| Juan de Borbón | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Juan in 1847 | |||||
| Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne | |||||
| Pretence | 13 January 1861 –3 October 1868 | ||||
| Predecessor | Infante Carlos, Count of Montemolin | ||||
| Successor | Prince Carlos, Duke of Madrid | ||||
| Legitimist claimant to the French throne | |||||
| Pretence | 24 August 1883 – 21 November 1887 | ||||
| Predecessor | Prince Henri, Count of Chambord | ||||
| Successor | Prince Carlos, Duke of Madrid | ||||
| Born | (1822-05-15)15 May 1822 | ||||
| Died | 18 November 1887(1887-11-18) (aged 65) | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Prince Charles, Duke of Madrid Prince Alfonso Carlos, Duke of Anjou and San Jaime Helen Monfort John Monfort | ||||
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| House | Bourbon | ||||
| Father | Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain | ||||
| Mother | Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal | ||||
DonJuan Carlos María Isidro de Borbón (15 May 1822 – 18 November 1887) was theCarlist claimant to the throne ofSpain from 1860 to 1868, holder of theLegitimist claim to the throne ofFrance from 1883 to 1887, and was a possible candidate to theMexican throne before the establishment of theSecond Mexican Empire in the 1860s.
Juan was born at thePalacio Real de Aranjuez in the province ofMadrid, the younger son of theInfante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, brother of KingFerdinand VII, and his first wife,Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal. He was raised in an atmosphere imbued with traditional values of loyalty to the monarchy and the Church.
In March 1833 Juan moved with his family to Portugal. The following September Juan's uncle Ferdinand VII died, and Juan's father Carlos claimed the throne of Spain as King Carlos V. Carlos opposed the succession of his infant niece QueenIsabella II whose mother the Queen RegentMaria Christina managed to take control on behalf of her daughter. In June 1834 Juan moved with his family to England, where they lived at Gloucester Lodge, Old Brompton Road, and later at Alverstoke Old Rectory, Hampshire. He remained in England throughout theFirst Carlist War, playing no part in it on account of his youth.
On 15 January 1837 theCortes which was controlled by the Isabellists passed a law, ratified by the Queen Regent Maria Christina, which excluded Juan, his father, and brothers from the Spanish succession. By the same law the title ofInfante of Spain was removed from Juan and his family. From the perspective of the Carlists this law was invalid.
On 6 February 1847, Juan marriedArchduchess Maria Beatrix of Austria-Este, daughter ofFrancis IV, Duke of Modena andPrincess Maria Beatrice of Savoy. The couple had two sons:
Juan and Beatrix lived first in Modena, but had to leave during therevolution of 1848. After a brief time in Austria, they settled in London where their younger son was born. In spite of the conservatism and religious piety of his own family and particularly that of his wife, Juan developed liberal tendencies. He separated from his wife who returned to Modena where she raised her two sons.
In the mid-1850s Juan established an intimate relationship with Ellen Sarah Carter (1837-1910), an English commoner; her father was a merchant dealing in flowers and plants.[1] Though upon christening of their daughter they were referred in theClapham parish registry as “John Monfort and Helena Monfort (née Carter), legally married”[2] it is not clear whether they actually married; in this case Juan would have been abigamist. The couple had two children:
Juan and Ellen Carter lived together until Juan’s death. Afterwards their children Helen and John were paid a regular pension by their half-brothers, first by Carlos and after 1909 by Alfonso.[3] Helen married and had no children. John did marry and had many children, all born after Juan’s death. In the early 21st century his descendants, numbering over 50, lived in the UK, Norway and Canada.[4] Currently the most senior male descendant of Juan (and the most senior male descendant of the Spanish kingCarlos IV) is his great-great-grandson, Hugh Geoffrey Monfort.[5]
Juan played no part in the 1860 Carlist rising led by his brotherCarlos Luis. On 21 April Carlos Luis was captured by the troops ofIsabella II and forced to renounce his claims to the Spanish throne. On 2 June Juan published a declaration affirming his accession asJuan III, King of Spain;[6] henceforward he used the titleconde de Montizón (in commemoration of a commandery of theOrder of Santiago which belonged to his father). Juan's accession declaration used phrases such as "the light and progress of the age"; these phrases caused great offence to many Carlists most of whom refused to support him.
