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85-479: Contrary to popular belief, hidalguía (i.e. the condition of being an hidalgo) is not a nobility rank, but rather a type of nobility. Not all hidalgos lacked nobility titles, and not all members of the titled nobility were hidalgos. For example, the Kings of Spain are hidalgos, because their nobility was acquired by blood from time immemorial. In modern times, hidalgos are represented through various organizations, such as

170-477: A confraternity dedicated to artistic performance in music, song and poetry; the German meistersingers were similar, though typically imitating trade guilds in form. Starting in the fourteenth century, northern France saw the rise of confraternities and other lay communities of men and women, organized around trades and religious devotions dedicated to specific patron saints. Various other congregations such as of

255-619: A court of law. However, special legislation was passed by parliament prior to his abdication that states he may only be tried by Spain's Supreme Court and no other. The Person of the King of Spain is inviolable and shall not be held accountable. His acts shall always be countersigned in the manner established in section 64. Without such countersignature they shall not be valid, except as provided under section 65(2). The concept of lèse-majesté ( lesa-majestad ) exists in Spanish jurisprudence , which

340-428: A grant of nobility from His Majesty the King of Spain in his position as monarch, or from his position as protector of a military confraternity or hermandad . Hidalgo de bragueta (" fly-of-the-trousers hidalgo") obtained tax exemption for having seven sons in lawful wedlock. In Asturias , Cantabria and other regions of Spain every seven years the King ordered the creation of padrones ("registers") where

425-791: A king on the throne, he ruled through a coalition of allied organizations from the Spanish Civil War including, but not limited to, the Falange political party, the supporters of the Bourbon royal family, and the Carlists , until his death in 1975. Despite Franco's alliance with the Carlists, Franco appointed Juan Carlos I de Borbón as his successor, who is credited with presiding over Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy by fully endorsing political reforms. Impatient with

510-531: A period of great colonial expansion and trade. The Hispanic Crown retained control over and profited from all operations in overseas colonies (by and large royal assets under a monopoly on trade), including slave trade , developed under the purview of the regalía late-medieval system. The death in 1700 of Charles II , last of the Spanish Habsburgs, triggered the War of the Spanish succession . With

595-596: A similar status to an hidalgo in Spain. In the Kingdom of Aragón , the infanzón was the noble counterpart of the Castilian hidalgo . The pronunciation changes in Spanish occurred during the late Middle Ages , the f- sound in the word-initial position developed into a h-sound, leading to the spelling of hidalgo (see History of the Spanish language ) or “hijo-dalgo” in some formal contexts, etc. In time,

680-463: Is Felipe VI since 19 June 2014, after the abdication of his father, King Juan Carlos I . The Spanish monarchy is constitutionally referred to as The Crown ( Spanish : La Corona ), and it comprises the reigning monarch , his or her royal family, and the Royal Household , which supports and facilitates the sovereign in the exercise of his duties and prerogatives. The Royal Family

765-444: Is currently represented by King Felipe VI , Queen Letizia , their daughters Leonor, Princess of Asturias , and Infanta Sofía , and the king's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía . The Spanish Constitution of 1978 re-established a constitutional monarchy as the form of government for Spain after the end of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco and the restoration of democracy in 1977 . The 1978 constitution affirmed

850-584: Is incumbent upon the monarch to "confer civil and military positions and award honors and distinctions in conformity of the law". According to the Spanish Ministry of Justice , nobility and grandee titles are created by the "sovereign grace of the king", and may be passed on to the recipient's heirs, who may not sell the title. Titles may revert to the Crown when their vacancy is observed. Succession of titles may follow one of several courses listed on

935-546: Is no memory of its origin and there is no knowledge of any document mentioning a royal grant, which obscurity is universally praised even more than those noblemen who know otherwise their origin", or in other words, an immemorial noble . When challenged, an hidalgo de sangre may obtain a judicial sentence validating his nobility from the Royal Chancillería of Valladolid or Granada, if he can prove that it has been accepted by local society and custom. In this case,

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1020-598: Is personally immune from prosecution for acts committed by government ministers in the king's name. Although he is nominally chief executive, his acts are not valid unless countersigned by a minister, who then assumes political and legal responsibility for the act in question. This legal convention mirrors the concept of sovereign immunity which evolved in similar constitutional monarchies. The legal concept of sovereign immunity evolved into other aspects of immunity law in similar liberal democracies , such as parliamentary immunity , judicial immunity , and qualified immunity in

