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List of Spanish monarchs facts for kids

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This article lists the kings and queens of Spain. Spain as a single country began when two important rulers, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, got married. They are known as the Catholic Monarchs of Spain.

The numbers given to the kings and queens, like Alfonso XII, follow the older rulers of places like Asturias, León, and Castile. So, Alfonso XII is counted after Alfonso XI of Castile.

Early Kingdoms of Spain

Before Spain became one country, it was made up of several kingdoms. These kingdoms eventually came together through marriages and agreements.

  • Kings of the Visigoths
  • Kings of Asturias
  • Kings of Navarre
  • Kings of León
  • Kings of Galicia
  • Kings of Aragon
  • Kings of Castile

Even after Ferdinand and Isabella married, Aragon and Castile kept their own separate rules and governments for a long time. They were ruled together, but officially became one country much later, after the Nueva Planta decrees in the 1700s.

House of Trastámara (1479–1516)

This is the family that Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon belonged to. When they married, their royal families joined together. Many historians see this as the start of the Kingdom of Spain. But officially, the two kingdoms still had their own separate rules for over 200 years. They only truly merged into one state after the Nueva Planta decrees between 1707 and 1716.

Name Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family Image
Isabella I
(1451-04-22)22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504(1504-11-26) (aged 53) 11 December 1474
Castile		 26 November 1504
Castile		 Daughter of John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal Trastámara Isabella I of Castile
Ferdinand V & II
  • the Catholic
  • Spanish: Fernando V & II
 (1452-03-10)10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516(1516-01-23) (aged 63) 15 January 1475
Castile
20 January 1479
Aragon		 26 November 1504
Castile
23 January 1516
Aragon		 Son of John II of Aragon and Juana Enríquez Trastámara Ferdinand V of Castile and II of Aragon
Joanna
(1479-11-06)6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555(1555-04-12) (aged 75) 26 November 1504
Castile
23 January 1516
Aragon		 12 April 1555 Daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon Trastámara Joanna of Castile and Aragon (later: Joanna of Spain)
Philip I
(1478-07-22)22 July 1478 – 25 September 1506(1506-09-25) (aged 28) 27 June 1506
Castile		 25 September 1506
Castile		 Husband of Joanna of Castile Habsburg Philip I of Castile

Joanna was kept away from ruling from 1509 until her death. This was because people believed she was mentally unwell.

House of Habsburg (1516–1700)

After Isabella died in 1504 and Ferdinand in 1516, their daughter Joanna was supposed to become queen. However, she was kept prisoner. Her son, Charles I, became king of Castile and Aragon with his mother. When Joanna died, Charles became the only king. This officially united the thrones of Castile and Aragon. The numbering of kings usually follows the Castilian line.

Name Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family Image
Charles I
(1500-02-24)24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558(1558-09-21) (aged 58) 14 March 1516 16 January 1556
(39 years, 10 months and 2 days)		 Son of Joanna and Philip I of Castile
Nominally co-monarch with Joanna till 1555, while she was confined		 Habsburg Carlos I of Spain
Philip II
(1527-05-21)21 May 1527 – 13 September 1598(1598-09-13) (aged 71) 16 January 1556 13 September 1598
(42 years, 7 months and 28 days)		 Son of Charles I Habsburg Felipe II of Spain
Philip III
(1578-04-14)14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621(1621-03-31) (aged 42) 13 September 1598 31 March 1621
(22 years, 6 months and 18 days)		 Son of Philip II Habsburg Spain
Philip IV
(1605-04-08)8 April 1605 – 17 September 1665(1665-09-17) (aged 60) 31 March 1621 17 September 1665
(44 years, 5 months and 17 days)		 Son of Philip III Habsburg Felipe IV of Spain
Charles II
(1661-11-06)6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700(1700-11-01) (aged 39) 17 September 1665 1 November 1700
(35 years, 1 month and 15 days)		 Son of Philip IV Habsburg Carlos II of Spain

In 1700, King Charles II died without any children. He chose 16-year-old Philip, Duke of Anjou, as his successor. Philip was the grandson of Charles's sister. However, another person, Archduke Charles of Austria, also believed he had a right to the Spanish throne. This led to a big war called the War of the Spanish Succession.

Philip became King of Spain, but he had to promise that he and his children would never also claim the throne of France. Archduke Charles gave up his claim to Spain in 1714.

House of Bourbon (1700–1808)

This family took over the Spanish throne after the Habsburgs.

Name Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family Image
Philip V
(1683-12-19)19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746(1746-07-09) (aged 62) 16 November 1700 14 January 1724
(23 years, 1 month and 29 days)		 Great-grandson of Philip IV
Half-grandnephew of Charles II		 Bourbon Philip V of Spain
Louis I
  • the Beloved and the Liberal
  • Spanish: Luis I
 (1707-08-25)25 August 1707 – 31 August 1724(1724-08-31) (aged 17) 14 January 1724 31 August 1724
(7 months and 17 days)		 Son of Philip V Bourbon Louis I of Spain
Philip V
(1683-12-19)19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746(1746-07-09) (aged 62) 6 September 1724 9 July 1746
(21 years, 10 months and 3 days)		 Father of Louis I Bourbon Philip V of Spain
Ferdinand VI
(1713-09-23)23 September 1713 – 10 August 1759(1759-08-10) (aged 45) 9 July 1746 10 August 1759
(13 years, 1 month and 1 day)		 Son of Philip V Bourbon Fernando VI of Spain
Charles III
  • the Enlightened and the King-Mayor
  • Spanish: Carlos III
 (1716-01-20)20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788(1788-12-14) (aged 72) 10 August 1759 14 December 1788
(29 years, 4 months and 4 days)		 Son of Philip V Bourbon Carlos III of Spain
Charles IV
(1748-11-11)11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819(1819-01-20) (aged 70) 14 December 1788 19 March 1808
(19 years, 3 months and 5 days)		 Son of Charles III Bourbon Charles IV of Spain
Ferdinand VII
  • the Desired and the Felon King
  • Spanish: Fernando VII
 (1784-10-14)14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833(1833-09-29) (aged 48) 19 March 1808 6 May 1808
(1 month 17 days)		 Son of Charles IV Bourbon Fernando VII of Spain

