Íñigo Méndez de Vigo y Montojo, 9th Baron of Claret (born 21 January 1956) is a Spanish aristocrat and politician. He served as Minister of Education, Culture and Sport between 26 June 2015 and 1 June 2018, when a vote of no-confidence against

Mariano Rajoy Mariano Rajoy Brey (; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a vote of no confidence ousted his government. On 5 June 2018, he announced his resignation as People's Party lead ...

ousted the government. He was also the Spokesperson of the Government from 4 November 2016 until his departure on 1 June 2018.

Childhood and education

Méndez de Vigo was born on 21 January 1956 in Tetuan, then part of the

Spanish Protectorate of Morocco The Spanish protectorate in Morocco ; es, Protectorado español de Marruecos, links=no, was established on 27 November 1912 by a treaty between France and Spain that converted the Spanish sphere of influence in Morocco into a formal protect ...

, where his father (descendant of the Minister of War Santiago Méndez de Vigo and his wife Ana Isabel Osorio y Zayas, Countess ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' of Santa Cruz de los Manueles) was serving as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

. He is descended, amongst others, from the Marquesses of Cubas, the Dukes of Riánsares and

Queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

of Spain

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies ( it, Maria Cristina Ferdinanda di Borbone, Principessa delle Due Sicilie, es, link=no, María Cristina de Borbón, Princesa de las Dos Sicilias; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878) was Queen of Spain from 1829 ...

(María Cristina de Borbón), and via his maternal grandmother, the novelist

Carmen de Icaza María Carmen de Icaza y de León, 8th Baroness of Claret (17 May 1899 – 16 March 1979) was a Spanish journalist and novelist from 1935–60.Maureen Ihrie & Salvador Oropesa. ''World Literature in Spanish: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia'', p ...

, he succeeded, on 8 January 1981, to her

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

as 9th ''Baron de Claret''. Íñigo Méndez de Vigo y Montojo is a fourth cousin

once removed Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

Felipe VI Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and h ...

through common descent from

Queen Maria Cristina Maria Christina Henriette Desideria Felicitas Raineria of Austria ( es, María Cristina de Habsburgo-Lorena; 21 July 1858 – 6 February 1929) was the second queen consort of Alfonso XII of Spain. She was queen regent during the vacancy of the ...

Consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

and later

Regent of Spain This is a list of Spanish regents, a regent, from the Latin ''regens'' "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state (ruling or not) because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Reign of Joanna, Queen of Castile ...

. Méndez de Vigo has a brother, Pedro, an army officer, and two sisters, Beatriz and Valeria, one who is the secretary general of the National Intelligence Center, and the other for a non-governmental organisation. He completed his schooling at the German School in Madrid, as well as studying French language at the Académie française and learning English at the British Institute School. He graduated in law from the

Universidad Complutense de Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loca ...

in 1978. Following the completion of his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

with the rank of

and after passing the public exams, he became legal advisor to the

Cortes Generales The Cortes Generales (; en, Spanish Parliament, lit=General Courts) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house), and the Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meets ...

in 1981. He is married to María Pérez de Herrasti y Urquijo, since 8 January 2020 Marchioness of Albayda (with Grandeeship of Spain) and Marchioness of la Conquista.

Career

Political career

In 1982, at the age of 26, Méndez de Vigo was appointed

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

of interparliamentary relations for the

. In 1984 he accepted the position of special advisor to then-secretary general of the Council of Europe, Marcelino Oreja. He joined the People's Party at its founding Conference in 1989, and stood unsuccessfully in that year as one of its candidates at the European election. In October 1992 he was elected a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

, a position he held until December 2011. He also served as a member of the People's Party's National Steering Committee. Méndez de Vigo served as the

European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...

co-ordinator on the

Committee on Constitutional Affairs The Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) is a committee of the European Parliament dealing with institutional matters such as the Treaties of the European Union and the Parliament's rules of procedure. It is currently chaired by Antonio Taja ...

from 1994 and on its

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) is a committee of the European Parliament which is responsible for the regulation of financial services, the free movement of capital and payments, taxation and competition policies, oversight ...

(2009–2011), as well as: * Chairman of the EP Delegation to the Convention drafting the Charter of Fundamental Rights (1999–2000); * Chairman of the EP Delegation to the European Convention (2003–04); * EP representative to the IGC (2004); * Parliament's rapporteur (with

Richard Corbett Richard Graham Corbett CBE (born 6 January 1955) is a former British politician who served as the final Leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party (EPLP), from 2017 to 2020. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Merseysi ...

MEP) on the Treaty establishing a European Constitution (2004); * Parliament's rapporteur (with

MEP) on the

Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by the EU member sta ...

. Between 2006 and 2007, Méndez de Vigo served as member of the

Amato Group The Amato Group, officially the Action Committee for European Democracy (ACED) was a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working on rewriting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe into what became known as the Treaty ...

, a group of high-level European politicians unofficially working on rewriting the

Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European U ...

into what became known as the

following its rejection by French and

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

voters. In 2009 he was appointed

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

College of Europe The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...

. After his appointment to the Spanish Government in December 2011 by

Mariano Rajoy Brey Mariano Rajoy Brey (; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a vote of no confidence ousted his government. On 5 June 2018, he announced his resignation as People's Party lead ...