1105-706: Is the crime or offense violating the dignity of the head-of-state or the State itself. According to Article 56 of the 1978 Constitution the monarch and the dignity of the Spanish State are one and the same: "The King is Head of State, the symbol of its unity and permanence". Breaching Spain's lèse-majesté laws may carry fines and up to two years in prison. The concept is within the same legal sphere as legislation prohibiting flag desecration in other democratic countries. Additionally, lèse-majesté extends to any foreign heads-of-state visiting Spain, and other members of

1190-446: The caballeros , and not the magnates who often were far away, came to dominate politics, society and cultural patronage. From their ranks were also drawn the representatives of the towns and cities when the cortes were convened by kings. It was in the twelfth century that this class, along with the upper nobility, began to be referred to as hidalgos . Hidalgos de sangre (by virtue of lineage ) are "those for whom there

1275-712: The Bourbon Reforms , attempted to rationalize administration and produce more revenue from the overseas empire. During the Napoleonic Wars , the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte forced Ferdinand VII to abdicate in 1808, and the Bourbons became a focus of popular resistance against French rule. However, Ferdinand's rejection of the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812 , as well as his ministerial appointments, particularly

1360-623: The Burgundy Family , was the last to claim the imperial title of Spain , but divided his empire among his sons. The Castilian Civil War (1366 to 1369) ended with the death of King Peter (r. 1334–1369) at the hands of his illegitimate half-brother Henry, 1st Count of Trastámara who ruled as Henry II (r. 1369–1379). Henry II became the first of the House of Trastámara to rule over a Spanish kingdom. King Peter's heiress, his granddaughter Catherine of Lancaster , married Henry III , reuniting

1445-620: The Holy Office , prescribed the rules, and the white habit, with the name Recommendati B. V. Each Confraternity organization has a set of rules or by-laws to follow which every member promises to live by. Even though the Catholic Church works in harmony with the confraternity, these rules are not religious vows , instead merely rules set up to govern the confraternal organization. Some confraternities allow only men, while others allow only women or only youth. The religiosity of

1530-593: The Order of Alfonso X , the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild , the Order of Saint Raimundo de Penafort , the Order of Military Merit , the Order of Naval Merit , the Order of Aerial Merit , the Order of Civil Merit , the Order of Cultural Merit , the Order of Calatrava , the Order of the Knights of Santiago , the Order of Sant Jordi d'Alfama , and the Order of Alcántara , among others. The Spanish monarch

1615-525: The Real Asociación de Hidalgos , the Real Cuerpo de la Nobleza de Madrid , and the orders of chivalry. From the twelfth century, the phrase fijo d'algo (lit. son of something) and its contraction, fidalgo , were used in the Kingdom of Castile and in the Kingdom of Portugal to identify a type of nobility . In Portugal, the cognate remained fidalgo , which identified nobles of

1700-689: The Speaker of the Congress (who, in this instance, represents the whole of the Cortes Generales). Confraternity A confraternity ( Spanish : cofradía ; Portuguese : confraria ) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety , and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most common among Catholics , Lutherans , Anglicans , and

1785-647: The Title of Concession when the title is created. As a general rule, most titles are now inherited by absolute Cognatic Primogeniture (as of 2006), in which the first born inherits all titles regardless of gender. However, a title holder may designate his successor, Succession by Assignment , or disperse his titles among his children – with the eldest getting the highest-ranking title, Succession by Distribution . During his reign between 1975 and 2014, King Juan Carlos awarded peerages to two of his former prime ministers who had retired from active politics: Adolfo Suárez , who

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1870-756: The Visigothic Kingdom and its Christian successor states of Navarre , Asturias (later Leon and Castille ) and Aragon , which fought the Reconquista or Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula following the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in the 8th century. One of the earliest influential dynasties was the House of Jiménez which united much of Christian Iberia under its leadership in the 11th century. From Sancho III of Navarre (r. 1000–1035) until Urraca of León and Castile (r. 1106–1125), members of

1955-736: The Western Orthodox . When a Catholic confraternity has received the authority to aggregate to itself groups erected in other localities, it is called an archconfraternity . Examples include the various confraternities of penitents and the confraternities of the cord , as well as the Confraternity of the Holy Guardian Angels and the Confraternity of the Rosary . Pious associations of laymen existed in very ancient times at Constantinople and Alexandria. In France, in