House of Bonaparte (1808–1813)

The only king from this family was Joseph I. His brother, Napoleon I of France, put him on the throne after the Spanish kings Charles IV and Ferdinand VII gave up their power. Joseph I was called "King of the Spains and the Indias." However, many people in Spain did not accept him as king. A Spanish government was formed in Cádiz that still recognized Ferdinand VII as the true king.

Name Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family Image
Joseph I
  • the Intruder and Bottle Joe
  • Spanish: José I
 (1768-01-07)7 January 1768 – 28 July 1844(1844-07-28) (aged 76) 6 June 1808 11 December 1813
(5 years, 6 months and 5 days)		 Older brother of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte José I of Spain

House of Bourbon (1813–1868)

After Joseph I left, Ferdinand VII, the eldest son of Charles IV, was put back on the throne. He was again called "King of Castile, Leon, Aragon," and so on.

Name Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family Image
Ferdinand VII
  • the Desired
    the Felon King
  • Spanish: Fernando VII
 (1784-10-14)14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833(1833-09-29) (aged 48) 11 December 1813 29 September 1833
(19 years, 9 months and 18 days)		 Son of Charles IV Bourbon Fernando VII of Spain
Isabella II
  • the Queen of Sad Mischance
    the Traditional Queen
  • Spanish: Isabel II
 (1830-10-10)10 October 1830 – 10 April 1904(1904-04-10) (aged 73) 29 September 1833 30 September 1868
(35 years and 1 day)		 Daughter of Ferdinand VII Bourbon Isabel II of Spain

House of Savoy (1870–1873)

After a revolution in Spain in 1868, Queen Isabella II was removed from power. A new king was needed. Amadeo was chosen to be king. His title was "King of Spain, by the Grace of God and will of the nation."

Name Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family Image
Amadeo I
  • the Knight King
    the Elected one
 (1845-05-30)30 May 1845 – 18 January 1890(1890-01-18) (aged 44) 16 November 1870 11 February 1873
(2 years, 2 months and 26 days)		 Elected by Cortes Generales
Great-great-grandson of Charles III		 Savoy Amadeo I of Spain

First Spanish Republic (1873–1874)

After Amadeo I left the throne, Spain became a republic for a short time. This means it was ruled by elected leaders, not a king or queen.

House of Bourbon (1874–1931)

The monarchy was brought back to Spain. Isabella II's oldest son, Alfonso XII, became king. He was called the "Constitutional King of Spain."

Name Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family Image
Alfonso XII
  • the Peacemaker
 (1857-11-28)28 November 1857 – 25 November 1885(1885-11-25) (aged 27) 29 December 1874 25 November 1885
(10 years, 10 months and 27 days)		 Son of Isabella II Bourbon Alfonso XII of Spain
Alfonso XIII
  • the African
 (1886-05-17)17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941(1941-02-28) (aged 54) 17 May 1886 14 April 1931
(44 years, 10 months and 28 days)		 Posthumous son of Alfonso XII Bourbon Alfonso XIII of Spain

Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939)

In 1931, Spain became a republic again, and the king left the country.

Dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939–1975)

After the Spanish Civil War, General Francisco Franco took control of Spain in 1939. He was called "Leader of Spain." Franco ruled Spain for 36 years. Even though he said the monarchy would return, he did not let the rightful heir, Juan, Count of Barcelona, become king. Instead, in 1969, Franco chose Juan's son, Juan Carlos, to be his successor. When Franco died in 1975, Juan Carlos became King of Spain. This began a period of change for Spain, moving towards a democratic government.

House of Bourbon (1975–present)

After Franco's death, the monarchy was restored with Juan Carlos I as king. His father, Juan of Bourbon, gave up his claim to the throne for his son.

In 2014, Juan Carlos I stepped down as king. His son, Felipe VI, became the new king on June 19, 2014. Felipe's older daughter, Leonor, is next in line to the throne.

Name Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family Image
Juan Carlos I (1938-01-05) 5 January 1938 (age 87) 22 November 1975 19 June 2014
(38 years, 6 months and 28 days)		 Grandson of Alfonso XIII Bourbon Juan Carlos I of Spain
Felipe VI (1968-01-30) 30 January 1968 (age 57) 19 June 2014 Incumbent Son of Juan Carlos I Bourbon Felipe VI of Spain

Timeline of Spanish Monarchs

Felipe VI Juan Carlos I Alfonso XIII Alfonso XII Amadeo I of Spain Isabella II of Spain Ferdinand VII of Spain Joseph Bonaparte Ferdinand VII of Spain Charles IV of Spain Charles III of Spain Ferdinand VI of Spain Philip V of Spain Louis I of Spain Philip V of Spain Charles II of Spain Philip IV of Spain Philip III of Spain Philip II of Spain Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Philip I of Castile Joanna of Castile Ferdinand II of Aragon Isabella I of Castile House of Bourbon House of Bourbon House of Savoy House of Bourbon House of Bonaparte House of Bourbon House of Habsburg House of Trastámara

See also

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