Once he had left Spain, his brother Carlos Luis renounced his abdication. On 15 June he declared that it was invalid since he had been forced to sign against his will.[7] Juan refused to accept his brother's declaration. Until the unexpected death of Carlos Luis the following January, there were two Carlist claimants.
During the early 1860s the popularity of the government of Isabella II continued to decline. Juan's liberal views, however, ensured that he was not a viable candidate for the Carlists. In 1866, Juan's elder son Carlos (now aged eighteen) asked his father to renounce his rights, but he did nothing.[8] Two years later, however, on 3 October 1868, Juan signed a decree of abdication atParis.[9] He became an active supporter of his son Carlos' attempts to regain the Spanish throne in theThird Carlist War.
On 24 August 1883 Juan's distant cousin and brother-in-lawHenri, comte de Chambord died. Henri had been theLegitimist claimant to the throne ofFrance. Henri's widow,Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, hisnephews (children of his eldest sisterLouise) and a minority of his supporters held that Juan as senior male descendant ofLouis XIV was his successor. They proclaimed him asJean III, King of France and Navarre. He issued a declaration saying, "Having become Head of the House of Bourbon by the death of my brother-in-law and cousin, the Comte de Chambord, I declare that I do not in any way renounce the rights to the throne of France which I have held since my birth". But other than this declaration he made no active claim to the French throne.
In 1821, when theMexican Empire first achieved its independence, its original plan was for it to be ruled by a personal union withFerdinand VII. Despite him declining the throne, manyMexican conservatives did not give up on their hope to have a Bourbon ruler asEmperor of Mexico.
During theConvention of London (1861) the issue was brought up that Juan, Count of Montizon could be a possible pretender to the Mexican throne. But it is noted that when offered the crown, he had declined it, thus the Mexican conservatives chose insteadArchduke Ferdinand Maximilian to take the throne, who accepted it.[10]
Juan was an active photographer and a founder member of the Photographic Society (later theRoyal Photographic Society) from 1853 and is last recorded as a member in 1866.[11]
Juan died of angina at his home (25 Seafield Road) in Hove on Friday 18 November 1887. His death was registered by Ellen Sarah Carter. His body was moved to the Church of the Sacred Heart, Norton Road, Hove on 20 November, where he lay in state until his funeral mass was held on 24 November in the presence of his two legitimate sons, Don Carlos and Don Alfonso.[12]
His body was moved on 6 January 1888 from Hove to St Katherine's Dock in London along with the body of his Mother, Queen Maria Francisa, who had been buried at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady, Gosport, where she had been laid to rest in September 1834. The bodies left aboard the General Steamship Navigation Company's vessel on 7 January bound for Hamburg and then via Berlin and Vienna and on toTrieste where it is buried in the chapel of Saint Charles Borromeo inTrieste Cathedral.[13] The inscription on his tomb names him as the King of Spain.
| Ancestors of Prince Juan, Count of Montizón |
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Prince Juan, Count of Montizón Cadet branch of theCapetian dynasty Born: 15 May 1822 Died: 21 November 1887 | ||
| Titles in pretence | ||
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| Preceded by | — TITULAR — King of Spain Carlist pretender 13 January 1861 – 3 October 1868 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | — TITULAR — King of France Legitimist succession 24 August 1883 – 21 November 1887 | |
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1 Actually reigned twice: first from 1814–1815, second from 1815–1824 2 Actually reigned from 1824–1830 3 Reigned in pretense asLouis Philippe II from 1848–1873 4 Briefly restored and then deposed in 1815 5 Actually reigned from 1852–1870 6 Pretense disputed until 1891 7 Pretense currently disputed | |||||
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