2040-479: The regency of the monarchy and guardianship of the person of the monarch in the event of his minority or incapacitation. The office of Regent(s) and the Guardianship of the monarch (whether the monarch is in his minority or incapacitated) may not necessarily be the same person. In the event of the minority of the monarch, the surviving mother or father, or oldest relative of legal age who is nearest in line to

2125-504: The sobriquet 'the Ingenious Hidalgo' by his creator, Miguel de Cervantes . In the novel Cervantes has Don Quixote satirically present himself as an hidalgo de sangre and aspire to live the life of a knight-errant despite the fact that his economic position does not allow him to truly do so. Don Quixote's possessions allowed to him a meager life devoted to his reading obsession, yet his concept of honour led him to emulate

2210-727: The "neighbor helping neighbor" theory. The term may have other meanings: The Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception is a renowned lay Marian apostolate in the Philippines known for administering the Grand Marian Procession parade on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception . The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament is an example of an Anglo-Catholic confraternity established in

2295-587: The Constitution and the Laws are sustained, and to respect the rights of the citizens and of the autonomous communities. The 1978 Constitution, Title II The Crown , Article 62, delineates the powers of the king, while Title IV Government and Administration , Article 99, defines the king's role in the appointment of the prime minister and the formation of the council of ministers/government. Title VI Judicial Power , Article 117, Articles 122 through 124, outlines

2380-566: The European balance of power . Philip V was the first member of the House of Bourbon (Spanish: Borbón ) to rule Spain. That dynasty still rules today under Felipe (Philip) VI. In the mid-eighteenth century, particularly under Charles III of Spain , the Spanish Crown embarked on an ambitious and far-reaching project to implement major reforms in the administration of Spain and the Spanish empire. These changes, collectively known as

2465-533: The Grand Inquisitor. Hidalgo himself lights the fires, then from a tower casts himself into the depths of despair. Monarchy of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy ( Spanish : Monarquía Española ) is the constitutional form of government of Spain . It consists of a hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state , being the highest office of the country. The current King

2550-694: The Holy Trinity, of the Scapular, etc., were founded between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. From the latter century onwards, these pious associations have multiplied greatly. The Archconfraternity of the Gonfalone was headquartered in the Church of Santa Lucia del Gonfalone. Because of their white hooded robes, they were identified as the "White Penitents". They were established in 1264 at Rome. St. Bonaventure , at that time Inquisitor-general of

2635-461: The Jiménez family claimed the historic Visigothic title Imperator totius Hispaniae or Emperor of All Spain . The Jiménez rulers sought to bring their kingdoms into the European mainstream and often engaged in cross- Pyrenees alliances and marriages, and became patrons to Cluniac Reforms (c. 950–c. 1130). Urraca's son and heir Alfonso VII of León and Castile , the first of the Spanish branch of

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2720-660: The Nationalists. Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany aided Franco in the Spanish Civil War. The Soviet Union backed the Republican Government as did Mexico under the government of Lázaro Cárdenas . After sixteen years without monarchy or kingdom, in 1947, Spain was made a Kingdom again by General Franco, who claimed to rule Spain as Head of state of the Kingdom of Spain through the Law of Succession . However, without

2805-639: The Pragmatic Sanction argued that it was never officially promulgated, claiming Ferdinand VII's younger brother, Prince Carlos , the rightful heir to the crown according to the Salic Law. In September 1873, the First Spanish Republic was founded. A coup d'état restored the Bourbon dynasty to the throne in 1874. In 1931 Spanish local elections produced victories (particularly in urban areas) for candidates favoring an end to

2890-601: The Spanish State domestically and internationally, all the while aiming to maintain a professionally non-partisan yet independent monarchy. The Crown of Spain ( la Corona de España ), with its roots in the Visigothic kingdom from the 5th century and subsequent successor states, is recognized in Title II The Crown , Articles 56 through 65 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 . Constitutionally

2975-709: The Spanish explorations and settlement in the Caribbean, the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire , the crown established high courts ("Audiencias") and viceroyalties in important regions ( Mexico , 1535; Panama , 1538, which was later replaced by Lima , 1542). The viceroy (vice-king) and the Audiencias were the effective administrators of royal policy. In 1505,

