gabriel of Orléans-Braganza (Petropolis 1989, aged 26–27)
- Gaston, Count of Eu (1842-1922)
- Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará (1875-1940)
- João of Orléans-Braganza (1916-2005)
- Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará (1875-1940)
- Prince João Henrique of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 25.4.1954, aged 62)
- Prince João Filipe of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 27.11.1986, aged 29)
Vassouras branch
Vassouras[1]
- Gaston, Count of Eu (1842-1922)
- Luís of Orléans-Braganza (1878-1920)
- Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza (1909-1981)
- Luís of Orléans-Braganza (1878-1920)
- Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza (Mandelieu 6.6.1938, aged 78)
- Prince Eudes of Orléans-Braganza (Mandelieu 8.6.1939, aged 77)
- Luiz Filipe of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 3.4.1969, aged 47)
- Maximiliano of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 14.6.2012, aged 4)
- Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza (Mandelieu 2.2.1941, aged 75)
- Prince Pedro de Alcântara of Orléans-Braganza (Petropolis 1.12.1945, aged 70)
- Gabriel of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 1.12.1980, aged 35)
- Gabriel of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 12.4.2013, aged 3)
- Prince Fernando of Orléans-Braganza (Petropolis 2.2.1948, aged 68)
- Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 24.6.1950, aged 66)
- Prince Rafael of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 24.4.1986, aged 30)
- Prince Francisco of Orléans-Braganza (Jacarezinho 6.4.1955, aged 61)
- Prince Alberto of Orléans-Braganza (Jundiai do Sol 23.6.1957, aged 59)
- Pedro Alberto of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 31.5.1988, aged 28)
- Antonio of Orléans-Braganza (Rio de Janeiro 29.5.1997, aged 19)
House of Orléans-Galliera
- Antonio, Duke of Galliera (1866-1930), eighth-generation descendant of Louis XIII
- Alfonso, Duke of Galliera (1886-1975)
- Alvaro, Duke of Galliera (1910-1997)
- Alonso d'Orléans-Borbón (1941-1975)
- Alvaro, Duke of Galliera (1910-1997)
- Alfonso, Duke of Galliera (1886-1975)
- Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón, Duke of Galliera (Santa Cruz, Teneriffe 2.1.1968, aged 48)
- Don Alonso Juan de Orléans-Borbón (Paris 15.7.1994, aged 22)
- Don Alvaro de Orléans-Borbón (Santa Cruz, Teneriffe, 4.10.1969, aged 47)
- Don Aiden de Orléans-Borbón (Spain, 19.6.2009, aged 7)
- Don Alvaro Jaime de Orléans-Borbón (Rome 1.3.1947, aged 69)
- Don Andrea de Orléans-Borbón (Rome 9.7.1976, aged 40)
- Don Alois de Orléans-Borbón (Rome 24.3.1979, aged 37)
- Don Alonso de Orléans-Borbón (Madrid 23.3.2010, aged 6)
All those listed above are descendants of Louis XIII, King of France |
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Dynastic claims
According to the Legitimist faction of French royalists, all male descendants of Hugh Capet in the legitimate male line are dynasts of the Kingdom of France. According to them, the current heir to the French throne, if restored, is Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou.
Traditional "legitimacy" is based on the old rules that existed in the Ancien Régime of the Kingdom of France; civil marriages were then non-existent. Eudes de Orléans-Bragança (b. 1977) and his brother Guy de Orléans-Bragança (b. 1985), sons of Prince Eudes of Orléans-Braganza, were born of civil marriage only, since their father did not obtain an annulment for his first marriage. Consequently, they are regarded as illegitimate according to canon law. Legitimated children, born before their parents' marriage, such as the eldest sons of the Duke of Noto and Louis de Luxembourg, were also excluded from the list.
