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| Prince Ferdinand | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrayed wearing the uniform of a brigadier general of theSpanish Army,c. 1920 | |||||
| Born | (1884-05-10)10 May 1884 Madrid, Spain | ||||
| Died | 5 April 1958(1958-04-05) (aged 73) Madrid, Spain | ||||
| Spouses | |||||
| Issue | Infante Luis Alfonso Infante José Eugenio María de las Mercedes, Princess Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani Infanta María del Pilar | ||||
| |||||
| House | Wittelsbach | ||||
| Father | Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria | ||||
| Mother | Infanta María de la Paz of Spain | ||||
Prince Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria and Bourbon (Ferdinand Maria Ludwig Franz von Assisi Isabellus Adalbert Ildefons Martin Bonifaz Joseph Isidro; 10 May 1884 – 5 April 1958) was a prince of theHouse of Wittelsbach andInfante of Spain, the eldest son and child ofLudwig Ferdinand of Bavaria and his wife,Infanta María de la Paz of Spain. Ferdinand became an Infante of Spain on 20 October 1905[1] and renounced his rights to thethrone of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1914.
Prince Ferdinand María was born on 10 May 1884 at the Royal Palace of Madrid. His father was Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, son ofPrince Adalbert of Bavaria andInfanta Amalia of Spain. His mother was Infanta María de la Paz of Bourbon, daughter of QueenIsabella II andKing Francisco de Asís. Through his mother, Prince Ferdinand María was a first cousin of KingAlfonso XIII, who was two years younger than him. Through his father, they were first cousins once removed, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand being first cousin of King Alfonso XII. He was baptized at the Royal Palace of Madrid.
In 1886, when he was two years old, his aunt the Queen Regent awarded him the Grand Cross of theOrder of Charles III.
Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Bavaria, where his two siblingsAdalbert andPilar were born. Prince Ludwig Ferdinand was the only member of the Bavarian Royal Family who always remained on friendly terms with his cousin, KingLudwig II (with the exception ofElisabeth, Empress of Austria). When Ludwig II was arrested at Neuschwanstein Castle in 1886, he called Ludwig Ferdinand for help; the latter immediately intended to follow this call, but was prevented from leaving Nymphenburg Palace by his uncleLuitpold who was about to take over government as the ruling Prince Regent. From 1878 the family resided at Palais Ludwig Ferdinand, their town-house in Munich.
He attended the Bavarian War Academy (Bayerische Kriegsakademie), attaining the rank of Second Lieutenant of Heavy Cavalry in the Bavarian Army. Then, he returned to Spain.
On 20 October 1905, King Alfonso XIII announced the marriage between his elder sister Infanta María Teresa and Prince Ferdinand Maria. The announcement was gazetted in theGazeta de Madrid as follows:[2]
"For the sake of My Royal Family and of the Nation, after having heard My Council of Ministers,
I shall give My Royal Consent to the contract of marriage between My Most Beloved and Most Dear Sister Infanta María Teresa and My Most Beloved Cousin Prince Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria and Bourbon.
My Government will inform the Cortes about this My Royal Resolution".
— ALFONSO, 20 October 1905
That same day, Prince Ferdinand Maria naturalised and the king granted unto him the title and prerogative of Infante of Spain, by grace. He was also invested aKnight of the Order of the Golden Fleece and was granted the Collar and Grand Cross of the orders ofCharles III andIsabella the Catholic, respectively.
The wedding took place on 12 January 1906 at theRoyal Palace of Madrid. Ferdinand and María Teresa had four children:
The couple settled down in Spain and moved into the newly built Cuesta de la Vega Palace in Madrid, which was their main residence.
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Prince Ferdinand María was incorporated into theSpanish Army with the rank of cavalry lieutenant in 1905. He was commissioned into the 20th Hussars of Pavia Regiment. On 23 June 1908, he was promoted to Commander and was commissioned into the 12th Lusitania Rifle Regiment. He was moved to Africa with his regiment and took part in theRif War.
This marriage and the granted royal rank in Spain meant that Ferdinand (also known asInfante don Fernando María de Baviera y de Borbón), the third-generation Spanish-Bavarian, committed himself to Spain. His second marriage with a Spanish noblewoman changed nothing in that respect.
Ferdinand married for a second time toMaría Luisa de Silva y Fernández de Henestrosa,Duchess of Talavera de la Reina, daughter of Luis de Silva y Fernández, 10th Count of Pie de Concha and his wife, Maria de los Dolores Fernández de Henestrosa y Fernández de Córdoba, on 1 October 1914 inFuenterrabía,Spain. Maria Luisa was also granted the titleInfanta of Spain.
Ferdinand survived his mother by 12 years and his father by 9 years. He hadAlfonso XIII of Spain as hisfirst cousin andbrother-in-law andPrince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as another brother-in-law. Spanish claimantsInfante Jaime, Duke of Segovia, andInfante Juan, Count of Barcelona, were his nephews.
As a member of the reigning family of Bavaria, Ferdinand was born a prince. In 1905, he was made infante of Spain.
Kingdom of Bavaria:
Spain:
Austria-Hungary:
Denmark:Knight of the Elephant,25 April 1907[12]
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of theSaxe-Ernestine House Order
France: Grand Cross of theLegion of Honour,December 1905[13]
Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of theLudwig Order,23 August 1910[14]
Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of thePrincely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class
Norway:Grand Cross of St. Olav, with Collar,10 August 1910[15]
Kingdom of Portugal:
Kingdom of Prussia:Knight of the Black Eagle
Russian Empire:
Kingdom of Saxony:
Sweden:Knight of the Seraphim,18 December 1907[17]
United Kingdom: Honorary Grand Cross of theRoyal Victorian Order,9 April 1907[18]_as_Spanish_Infante.svg)
| Ancestors of Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria |
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