3060-507: The Spanish monarchs have never used the title. In 1492 the Catholic Monarchs conquered the Kingdom of Granada in southern Spain, the last Muslim territory in the Iberian peninsula. The unification of Spain is marked from this date, though the Spanish kingdoms continued past that date. The territories of the Spanish empire overseas were dependencies of the Crown of Castile, and Castile had an outsized influence there. Following

3145-668: The Spanish monarchy passed to the House of Habsburg in the person of King Charles I (also Holy Roman Emperor as Charles V), son of Queen Joanna and King Philip I of Castile (usually Philip the Handsome in English). With the death of Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1516 the Aragonese lands were added to Charles and Joanna's territories. With his mother and co-monarch Joanna confined in Tordesillas , claimed to be mad, Charles I

3230-630: The United States. As the reigning monarch the king of Spain has absolute sovereign immunity, he cannot be charged in any court of law in the Spanish state. This immunity applies to both civil and criminal cases. Sovereign immunity is reserved exclusively for the current holder of the Office of King. It does not apply to any other member of the royal family. When Juan Carlos I abdicated the throne to his successor Felipe VI he automatically forfeited his constitutional sovereign immunity and can be charged in

3315-460: The condemned during the inquisition, burying the dead during epidemics and other charitable acts as deemed appropriate by the confraternity members or parish priest. Society could not function strictly through government programs because there was also a need to take care of matters such as burials, and provide for the poor and indigent. While government can and did maintain programs to handle these needs, they were better managed by lay organizations or

3400-447: The constitution is obeyed. Lastly, the king swears to respect the rights of Spanish citizens and of the self-governing communities. The Prince of Asturias, upon reaching the age of majority, in addition to any regent(s) upon assuming the office, swears the same oath as that of the king along with a further oath of loyalty to the monarch. The oath reads as follows: I swear faithfully to discharge my functions, to sustain and see to it that

3485-492: The country's on-going late-2000s economic crisis . According to the Spanish Constitution voted in referendum , the sovereign power emanates from the people, so it is the very same people who give the king the power to reign: National sovereignty belongs to the Spanish people, from whom all State powers emanate. The monarch " arbitrates and moderates the regular functioning of the institutions " and assumes

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3570-533: The crown , compensation , and a regency -guardianship contingency in cases of the monarch's minority or incapacitation . According to the Constitution, the monarch is also instrumental in promoting relations with the "nations of its historical community". The monarch serves as honorary president of the Organization of Ibero-American States , representing over 700,000,000 people in twenty-four member nations worldwide. The monarchy in Spain has its roots in

3655-490: The death of the childless Charles II, the succession to the throne was disputed. Charles II had designated his sister Maria Theresa 's grandson, Philip of France , Duke of Anjou , as his heir. The possible unification of Spain with France, the two big European powers at the time, sparked the Spanish War of Succession in the 18th century, culminating in the treaties of Utrecht (1713) and Rastatt (1714) , which preserved

3740-802: The dynasties in the person of their son, King John II . In the 15th century, the marriage between Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon , both members of the House of Trastámara , known as the Catholic Monarchs , united two important kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula . Each kingdom retained its basic structure. The last pretender of the crown of the Byzantine Empire , Andreas Palaiologos , who styled himself as "Emperor of Constantinople", bestowed his imperial title to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in his last testament, dated 7 April 1502, although

3825-607: The eighth and ninth centuries, the laws of the Carolingians mention confraternities and guilds. But the first confraternity in the modern and proper sense of the word is said to have been founded at Paris by Bishop Odo (d. 1208). It was under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Confraternities had their beginnings in the early Middle Ages, and developed rapidly from the end of the twelfth century. The main object and duty of these societies were, above all,

3910-518: The exclusion of liberals, gradually eroded popular support for the Spanish monarchy. With the Pragmatic Sanction of 1830 , Ferdinand set aside the Salic law , introduced by Philip V, that prohibited women from becoming sovereigns of Spain. Thereby, as had been customary before the arrival of the Bourbons, Ferdinand VII's eldest daughter Isabella became his heiress presumptive . Opponents of

3995-482: The first of the Spanish Bourbons, women were barred from succession until Ferdinand VII reintroduced the right and designated his elder daughter Isabella as his heir presumptive by 1833. The debate on amending the Crown's succession law came to the forefront on 31 October 2005, when Infanta Leonor was born to the current King and Queen of Spain. Amending the law to absolute primogeniture would allow