, Méndez de Vigo served as

Secretary of State for the European Union The Secretary of State for the European Union (SEUE) is a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Government of Spain. The SEUE is appointed by the Monarch with the advice of the Foreign Minister ...

. In June 2015 he was appointed Minister of Education, Culture and Sport in replacement of

José Ignacio Wert José Ignacio Wert Ortega (born 18 February 1950, in Madrid) is a Spanish politician. On 22 December 2011 he was appointed Minister of Education, Culture and Sports by the president of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy. He resigned on 25 Ju ...

. In November 2016, in the

Second Rajoy Government The second government of Mariano Rajoy was formed on 4 November 2016, following the latter's election as Prime Minister of Spain by the Congress of Deputies on 29 October and his swearing-in on 31 October, as a result of the People's Party (PP) em ...

, he was also appointed Spokesperson of the Government.

Academic career

* Lecturer in constitutional law (UCM, 1981–1984) ** Lecturer in community law (1989–1991) * Jean Monnet Chair in European Institutions (UCM, 1999–2004) ** Honorary Jean Monnet Chair (2004)

Other activities

* Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies, member of the board of trustees *

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decisi ...

(ECFR), member *

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (in Spanish, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (), named after its founder), or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Prado Museum on one of the city's main boulevards. I ...

, chairman of the board of trustees *

Museo Picasso Málaga The Museo Picasso Málaga is a museum in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, the city where artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born.Universal Forum of Cultures The Universal Forum of Cultures ( ca, Fòrum de les Cultures, was an international cultural event intended to take place every three years. History The first Forum was held in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain), from May 9 to September 26, 2004. It w ...

, honorary member of the board of trusteesBoard of Trustees
niversal Forum of Cultures.

Publications

Méndez de Vigo has written numerous books and articles on

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

: * ''Una Reforma Fiscal para España'', with

José Manuel García-Margallo José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil (born 13 August 1944) is a Spanish politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation from 2011 to 2016. Since 2019, he has been a member of the European Parliament. Early life and educa ...

(Ed. Lid, 1996) * ''Financiación de las Comunidades Autónomas y Corresponsabilidad Fiscal'', with José Manuel García-Margallo and Vicente Martínez-Pujalte (Fundación Bancaixa, 1996) * ''La Apuesta Europea: de la moneda a la Unión Política'', with José Manuel García-Margallo (Ed. Política Exterior, 1998) * ''Europa paso a paso'' (2002) * ''El rompecabezas. Así redactamos la Constitución europea'' (Ed. Biblioteca Nueva and Real Instituto Elcano, 2005) * ''¿Por qué una Constitución para Europa? 25 respuestas'', with Marcelino Oreja and Juan Antonio Carrillo Salcedo (Ed. Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas, 2005) * ''Alegato por Europa'' (Ed. Biblioteca nueva, 2006) * Coordinator: ''¿Qué fue de la Constitución europea?'' (Ed. Planeta, 2007) * Editor: ''Liber Amicorum Marcelino Oreja Aguirre'' (Ed. Cinterco, 2010) Méndez de Vigo also writes for ''

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

'', and is an online contributor for ''El Economista''.

Titles, Honours and awards

Titles

* 9th Baron of Claret *Consort of the Marchioness of Albayda (since 2020) *Consort of the Marchioness of la Conquista (since 2020)

Honours

* 2001:

Grand Cross of the

Order of Civil Merit The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and fore ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

* 2008:

Grand Officer of the

Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity The Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity ( it, Stella della solidarietà italiana ) was founded as a national order by the first President of the Italian Republic, Enrico De Nicola, in 1947, to recognise civilian and military expatriates or ...

* 2010:

Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

* 2011:

Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

of the

French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

* 2011:

Medal of the Spanish

Order of Constitutional Merit The Order of Constitutional Merit is a civil order of merit established by royal decree on 18 November 1988. The order is granted those who have carried out activities in service of the Spanish Constitution and its values and established princip ...

Awards

* 1999:

Salvador de Madariaga Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo (23 July 1886 – 14 December 1978) was a Spanish diplomat, writer, historian, and pacifist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the Nobel Peace Prize. He was awarded the Charlemagne Prize in 197 ...

European Journalism Prize * 2001: Silver Medal of the

Royal Institute of European Studies Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

* 2002: Medal of Honour of the

Sociedad General de Autores y Editores The Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (''Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, SGAE'') is the main collecting society for songwriters, composers and music publishers in Spain. It is similar to AGADU, ASCAP The American Society of Com ...

* 2002: Gold Medal of the Foundation of European Merit * 2003: Prize to the MEP of the year by the Association of Parliamentary Journalists * 2007: Gold Medal of the Committees of Action for European Union * 2009: Prix Capalbio – European Special Award

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendez de Vigo, Inigo 1956 births Living people People from Tétouan 20th-century Spanish nobility Government ministers of Spain People's Party (Spain) MEPs MEPs for Spain 1989–1994 MEPs for Spain 1994–1999 MEPs for Spain 1999–2004 MEPs for Spain 2004–2009 MEPs for Spain 2009–2014 Order of Civil Merit members Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of Constitutional Merit Culture ministers of Spain Members of the 12th Congress of Deputies (Spain) Secretaries of State for the European Union