María del Rosario de Silva, Duchess of Alba


María del Rosario de Silva
Marchioness of San Vicente del Barco
Duchess consort of Alba
Portrait of the Duchess of Alba, wearing Spanish mantilla, by Ignacio Zuloaga.
Full name
María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay
Born4 April 1900
Madrid, Spain
Died11 January 1934(1934-01-11) (aged 33)
Madrid, Spain
BuriedMonastery of Inmaculada Concepción (Loeches)
Noble familyHouse of Híjar, House of Silva
Spouse(s)Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba
IssueCayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba
FatherAlfonso de Silva, 16th Duke of Híjar
MotherMaría del Rosario Gurtubay y González de Castejón

Doña María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay, Duchess of Alba de Tormes, 9th Marchioness of San Vicente del Barco, GE (4 April 1900 – 11 January 1934) was a Spanish aristocrat and socialite.

Early life

María was born in Madrid, Spain on 4 April 1900. She was the sole heiress of all the titles of her father, Alfonso de Silva, 16th Duke of Híjar, and of the fortune of her mother, María del Rosario Gurtubay, the young Marchioness was one of the beauties of her time.

Personal life

She married in London, on 7 October 1920, to Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba, thus becoming the Duchess of Alba. Before her death, they were the parents of a daughter:[1]

The Duke and Duchess travelled to the United States in 1924, visiting Chicago, New York, Washington, and Long Island.[3]

She stayed with her family in the Liria Palace in Madrid and died there of tuberculosis on 11 January 1934, aged only 33.[3]

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ "DUKE OF ALBA A FATHER.; Daughter Born in Madrid Will Enjoy Eighty Spanish Titles". The New York Times. 29 March 1926. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  2. ^ Minder, Raphael (21 November 2014). "The Duchess of Alba, an Unconventional Aristocrat, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b "DUCHESS OF ALBA DEAD IN MADRID; Noted Beauty Was Member of Distinguished Spanish Family Was Married in London. VISITED HERE WITH DUKE Husband Was Alfonso's Last Foreign Minister and Grandnephew of Empress Eugenie" (PDF). New York Times. 12 January 1934. Retrieved 6 April 2019.