4080-412: The first-born to inherit the throne, whether the heir be male or female. The Zapatero administration of the day proclaimed its intention to amend the succession law; however, with the birth of the king's second daughter the issue was postponed. Paving the way, in 2006 King Juan Carlos issued a decree reforming the succession to noble titles from male preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. Since

4165-493: The great magnates and prelates and ran their estates for them as petty nobility . In these first centuries it was still possible to become a miles simply by being able to provide, and afford the costs of, mounted military service. Only by the mid-twelfth century did the ranks of the knights begin to be—in theory—closed by lineage. In the frontier towns that were created as the Christian kingdoms pushed into Muslim land,

4250-418: The highest representation of the Spanish State in international relations. The monarch exercises the functions expressly conferred on him by the constitution and the laws. The King is Head of State, the symbol of its unity and permanence. He arbitrates and moderates the regular functioning of the institutions, assumes the highest representation of the Spanish State in international relations, especially with

4335-448: The historic dynasty" be included in the text to underscore that the monarchy was a historic institution predating the constitution or the prior regime. The Crown of Spain shall be inherited by the successors of HM Juan Carlos I de Borbón, the legitimate heir of the historic dynasty. Succession to the throne shall follow the regular order of primogeniture and representation, the first line having preference over subsequent lines; and within

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4420-470: The king and queen in Madrid, and in 2009 two Galician separatists were fined for burning effigies of the king. According to Article 57 the Crown of Spain is inherited by the successors of King Juan Carlos I de Borbón through male preference primogeniture . While drafting the new constitution, lawyer and liberal congressman Joaquín Satrústegui (1909–1992) insisted that the phrase "the legitimate heir of

4505-566: The king in his minority shall fall under the guardianship of the person designated in the will of the deceased monarch, provided that he or she be of age and of Spanish nationality. If no guardian has been appointed in the will, then the father or mother will then assume the guardianship, as long as they remain widowed. Otherwise, the Cortes Generales shall appoint both the Regent(s) and the guardian, who in this case may not be held by

4590-404: The king of Spain can bestow. The second in order the king may award is the Order of Charles III to "citizens who, with their effort, initiative and work, have brought a distinguished and extraordinary service to the Nation". The Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand is Spain's highest military award for gallantry. Other orders, decorations, and medals include the Order of Isabella the Catholic ,

4675-597: The king used a specially designed command communications center in the Zarzuela Palace to denounce the coup and command the military's eleven captains general to stand down. Following the events of 1981, Juan Carlos led a less eventful life, according to author John Hooper. Juan Carlos did not preside over ceremonies such as the opening of hospitals and bridges as often as monarchs in other nations. Instead, he worked towards establishing reliable political customs when transitioning one government administration to another, emphasizing constitutional law and protocol, and representing

4760-452: The king's role in the country's independent judiciary . However, by constitutional convention established by Juan Carlos I, the king exercises his prerogatives having solicited government advice while maintaining a politically non-partisan and independent monarchy. Receiving government advice does not necessarily bind the monarch into executing the advice, except where prescribed by the constitution. His acts shall always be countersigned in

4845-428: The knights-errant. The picaresque novel Lazarillo features an hidalgo so poor that he spreads breadcrumbs on his clothes, to simulate having eaten a meal. His hidalgo honour forbids him manual work but does not provide him with subsistence. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 's Tales of a Wayside Inn includes "The Theologian's Tale" which recounts the tragedy of Hidalgo who betrays his two daughters to

4930-417: The manner established in section 64. Without such countersignature they shall not be valid, except as provided under section 65(2). It is incumbent upon the King: The 1978 constitution confirms the title of the monarch is the King of Spain , but that he may also use other titles historically associated with the Crown. According to Royal Decree 1368/1987, regulating the titles, treatments and honours of

5015-418: The members and their desire for a personal reward in the afterlife were reflected in confraternity activities, such as assisting with burials by donating burial robes or monetary payment, attending the burial mass, volunteering in the local hospitals, organization of and participation in religious feast days, giving dowries for local orphans, selling and preparing bread used for local religious holidays, escorting

5100-415: The minority or incapacitation of a monarch. No further constitutional language prescribes titles or forms of address to the fourth generation, or great grandchildren, of a reigning monarch. Following his abdication in 2014, Juan Carlos I and his wife Sofía retain courtesy titles of King and Queen of Spain. The monarch's position as the fount of honour within Spain is codified in Article 62 (f); It

