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1517 to Today
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1519:
 
On 28 June, King Charles I of Spain is elected Holy Roman Emperor.
1527: On 21 May, Prince Philip of Spain (the future Philip II) is born to Charles I and his queen, the Infanta Isabella of Portugal.
 
1528: Born: Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre (7 January)
 
1545: Born: Elizabeth of Valois, Queen of Philip II of Spain (2 April, died 1568)
 
1549: Died: Queen Marguerite of Navarre, wife of King Henry II of Navarre (21 December)
 
1554: On 25 July, Prince Philip marries Queen Mary I of England at Winchester Cathedral in England, and Philip becomes king consort of England. It is his second marriage and her first.
 
1555: Died: Queen Joanna (Juana) of Castile (11 April, born 1479)
 
1556: On 16 January, Charles I (a.k.a. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) abdicates (as a form of retirement) in favor of his son, who becomes Felipe II (Philip II). Philip’s wife Queen Mary I of England is now queen consort of Spain.
 
1558: On 21 September, Charles I dies at the Monastery of Yuste in Extremadura, Spain.

On 17 November, Philip II’s second wife, Mary I of England, dies in England. The couple had no children.
 

1559: On 3 April, the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis, in which France makes peace with England and Spain, is agreed to by Philip II of Spain, Elizabeth I of England, and Henry II of France. As part of the agreement, Philip marries Henry II’s daughter, Elizabeth of Valois.
 
1568: On 3 October, Philip’s wife, Elizabeth of Valois, dies. The couple had two daughters.
 
1578: On 14 April, Philip II’s fourth wife, Anne of Austria – daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, gives birth to a male heir, the future Philip III of Spain.
 
1580: Following the death on 31 January of Henrique (Henry) “The Cardinal-King” of Portugal without an heir or appointed successor, Philip II of Spain lays claim to the Portuguese throne through his mother, the Infanta Isabella of Portugal. In November, under directions from Philip, the Duke of Alba leads an army to Portugal and soon conquers Lisbon, leading to Philip’s election as king of Portugal as Filipe I (Philip I). The only condition is that Portugal and its territories should not become Spanish provinces.
 
1588: In July and August, the Spanish Armada and the English fleet fight in a number of engagements, finally ending on 12 August with the English victorious and much of the Armada destroyed.
 
1598: On 13 September, Philip II of Spain and I of Portugal, dies, and is succeeded in both countries by his son, Philip III of Spain and II of Portugal.
 
1605: Born: King Philip IV of Spain (8 April, died 1665)
 
1610: Spanish Moriscos, Muslims forced by the Spanish Crown to convert to Catholicism, are expelled from Spain by Philip III.
 
1621: On 31 March, Philip III dies and is succeeded by his eldest son, Felipe IV (Philip IV), who also now reigns in Portugal as Filipe III (Philip III).
 
1640: On 1 December, after Philip IV of Spain and III of Portugal attempted to make Portugal a Spanish province, Portugal asserts its independence and elects the Duke of Braganza as João IV (John IV) of Portugal, sparking a revolution against Spain.
 
1656: On 6 November, John IV of Portugal dies and is succeeded by his son Afonso VI (Alfonso VI), although Portugal is still fighting the war of independence against Spain.
 
1661: Born: King Charles II, son of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana of Austria (6 November)
 
1665: On 17 September, Philip IV of Spain dies and is succeeded by his son Carlos II (Charles II).
 
1668: On 13 February, Afonso VI (Alfonso VI) of Portugal (successor of John IV) and Charles II of Spain sign a peace treaty that formally acknowledges the independence of Portugal and the legitimacy of Alfonso’s reign.
 
1683: Born: King Philip V of Spain (19 December)
 
1692: Born: Queen Elizabeth Farnese, wife of King Philip V (1692)
 
1700: In October, the childless Charles II names as his successor Philip, Duc d’Anjou (Duke of Anjou) – grandson of Louis XIV of France and his wife, María Theresa of Spain, and second son of the Dauphin Louis “The Grand.”

