Standard of the Dukedom of Alba de Tormes

Duke of Alba de Tormes (), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of

Spanish nobility The Spanish nobility are people who possess a title of nobility confirmed by the Spanish Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, as well as those individuals appointed to one of Spain's three highest orders of knightho ...

that is accompanied by the dignity 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 ...

. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo, was elevated to the title of ''Duke of Alba de Tormes'' by King

Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile (Spanish language, Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), nicknamed the Impotent, was King of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingdom of León, León and the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Ca ...

.Hidalgos de España (2018). p. 36

History

The

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 ...

dom of Alba de Tormes is one of the most significant noble titles of Spain and gives its name to the House of Alba. Over the centuries, members of three distinct family dynasties have held the title in succession – the , the House of Silva (extinct in 1802) and the House of Fitz-James Stuart, which descends from an illegitimate son of King

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

. Famous holders of this dukedom include '' Don''

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba (29 October 150711 December 1582), known as the Grand Duke of Alba (, ) in Spain and Portugal and as the Iron Duke () or shortly 'Alva' in the Netherlands, was a Spaniards, Spanish noblema ...

, governor of the

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

(references to "Alba" (or "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 In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

of the painter

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish Romanticism, romantic painter and Printmaking, printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hi ...

. When they first met, Francisco Goya was much older than the Duchess of Alba. Goya was in his late 40s and the Duchess was in her early 30s. Various dukes have married into the families of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

and Cosimo de Medici, as well as the line of the Dukes of Berwick, making them distant relatives of the Earls Spencer and the Dukes of Marlborough. Today, the ducal family of Alba retains a large and valuable collection of art and historic documents. The largest part of this treasure is kept at the main residence of the family in Madrid, the Liria Palace.

Lords of Alba de Tormes (1429)

* Don Gutierre Álvarez de Toledo,

Archbishop of Toledo The Archdiocese of Toledo () is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Spain.

(also Bishop of Palencia, Archbishop of Seville)Gutierre Álvarez de Toledo
/ref> * Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, nephew of Gutierre Álvarez de Toledo (created Count of Alba de Tormes in 1439)

Counts of Alba de Tormes (1439)

* Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 1st Count of Alba * Don García Álvarez de Toledo, 2nd Count of Alba (created Duke of Alba de Tormes in 1472)

Dukes of Alba de Tormes (1472)

* Don García Álvarez de Toledo, 1st Duke of Alba * Don Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 2nd Duke of Alba * Don

known in The Netherlands as the Iron Duke for his harsh action in the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

Boletín Oficial del Estado The (''BOE''; "", from 1661 to 1936 known as the ''Gaceta de Madrid'', "") is the official gazette of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain and may be published on any day of the week. The content of the ''BOE'' is authorized and published by Royal Asse ...

''
no. 143, p. 50250
16 June 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015 .

References

* *

Bibliography

External links

House of Alba Foundation

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alba, Duke of Dukedoms of Spain Grandees of Spain Lists of dukes Lists of Spanish nobility Noble titles created in 1472 Spanish noble titles