Duchess of Calabria

See also: Dukes of Calabria

Duchess of Calabria was the traditional title of the wife of the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Naples after the accession of Robert of Naples. It was also adopted by the heads of certain Houses that had once claimed the Kingdom of Naples in lieu of the royal title.

There are at present two claimants to the title of Duchess of Calabria. In the Spanish context, it is the title for the wife of the head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and in the Italian context it is the title for the wife of the heir to the Duke of Castro, the head of the Royal House.

Capetian House of Anjou

Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Duchess Ceased to be Duchess Death Spouse
Yolanda of Aragon Peter III of Aragon
(Barcelona) 		1285 23 March 1297 19 August 1302 Robert
Sancha of Majorca James II of Majorca
(Barcelona) 		1285 20 September 1304 5 May 1309
became Queen 		28 July 1345
Catherine of Austria Albert I of Germany
(Habsburg) 		October 1295 23 June 1316 18 January 1323 Charles
Marie of Valois Charles, Count of Valois
(Valois) 		1309 May 1324 9 November 1328
husband's death 		23 October 1331
Joanna
suo jure 		Charles, Duke of Calabria
(Anjou-Naples) 		1328 26 September 1333 20 January 1343
couples' accession as King and Queen 		22 May 1382 Andrew

House of Valois-Anjou

Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Duchess Ceased to be Duchess Death Spouse
Marie of Blois-Châtillon Charles, Duke of Brittany
(Blois-Châtillon) 		1343/5 9 July 1360 29 June 1380
husband's accession 		12 May 1382
became Titular Queen 		12 November 1404 Louis I of Anjou
Margaret of Savoy Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy
(Savoy) 		1410s or 7 August 1420 1424/31 August 1432 12 November 1434
husband's death 		30 September 1479 Louis III of Anjou
Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine Charles II, Duke of Lorraine
(Lorraine) 		1400 24 October 1420 12 November 1434
husband's accession 		2 February 1435
became Queen 		28 February 1453 René of Anjou
After 1442, the Angevin ceased to rule Naples and Rene was the last Angevin to hold and later claim the title of King. All his successors as pretenders used the title Duke of Calabria throughout their life and never pretend to use the title King of Naples unlike the first few Angevin claimants.

House of Aragon

Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Duchess Ceased to be Duchess Death Spouse
Isabella of Clermont Tristan de Clermont, Count of Copertino 1424 30 May 1444/5 27 June 1458
became Queen 		30 March 1465 Duke Ferdinand
Ippolita Maria Sforza Francesco I Sforza
(Sforza) 		18 April 1446 10 October 1465 20 August 1484 Duke Alfonso
Trogia Gazzela – – – –
Germaine of Foix John of Foix, Viscount of Narbonne
(Foix-Grailly) 		1488 August 1526 18 October 1538 Duke Ferdinand
Mencía de Mendoza Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza
(Mendoza) 		30 November 1508 February 1540 26 October 1550
husband's death 		4 January 1554
For the spouse of the heirs of the Kingdom of Naples between 1504 and 1747; see Princess of Asturias

House of Bourbon

Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became Duchess Ceased to be Duchess Death Spouse
Infanta María Isabella of Spain Charles IV of Spain
(Bourbon-Spain) 		6 July 1789 6 July 1802 12 December 1816
revival of title 		4 January 1825
became Queen 		13 September 1848 Francis I
Duchess Maria Sophie in Bavaria Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria
(Wittelsbach) 		4 October 1841 3 February 1859 22 May 1859
became Queen 		19 January 1925 Prince Francis

Titular Duchess of Calabria

House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Main line claim (1894–1960)

Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became Duchess Ceased to be Duchess Death Spouse
Princess Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Caserta Prince Francis, Count of Trapani
and
Archduchess Maria Isabella of Austria
(Bourbon-Two Sicilies) 		16 March 1851 8 June 1868 27 December 1894
husband's accession 		26 May 1934
husband's death 		12 September 1938 Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
Princess Maria Ludwiga of Bavaria Ludwig III of Bavaria
and
Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este
(Wittelsbach) 		6 July 1872 31 May 1897 26 May 1934
husband's accession 		10 June 1954 Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria

Spanish line claim (since 1960)

To date there is no sovereign or national state that recognizes such titles to the French-Neapolitan (and fifth son) branch of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and any claim to this effect by the Dukes of Castro is the result only of self-produced documentation. The only Ducal titles of Calabria, as described below, are recognized only to the Spanish-Neapolitan branch, and this by judgments of 8 March 1984,[1] then 2012[2] and 2014 by government authorities of the Kingdom of Spain. Even Italy recognizes the Ducal titles of Calabria to the Spanish-Neapolitan branch and this with a judgment on the sidelines of the hearing of 8 May 1961 at the Court of Naples.[3]

Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became Duchess Ceased to be Duchess Death Spouse
Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma Elias I, Duke of Parma and Piacenza
and
Arcduchess Maria Anna of Austria-Teschen
(Bourbon-Parma) 		13 November 1917 16 April 1936 7 January 1960
husband's accession 		3 February 1964
husband's death 		28 March 2017 Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria
Princess Anne d'Orléans Prince Henri, Count of Paris
and
Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza
(Orléans) 		4 December 1938 12 May 1965 5 October 2015
husband's death 		– Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria
Sofía Landaluce y Melgarejo José Manuel Landaluce y Domínguez
and
María de las Nieves Blanca Melgarejo y González 		23 November 1973 30 March 2001 5 October 2015
husband's accession 		Incumbent – Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria

See also

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.constantinianorder.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Transcription in Castilian language: http://www.docelinajes.org/2013/05/comentarios-a-la-instruccion-general-0612-del-jeme-del-ejercito-de-tierra-sobre-autorizacion-de-uso-en-el-uniforme-de-recompensas-civiles-y-militares/ Archived 9 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ To consult the text La maison royale des deux Sicilies, l'Ordre Constantinien de Saint Georges et l'Ordre de Saint Janvier, 1964. The author is the Marquis de Villareal de Alava.

Sources