Cuban nobility encompasses all the individuals and families recognized in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

as members of the aristocratic class, hence possessing inheritance privileges.

History

The 19th century

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

saw much of its power weakened by its rival countries (

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

), it also saw many of its colonies in America being influenced by the republican ideologies of the recently independent

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In an effort to strengthen its holdings, the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

decided to grant

titles of nobility Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anothe ...

to much of the colonial aristocracy. This bestowing of royal grace made the recipients loyal to the Crown, and more assimilated to the Iberian titled nobility. No other Spanish colony received as many grants of noble titles as

, a jewel of the late Spanish Empire. The Cuban aristocracy had always attempted to create a second Paris or Madrid in its main cities of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

and

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

. Elegant, richly decorated manors, governmental buildings,

opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

s, play houses, palaces, etc. covered the streets of the capital. The Spanish Crown was not the only entity to award titles of nobility, the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

made use of its authority to also award titles in the island. Families, through marriage and inheritance, also bore European titles, such as those from

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 ...

(including the former

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

and 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 Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and land are ...

) as well as

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The non-royal titles issued in Cuba follow the Spanish designation and resembled those of

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

. They were those of:

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

(Duque),

Marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

(Marqués),

Count 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: ...

(Conde),

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

(Vizconde),

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

(Barón),

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

(Señor)—in that order of importance and social standing. The title of

Grandee of Spain 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 ...

was usually annexed to another noble title but may also be bestowed on a person without a traditional noble title, in the last case the person would have Grandee of Spain written after his name; all Grandees are addressed as

Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

, the title being equal to that of a Duke and all Dukes are Grandees. Titles bestowed often had the name of a place in Cuba (e.g. Marqués de Pinar del Rio, Conde de Yumurí), the surname of the family (e.g. Marqués de Azpesteguia, Conde de Casa (house) Montalvo) or in remembrance of some Royal favor or deed (e.g. Marqués de la Gratitud, Marqués de la Real Proclamación). After the revolution of 1898, many of these nobles stayed in the island, or moved to other former Spanish colonies, such as

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

; some returned to Spain. Although the new Republic of Cuba did not give itself the power to create and bestow new titles of nobility, it did not interfere with the already established tradition. Many families who possessed noble titles continued to use them, and the public respected their historical meaning and

social position Social position is the position of an individual in a given society and culture. A given position (for example, the occupation of ''priest'') may belong to many individuals. Definition Stanley Wasserman and Katherine Faust Stanley cautioned ...

. This all changed when

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

took place on the island; soon the

Communist government A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

moved against these nobles, forcing many to return to Spain or into exile in the United States. The last titled nobleman to live in Cuba, Don Ignacio Ponce de León y Ponce de León, Marqués de Aguas Claras and Count de Casa Ponce de León y Maroto died in La Habana in 1973 leaving a remaining descendant.

List of noble titles bestowed by Spanish monarchs or inherited by Cubans

* Duque de Mola (grandee of Spain) (title canceled in 2022) * Duque de la Torre (grandee of Spain) * Duque de la Union de Cuba (grandee of Spain) * Marqués de Aguas Claras * Marqués de Aguero * Marqués de Almendares * Marqués de Alta Gracia * Marqués de Arcos * Marqués de Arguelles * Marqués de Aviles * Marqués de Azpezteguia * Marqués de Balboa * Marqués de Bayamo * Marqués de Bellamar * Marqués de Bellavista * Marqués de Campo Florido * Marqués de la Candelaria de Yarayabo * Marqués de Cardenas de Montehermoso * Marqués de Casa Calvo * Marqués de Casa Enrile * Marqués de Casa Montalvo * Marqués de Casa Nuñez de Villavicencio y Jura Real * Marqués de Casa Peñalver * Marqués de Casa Sandoval * Marqués de Casa Torres * Marques de Casa Vidal * Marqués de Cienfuegos * Marqués de las Delicias de Tempu * Marqués de Diana * Marqués de Du-Quesne * Marqués de Esteva de las Delicias * Marqués de Garcillan * Marqués de la Gratitud * Marqués de Guaimaro * Marqués de Guisa * Marqués de la Habana (grandee of Spain) * Marqués de Justiz de Santa Ana * Marqués de Marianao * Marqués de Montsalud * Marqusé del Morro * Marqués de Pinar del Rio * Marqués de Placetas * Marqués de Prado Ameno * Marqués de O'Gavan * Marqués de O'Reilly * Marqués de Real Agrado * Marqués de la Real Campina * Marqués de la Real Proclamación * Marqués del Real Socorro * Marqués de las Regueras * Marqués de San Carlos de Pedroso * Marqués de San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal * Marqués de San Miguel de Bejucal * Marqués de Santa Ana y Santa Maria * Marqués de Santa Lucia * Marqués de Santa Olalla * Marqués de Santa Rosa * Marqués de Tiedra * Marqués de Valero de Urria * Marqués de las Victoria de las Tunas * Marqués de Villamejor * Marqués de Villa Siciliana * Conde de Asalto * Conde de Bayona * Conde de Campo Alegre * Conde de Canimar * Conde de Casa Barreto * Conde de Casa Bayona * Conde de Casa Brunet * Conde de Casa Lombillo * Conde de Casa Pedroso y Barro * Conde de Casa Miró * Conde de Casa Montalvo * Conde de Casa More * Conde de Casa Ponce de Leon y Maroto * Conde de Casa Romero * Conde del Castillo de Cuba (grandee of Spain) * Conde de Cuba * Conde de Diana * Conde de Fernandina de Jagua (grandee of Spain) * Conde de Galarza * Conde de Gibacoa * Conde de Ibanez * Conde de Lagunillas * Conde de Macuriges * Conde de Mandan * Conde de la Montera * Conde de Morales * Conde de O'Reilly * Conde de Peñalver * Conde de Pozos Dulces * Conde del Puente * Conde de Revilla de Camargo * Conde de la Reunion de Cuba * Conde de Sagunto * Conde de San Fernando de Peñalver * Conde de San Ignacio * Conde de San Juan de Jaruco * Conde de San Rafael de Luyano * Conde de Santa Clara * Conde de Santa Cruz de Mopox (grandee of Spain) * Conde de Santa Inez * Conde de Santa Maria de Loreto * Conde de Santovenia * Conde de Vallellano * Conde de Venadito * Conde de Vidal * Conde de Villanueva (grandee of Spain) * Conde de Yumurí * Conde de Zaldivar * Vizconde de la Bahia Honda de la Real Fedelidad * Vizconde de Canet del Mar * Vizconde de Cuba * Vizconde de los Remedios * Vizconde de Santa Clara * Vizconde de Valenmar * Vizconde de Valvanera * Baron de Maials

References

Literature

* Rafael Nieto y Cortadellas. Dignidades nobiliarias en Cuba. Madrid, 1954. 669 p.

External links

Titles of Nobility Cuba 1958

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuban Nobility Spanish colonial period of Cuba