On 1 November, the last Habsburg monarch of Spain, Charles II, dies.

On 16 November, the Duke of Anjou, succeeds to the throne of Spain as Philip V, the first Borbón (Bourbon) king of Spain. Events following the succession of Philip led to the War of the Spanish Succession, which began in 1701.
 

1713: On 11 April, Spain and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Utrecht, which ends the War of the Spanish Succession (at least for Spain and Britain) and cedes Gibraltar to Britain.

Born: King Ferdinand VI (on 23 September)
 

1715: Philip V signs the Decreto de Nueva Planta, unifying the disparate Spanish kingdoms that comprised the Spanish Crown under one constitution.
 
1716: Born: King Charles III (20 January, died 1788)
 
1724: On 14 January, Philip V voluntarily abdicates (as a form of retirement) and is succeeded by his son, who becomes Luis I (Louis I).

On 31 August, Louis I dies of smallpox.

On 6 September, Philip V is restored as king following the death of his son.
 

1746: On 9 July, Philip V dies and is succeeded by his son, who becomes Fernando VI (Ferdinand VI).
 
1759: On 10 August, Ferdinand VI dies and is succeeded by his son, who becomes Carlos III (Charles III).
 
1788: On 14 December, Charles III dies and is succeeded by Carlos IV (Charles IV).
 
1808: Early in 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte sends troops into Spain, sparking the Peninsular Wars, a conflict that pitted Spain and Portugal, allied with the British, against the invading French. Napoleon had already captured Lisbon, Portugal in November 1807.

On 16 February, Napoleonic forces seize the city of Pamplona.

On 29 February, Napoleonic forces seize the city of Barcelona.

On 19 March, a popular uprising induces Charles IV to abdicate and the throne is passed to his son, who becomes Fernando VII (Ferdinand VII).

On 22 March, Charles IV retracts his abdication, claiming it was made under duress; however, Ferdinand is still considered king.

On 2 May, citizens of Madrid rebel against the occupation of the French, but the revolt is suppressed.

On 6 May, Ferdinand VII is forced by Napoleon to abdicate and Charles IV again becomes king, although he immediately abdicates a second time, handing the kingdom over to Napoleon.

On 6 June, Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, is proclaimed king of Spain as José I.
 

1812: On 18 March, the Spanish Cortes Generales (General Courts), which had taken refuge in Cádiz during the Peninsular War, sign the Spanish Constitution of 1812.
 
1813: On 11 December, the monarchy is restored with Ferdinand VII again as king.
 
1814: In April, the Peninsular War ends following the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte in France.

On 4 May, Ferdinand VII repudiates the Constitution of 1812, despite the promise he made upon his restoration to uphold it.
 

1819: On 20 January, former king Charles IV dies.
 
1829: On 11 December, Ferdinand VII marries Princess Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies.
 
1830: On 10 October, the Infanta María Isabel Luisa (the future Isabella II), first daughter of Ferdinand VII and Queen Maria Christina, is born.
 
1833: Spanish Navarra (Navarre) is formally annexed to the kingdom of Spain. It had previously been governed as a viceroyalty.

On 29 September, Ferdinand VII dies and his young daughter Isabella is proclaimed Isabella II under the regency of her mother, Queen Maria Christina.
 

1834: The Spanish Inquisition officially ends.
 
1846: On 10 October, Isabella II marries her first cousin, Prince Francisco de Asís María Fernando de Borbón.
 
1857: On 28 November, Isabella II’s only son, Alfonso (the future Alfonso XII), is born.
 
1868: On 30 September – The Revolution of 1868 overthrows Isabella II, who goes into exile in France.
 
1869: In May, the new Spanish Cortes decides to reinstate the monarchy under a new ruler and begins to search for a suitable candidate.
 
