House Bourbon-Two Sicilies Religion Roman Catholicism | Name Prince of | |
 | ||
Born 10 November 1870
Gries, Bolzano, Italy ( 1870-11-10 ) Burial Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador, Seville Issue Prince Alfonso, Duke of Calabria
Prince Fernando
Princess Isabel Alfonsa
Prince Carlos
Princess Maria de los Dolores
Maria Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona
Princess Maria de la Esperanza Father Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta Mother Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Died November 11, 1949, Seville, Spain Spouse Princess Louise of Orleans (m. 1907–1949), Mercedes, Princess of Asturias (m. 1901–1904) Children Princess Maria de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Parents Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta, Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Siblings Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria Similar People Juan Carlos I of Spain, Infante Carlos - Duke of C, Princess Maria de las Merce, Infante Juan - Count of, Mercedes - Princess of Asturias | ||
Don Carlos, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain (Full Italian name: Carlo Maria Francesco d'Assisi Pasquale Ferdinando Antonio di Padova Francesco de Paola Alfonso Andrea Avelino Tancredi, Principe di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, Infante di Spagna; 10 November 1870, Gries-San Quirino, Bolzano, Italy – 11 November 1949, Seville, Spain) was the son of Prince Alfonso of the Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta and his wife Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and nephew of the last King of the Two Sicilies, Francis II.
Contents
Marriages and children
On 14 February 1901 in Madrid, Carlos married Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, elder daughter of the late King Alfonso XII of Spain and of his wife Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria. Mercedes was the elder sister and heiress presumptive to King Alfonso XIII of Spain, an unmarried teenager. A week before the wedding, on 7 February, Carlos was given the title of Infante of Spain.
Carlos and Mercedes had three children:
Mercedes died in childbirth in 1904.
In 1907, Carlos married secondly to Princess Louise of Orléans, daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris. The couple had four children:
Prince Carlos's descendants include King Felipe VI of Spain, Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza and Prince Peter of Yugoslavia, among others.
Military service
Carlos served in the Spanish Army in the Spanish–American War and received the Military Order of Maria Cristina. Eventually he rose to the rank of Inspector General.
He was the 1,099th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain on 7 February 1901 and the 280th Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword.
Two Sicilies succession
In 1894, Carlos's father Alfonso became the Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. On marrying his first wife, Carlos renounced his rights of succession to the Crown of Two Sicilies on 14 December 1900. In 1960, Carlos's older brother Ferdinand died without male issue, and Carlos' son Alfonso reclaimed his rights. However, Carlos's younger brother Ranieri objected and also claimed rights based on the renunciation of 1900. The dispute is still not resolved. While most royal houses in Europe recognize the claim of Ranieri's descendants, the Spanish Royal House recognizes the claim of Carlos's descendants.