5185-407: The monarch embodies and personifies the "indissoluble" unity and permanence of the Spanish State , and represents the legal personality of the State and by extension fulfills the role of " Father of the Nation ". As a unifying figure for the nation, in 2010 King Juan Carlos worked towards "bridging the gap" between Spain's rival polarized political parties to develop a unified strategy in response to

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5270-429: The monarch exercises in the formation of Spanish governments is in the nomination and appointment process of the President of the Government ( Presidente del Gobierno de España ). Following the General Election of the Cortes Generales ( Cortes ), and other circumstances provided for in the constitution, the king meets with and interviews the political party leaders represented in the Cortes, and then consults with

5355-418: The monarch, and the children of the heir apparent, shall have the title and rank of Infante or Infanta (prince or princess), and styled His or Her Royal Highness ( Su Alteza Real ). Children of an Infante or Infanta of Spain "shall have the consideration of Spanish Grandees ", and the address of "Your Excellency". The royal decree further limits the ability of any regent to use or create titles during

5440-415: The monarchy and the establishment of a republic. Faced with unrest in the cities, Alfonso XIII went into exile, but did not abdicate. The ensuing provisional government evolved into the relatively short-lived Second Spanish Republic . The Spanish Civil War began in 1936 and ended on 1 April 1939 with the victory of General Francisco Franco and his coalition of allied organizations commonly referred to as

5525-426: The nations of its historical community, and exercises the functions expressly conferred on him by the Constitution and the laws. Upon accession to the crown and being proclaimed before the Cortes Generales, the king swears an oath to faithfully carry out his constitutional duties and to abide by the constitution and laws of the state. Additionally, the constitution gives the king the added responsibility to ensure that

5610-514: The nobleman's rights to bear arms and to be exempt from taxation, in compensation for military service; the military obligation and the social condition remained in force by the Fuero Juzgo law. The hidalguía has its origins in fighting men of the Reconquista . By the tenth century the term infanzón appears in Asturian-Leonese documents as a synonym for the Spanish and Medieval Latin terms caballero and miles (both, " knight "). These infanzones were vassals of

5695-427: The order of succession to the Crown is codified in the Constitution, its reform mandates a complicated process that involves a dissolution of parliament, a constitutional election, and a referendum. If all lines designated by law become extinct, the constitution reserves the right for the Cortes Generales to provide for the succession "in the manner most suitable for Spain". The 1978 constitution disinherits members of

5780-426: The pace of democratic reforms, the new king, known for his formidable personality, dismissed Carlos Arias Navarro and appointed the reformer Adolfo Suárez as President of the Government in 1977. The next year the king signed into law the new liberal democratic Constitution of Spain , which was approved by 88% of voters. Juan Carlos' "quick wit and steady nerve" cut short the attempted military coup in 1981 when

5865-467: The population was classified either as hidalgos nobles , and therefore, exempt from taxation due to their military status or pecheros (from an archaic verb, pechar , "to pay") who comprised the estado llano ("lower ranks") and were excluded from military service and had to pay taxes. These padrones constitute nowadays a source of information about population genealogy and distribution as well as proof of nobility in certain cases. Over

5950-405: The practice of piety and works of charity. Some confraternities were very widely spread, especially in the cities of the Middle Ages . Confraternities could be important and wealthy institutions for the elite, as in for example, the Scuole Grandi of Venice . The Purgatorial societies and orders of flagellants were other specialized medieval types. The medieval French term puy designated

6035-399: The privileges of the former title, and along with all citizens were also subject to conscription. Both estates of the realm (social classes) became combined, compulsorily contributing to the nation in service and taxes without exemption, while the titled nobility and royalty kept their former privileges and exemptions. The prototypical fictional hidalgo is Don Quixote , who was given

6120-500: The resulting legal document that verifies his nobility is called a carta ejecutoria de hidalguia ( letters patent of nobility ). To qualify as an hidalgo solariego ("ancestral hidalgo"), one had to prove that all four of one's grandparents were hidalgos . Hidalgos solariegos were regarded as the most noble and treated with the most respect. Hidalgos de privilegio (by virtue of royal privilege) and hidalgos de Real Provision (by virtue of meritorious acts) entail

6205-534: The role of the King of Spain as the living personification and embodiment of the Spanish nation and a symbol of Spain's enduring unity and permanence and is also invested as the "arbitrator and the moderator" of Spanish institutions. Constitutionally, the sovereign is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces . The constitution codifies the use of royal styles and titulary, royal prerogatives , hereditary succession to