According to the Orleanist faction of French royalists, the current heir to the French throne, if restored, is Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris. They consider foreigners ineligible to inherit the French throne. The Orleanist order of succession is limited to the senior line of the House of Orleans (the cadet branches of Orleans-Braganza and Orleans-Galliera, and the descendants of Philip V of Spain are considered foreigners). However, François d'Orléans, Count of Clermont, had been disinherited due to mental disability, and the branches of Michel d'Orléans, Count of Evreux and Jacques d'Orléans, Duke of Orleans (fraternal twins) are reversed according to "historical French primogeniture".
Renunciations
The renunciations of rights to thrones have created rival claims and disputes among the existing branches of the House of Bourbon.
The first of these is the renunciation, in 1713, of Philip V of Spain, grandson of Louis XIV of France, of his rights to the French throne. Such renunciation is invalid under the fundamental laws of that kingdom; in France, the right of succession to the throne was considered an inalienable right, so that the king should always be the senior male descendant of Hugh Capet. Nevertheless, the act was of no practical value until the extinction of the male line of Louis XV of France, which did not occur until 1883. By then the monarchy was no more, and most of the remaining royalists supported the Count of Paris, descendant of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, brother of Louis XIV.
Charles III of Spain ordained that the Kingdoms of Spain and Two Sicilies ought never to be united. In context, the semi-Salic law of succession then operated in Spain, with Two Sicilies as a secundogeniture if that throne is vacant. In 1900, Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies renounced his rights of succession to the throne of Two Sicilies, upon his marriage to Mercedes, Princess of Asturias. This made his children heirs presumptive to the Spanish throne. But Alfonso XII and his line pushed them farther down the line of succession, while the death of Ferdinand, Carlos' elder brother, made them immediate heirs to the defunct throne of Two Sicilies. Carlos' son Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, reclaimed his rights, to which his uncle, Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro, objected. The dispute is still unresolved; the Calabria claimant is supported by Spain, while the Castro claimant is supported by other royal houses and the other members of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
In 1908, Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará, wished to marry Countess Elisabeth Dobržensky de Dobrženicz. Although a Bohemian noblewoman, she did not belong to a royal or reigning dynasty. The constitution of the Brazilian empire did not require dynasts to marry equally, but made the marriage of the heir to the throne dependent upon the Sovereign's consent. The pretender to the throne was Pedro's mother, who wanted her children to marry royalty, in order to increase the prospects of a restoration. As a result, he renounced his succession rights to the throne of Brazil. Thus the Vassouras branch, descendants of his younger brother, Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza, became the heirs of the Brazilian monarchy. But in 1940, Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza, Pedro's son, rejected his father's renunciation and claimed the headship of the Brazilian Imperial House.
Other renunciations
- Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia, renounced his rights to the Spanish throne for himself and his descendants in 1933 due to his deafness. In 1949, he retracted his renunciation of the throne of Spain, but in 1969, Don Jaime definitively renounced the Spanish succession in favour of his nephew, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, by petition of his son Alfonso de Borbón.
- Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg renounced the titles of the House of Bourbon-Parma for himself and his family in 1986[2] when his eldest son, then-Hereditary Grand Duke Henri married Maria-Theresa Mestre. The reason for this was that the Duke of Parma, Carlos Hugo, ruled the marriage unequal in 1981, as well as the marriage of Prince Jean of Luxembourg to Hélène Suzanna Vestur in 1987, for which he renounced his rights to Luxembourg in 1986.
- Prince Louis of Luxembourg, renounced his right of succession for himself and his heirs upon his morganatic marriage in 2006.
- Prince Jean of Luxembourg, renounced his right of succession for himself and his heirs on 26 September 1986.
See also
- Capetian dynasty
- French dynastic disputes
- House of Bourbon
- House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
- House of Bourbon-Parma
- House of Orléans
- House of Orléans-Braganza
- Descendants of Henry IV of France
- Descendants of Louis XIV of France
- Descendants of Philip V of Spain
- Descendants of Charles III of Spain
- Descendants of Alfonso XIII of Spain
- Descendants of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
- Legitimists
- Orléanists
- Line of succession to the Spanish throne
- Line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg
- Line of succession to the former throne of the Two Sicilies
- Line of succession to the French throne (Orléanist)
- Line of succession to the former Brazilian throne