1870: On 25 June, Isabella II formally abdicates in favor of her son, Alfonso, although the political mood of the time does not support his immediate succession to the throne.

On 16 November, Amadeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta and second son of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy is elected as king of Spain by the Cortes.
 

1871: On 2 January, Amadeo of Savoy becomes King Amadeus (Amadeo) I of Spain.
 
1873: On 11 February, Amadeo I abdicates and the First Spanish Republic is proclaimed.
 
1874: On 29 December, the First Spanish Republic collapses and Alfonso, Isabella II’s son, becomes Alfonso XII (proclaimed in 1875).
 
1879: On 29 November, Alfonso XII marries Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, daughter of Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria.
 
1885: On 25 November, Alfonso XII dies.
 
1886: On 17 May, Alfonso XIII, posthumous son of Alfonso XII, is born and immediately proclaimed king of Spain with his mother, Queen Maria Christina, acting as regent.
 
1892: On 4 December, Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo de Andrade (General Francisco Franco), Spanish dictator from 1939 to his death in 1975, is born.
 
1904: On 10 April, the exiled Isabella II dies.
 
1906: On 31 May, Alfonso XIII marries Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (Queen Ena), daughter of HSH Prince Henry of Battenberg and HRH Princess Beatrice of Great Britain and Ireland.
 
1907: On 10 May, the Infante Alfonso Pío Cristino Eduardo, first son of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Ena, is born and pronounced Prince of Asturias – heir to his father’s throne. He is discovered to be a hemophiliac.
 
1908: The Infante Jaime Luitpold Isabelino Enrique, second son of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Ena, is born. He is deaf and mute.
 
1913: On 20 June, HRH Infante Juan Carlos Teresa Silvestre Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg (Juan de Borbón, Count of Barcelona), fourth son of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Ena, and father of King Juan Carlos I, is born.
 
1931: On 14 April, King Alfonso XIII goes into Exile and the Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed.

On 22 April, Austria, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the USA recognize the Second Spanish Republic.
 

1933: The Infante Alfonso Pío Cristino Eduardo, Prince of Asturias, renounces his rights to the throne to marry a commoner, Edelmira Sampedro y Robato, on 21 June 1933. He is given the title Count of Covadonga.

On 21 June, the Infante Jaime Luitpold Isabelino Enrique, renounces his rights to the throne and is later given the title Duke of Segovia (on 4 March 1935).
 

1935: On 12 October, Juan de Borbón marries María de las Mercedes Borbón y Orleans in Rome.
 
1936: In July, the Spanish Civil War begins.

On 1 October, General Francisco Franco is elected Jefe del Estado (Head of State).
 

1938: On 5 January, the Infante Juan Carlos de Borbón y Borbón (HM King Juan Carlos I), son of Juan de Borbón and María de las Mercedes, is born in Rome, where his family is living in exile.

On 6 September, Alfonso, Count of Covadonga, eldest son of Alfonso XIII, dies in Miami, Florida. He had renounced his rights to the throne in 1936.

On 2 November, HRH Princess Sofia of Greece (HM Queen Sofía), daughter of King Paul I and Queen Frederika of Greece, is born in Athens, Greece
 

1939: On 1 April, the Spanish Civil War ends and the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco begins.
 
1941: On 28 January, the exiled Alfonso XIII dies.
 
1946: On 21 June, Jaime, Duke of Segovia, proclaims himself Head of the House of France as senior male by primogeniture of the House of Capet. He was considered the legitimist pretender to the French throne until his death in 1975 and was known in that role as the Duke of Anjou. He had renounced his rights to the Spanish throne in 1933.
 
1947: Franco proclaims that the monarchy is restored, but does not allow Juan de Borbón, the rightful heir, to take the throne.
 
1962: On 14 May, Juan Carlos de Borbón (HM King Juan Carlos I) marries HRH Princess Sofia of Greece (Queen Sofía) in Athens.
 
1963: On 7 April, Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, husband of the Infanta Elena, is born.

