Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro
Encyclopedia
Prince Ranieri Maria Gaetano, Duke of Castro (3 December 1883 – 13 January 1973) was a claimant to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
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, France
the ninth child but fifth son of Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
and Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1851–1938). Ranieri for a time served in the Royal Spanish Army
.
Following the death of his brother Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria
on the 7 January 1960 Prince Ranieri was declared Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies by all relatives except for Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria
and his children, because the Infante's senior branch of the family abdicated their claims in order to be in line for the Spanish throne
. He remained head of the house until his death on 13 January 1973 in La Combe. He handed over the functions associated with the headship of the house to his son in 1966.
(1896–1968) on 12 September 1923 in Druzbaki, from the marriage he had two children:
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet Italian branch of the House of Bourbon. It is thus descended from the Capetian dynasty in male line...
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Biography
He was born in CannesCannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
the ninth child but fifth son of Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
Prince Alfonso Maria Giuseppe Alberto of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta was the third son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria....
and Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1851–1938). Ranieri for a time served in the Royal Spanish Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
.
Following the death of his brother Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria
Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria
Prince Ferdinand Pius , Duke of Calabria , was head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and pretender to the throne of the extinct Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from 1934 to 1960....
on the 7 January 1960 Prince Ranieri was declared Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies by all relatives except for Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria
Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria
Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria was one of two claimants to the title of the head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies from 1960 until his death in 1964...
and his children, because the Infante's senior branch of the family abdicated their claims in order to be in line for the Spanish throne
Line of succession to the Spanish Throne
Spain uses the system of primogeniture. Male children succeed before female, and otherwise in order of age. If descent from male children does not exist , a female and her heirs succeed. Dynasts who marry against the express prohibition of the king or the Cortes are excluded from the succession...
. He remained head of the house until his death on 13 January 1973 in La Combe. He handed over the functions associated with the headship of the house to his son in 1966.
Marriage and children
Ranieri married his cousin Countess Maria Carolina ZamoyskaCountess Maria Carolina Zamoyska
Countess Maria Carolina Zamoyska was the wife of Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro, claimant to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies...
(1896–1968) on 12 September 1923 in Druzbaki, from the marriage he had two children:
- Princess Maria del Carmen Carolina Antonia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (born 1924)
- Prince Ferdinando Maria Andrea Alfonso Marcus, Duke of Castro (1926–2008)
Honours
- Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint GeorgeSacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint GeorgeThe Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
- Grand Master of the Order of Saint Januarius
- Grand Master of the Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit
- Grand Master of the Royal Order of Francis IRoyal Order of Francis IThe Royal Order of Francis I is a dynastic Order of Knighthood of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies...
- Grand Master of the Order of Saint George and ReunionOrder of Saint George and ReunionThe Order of Saint George and Reunion is a order of knighthood of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.It was created on 1 January 1819 by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies to reward military valor and merit...
- Knight of the Spanish Order of the Golden FleeceOrder of the Golden FleeceThe Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
- Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert of Bavaria
- Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy AnnunciationOrder of the Most Holy AnnunciationThe Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in mediæval Italy. It eventually was the pinnacle of the honours system in the Kingdom of Italy, which ceased to be a national order when the kingdom became a republic in 1946...
- Bailiff Grand Cross of Honor and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
- Knight of the Order of AlcántaraOrder of AlcántaraThe Order of Alcántara , also called the Knights of St. Julian, was originally a military order of León, founded in 1166 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1177.-Alcántara:...