6290-445: The royal family (as well as their descendants) from succession if they marry against the expressed prohibition of the monarch and the Cortes Generales. Lastly, Article 57 further provides that "Abdications and renunciations and any doubt in fact or in law that may arise in connection with the succession to the Crown shall be settled by an organic act". Constitutionally, the current heirs of Felipe VI are: The constitution outlines

6375-517: The royal family and the regents, the king and his wife, the queen consort , will formally be addressed as "His Majesty and Her Majesty" ( Their Majesties , Spanish: Su Majestad , Su represents His or Her ) rather than the traditional " Catholic Majesty " ( Su Católica Majestad ). A prince consort , the husband of a queen regnant , will have the style "His Royal Highness" ( Su Alteza Real ). The widows and widowers of monarchs are to retain these styles until they remarry. The heir from birth shall hold

6460-579: The royal family, and to the Spanish President of the Government as the king's appointed officer. The Spanish satirical magazine El Jueves was fined for violation of Spain's lèse-majesté laws after publishing an issue with a caricature of the Prince and Princess of Asturias engaging in sexual intercourse on their cover in 2007. In 2008, 400 Catalonia separatists burned images of

6545-491: The same line the closer grade over the more remote; and within the same grade the male over female, and in the same sex, the elder over the younger. Male-preference cognatic primogeniture has been practiced in Spain since the 11th century in the various Visigothic successor states and codified in the Siete Partidas , with women able to inherit in certain circumstances. However, with the succession of Philip V in 1700,

6630-551: The same person, except by the father or mother of direct relation of the king. The constitution defines the government's responsibilities. The government consists of the President of the Government and ministers of state . The government conducts domestic and foreign policy , civil and military administration, and the defense of the nation all in the name of the king. Additionally, the government exercises executive authority and statutory regulations. The most direct prerogative

6715-410: The term included the lower-ranking gentry , the untitled, lower stratum of the nobility who were exempted from taxation. The Siete Partidas ( Leyes de Partidas ), suggests that the word hidalgo derives from itálico ("italic"), a man with full Roman citizenship. In the previous Visigoth monarchies, the condition of the hidalgo was that of a freeman without land wealth, but with

6800-510: The throne, would immediately assume the office of Regent, who in any case must be Spanish. If a monarch becomes incapacitated, and that incapacitation is recognized by the Cortes Generales, then the Prince of Asturias (the heir apparent), shall immediately become Regent, if he is of age. If the Prince of Asturias is himself a minor, then the Cortes Generales shall appoint a Regency which may be composed of one, three, or five persons. The person of

6885-552: The title and by the early nineteenth century with the forced levies to military service of all citizens by conscription without any minimum requirements of nobility or pay or loyalty by honour but by coercion on desertion , it had entirely disappeared, along with the social class it had originally signified and most of its centuries-old developed code of honour in the nation's social culture. Influenced by policies in France, hidalgos all became pecheros (taxpayers), without

6970-453: The title of Prince of Asturias and the other titles historically associated with the heir apparent. These additional titles include Prince of Viana , historically associated with the heir apparent to the Kingdom of Navarre ; with the titles Prince of Girona and Duke of Montblanc historically associated with the heir apparent for the Crown of Aragon , among others. Other children of

7055-416: The years the title lost its significance, especially in Spain. Kings routinely awarded the title in exchange for personal favors. By the time of the reign of the House of Bourbon , over half a million people enjoyed tax exemptions, putting tremendous strain on the royal state which wasn't calling their services to arms but relied more on professional armies and costly mercenaries. Attempts were made to reform

7140-476: Was created 1st Duke of Suárez ; and Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo who was created 1st Marquess of la Ría de Ribadeo . All successive politicians remain active within politics. The king grants not only military and civil orders, but also grants awards of distinction, customarily on the advice of government. The Order of the Golden Fleece , one of the oldest surviving orders of chivalry, is the highest honor

7225-499: Was the sole ruler, but the legal situation remained slightly ambiguous until her death in 1555 left Charles the undoubted sole monarch, though as Holy Roman Emperor it was not his principal title. Only in the reign of his son Philip II of Spain from 1556 did "King of Spain" become the usual way to refer to the monarch, in Spain and the rest of Europe. Philip's reign marked the peak of the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659),

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