On 20 December, HRH Elena María Isabel Dominica de los Silos de Borbón y Grecia (the Infanta Elena), eldest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, is born in Madrid.
 

1965: On 13 June, HRH Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y Grecia (the Infanta Cristina), second daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, is born in Madrid.
 
1968: On 15 January, Uñaki Urdangarín Liebaert, husband of the Infanta Cristina, is born.

On 30 January, HRH the Prince of Asturias, Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso y de la Santísima Trinidad y de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia (Prince Felipe), son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, is born in Madrid.
 

1969: On 22 July, Franco designates Prince Juan Carlos as his successor, completely skipping over Juan Carlos’ father, Juan de Borbón.

On 15 April, Queen “Ena” of Spain dies.
 

1972: On 15 September, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (HRH the Princess of Asturias), is born
 
1975: On 20 March, Jaime, Duke of Segovia, second son of Alfonso XIII, and legitimist pretender to the French throne, dies. He had renounced his rights to the Spanish throne in 1933.

On 20 November, General Francisco Franco, Spanish dictator since 1939, dies.

On 22 November, King Juan Carlos I succeeds to the throne.
 

1977: In May, Juan de Borbón, father of Juan Carlos I, renounces his claim to the throne. The following year, Juan Carlos officially granted his father the title of Count of Barcelona, which the senior Juan had claimed, but was not granted, during the dictatorship of Franco.

On 1 November, Prince Felipe, as heir to his father’s throne, receives the title Prince of Asturias, as well as the titles Prince of Gerona and Prince of Viana. The Prince’s other titles are Duke of Montblanc, Count of Cervera and Lord of Balaguer.
 

1978: On 6 December, a new Spanish Constitution is approved by referendum.
 
1993: On 1 April, Juan de Borbón, Count of Barcelona, dies
 
1995: On 18 March, the Infanta Elena marries Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz, in Seville Cathedral. The day of the wedding, King Juan Carlos granted his daughter the title of Duchess of Lugo.
 
1997: On 4 October, the Infanta Cristina marries Iñaki Urdangarín, a former professional team handball player, in the Basilica Cathedral in Barcelona. The day of the wedding, King Juan Carlos granted his daughter the title of Duchess of Palma de Mallorca
 
1998: On 17 July, Felipe Juan Froilán de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y de Borbón, first son of the Infanta Elena and Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz, is born.
 
1999: On 29 September, Juan Valentín de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón, first son of the Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarín, is born.
 
2000: On 2 January, the Countess of Barcelona, mother of HM King Juan Carlos died.

On 9 September, Victoria Federica de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y de Borbón, first daughter and second child of the Infanta Elena and Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz, is born.

On 6 December, Pablo Nicolás Sebastián de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón, second son of the Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarín, is born.
 

2002: On 30 April, Miguel de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón, third son of the Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarín, is born.
 
2004: On 22 May, Prince Felipe marries former newsreader Letizia Ortiz at Santa María la Real de la Almudena cathedral in Madrid.
 
2005: On 5 June, Irene de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón, first daughter and fourth child of the Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarín, is born.

On 31 October, The Infanta Leonor, first child and daughter of Crown Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz is born
 

2007: On 29 April, the infanta Sofía, second child and daughter of Crown Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz is born

Go to Royal Timeline: until 1517

This timeline is intended to address the major events of Spanish history as they relate to the monarchy and does not propose to include every date of some significance.

Primary Sources:
Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe
by Michael Maclagan and Jiří Louda
The Concise Guide to Kings & Queens: A Thousand Years of European Monarchy
by Peter Gibson
A History of Spain and Portugal, Volume 1 by Stanley G. Payne
The Spanish Bourbons: The History of a Tenacious Dynasty by John D. Bergamini
Casa de S.M. el Rey de España - Official site of the Royal Household of HM the King of Spain (http://www.casareal.es/casareal/home2i.html)
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (www.wikipedia.org)
 

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