The Most Famous

NOBLEMEN from Spain

This page contains a list of the greatest Spanish Noblemen. The pantheon dataset contains 1,415 Noblemen, 29 of which were born in Spain. This makes Spain the birth place of the 7th most number of Noblemen behind Austria, and Russia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Spanish Noblemen of all time. This list of famous Spanish Noblemen is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Spanish Noblemen.

1. Anne of Austria (1601 - 1666)

With an HPI of 75.57, Anne of Austria is the most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 55 different languages on wikipedia.

Anne of Austria (French: Anne d'Autriche; Spanish: Ana de Austria; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown in 1620. After her husband's death, Anne was regent to her son Louis XIV during his minority until 1651. Anne was born in Valladolid to King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. She was betrothed to King Louis XIII of France in 1612 and they married three years later. The two had a difficult marital relationship, exacerbated by her miscarriages and the anti-Habsburg stance of Louis' first minister, Cardinal Richelieu. Despite a climate of distrust amidst the Franco-Spanish War and twenty-three years of childlessness in which she suffered five miscarriages, Anne gave birth to an heir, Louis, in 1638 and a second son, Philippe two years later. When Louis XIII died in 1643, Anne outmaneuvered her opponents to become sole regent to her four-year-old son, Louis XIV, and appointed Cardinal Mazarin as chief minister. The Fronde, a major revolt by the French nobility against Anne and Mazarin's government, broke out but was ultimately suppressed. In 1651, Anne's regency formally ended when Louis was declared of age. Accounts of French court life of her era emphasize her closeness to her son, and her disapproval of his infidelity to her niece and daughter-in-law Maria Theresa. She retired from active politics in 1661 and moved to the convent she had commissioned, Val-de-Grâce, where she died of breast cancer five years later.

2. El Cid (1045 - 1099)

With an HPI of 72.95, El Cid is the 2nd most famous Spanish Nobleman. His biography has been translated into 72 different languages.

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and ruler in medieval Spain. Fighting both with Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific as-Sayyid ("the Lord" or "the Master"), which would evolve into El Çid (Spanish: [el ˈθið], Old Spanish: [el ˈts̻id]), and the Spanish honorific El Campeador ("the Champion"). He was born in Vivar, a village near the city of Burgos. As the head of his loyal knights, he came to dominate the Levante of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 11th century. He reclaimed the Taifa of Valencia from Moorish control for a brief period during the Reconquista, ruling the Principality of Valencia from 17 June 1094 until his death in 1099. His wife, Jimena Díaz, inherited the city and maintained it until 1102 when it was reconquered by the Moors. Díaz de Vivar became well known for his service in the armies of both Christian and Muslim rulers. After his death, El Cid became Spain's most celebrated national hero and the protagonist of the most significant medieval Spanish epic poem, El Cantar de mio Cid, which presents him as the ideal medieval knight: strong, valiant, loyal, just, and pious. There are various theories on his family history, which remains uncertain; however, he was the grandfather of García Ramírez de Pamplona, King of Navarre, the first son of his daughter Cristina Rodríguez. To this day, El Cid remains a popular Spanish folk hero and national icon, with his life and deeds remembered in popular culture.

3. Felipe VI of Spain (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 67.11, Felipe VI of Spain is the 3rd most famous Spanish Nobleman. His biography has been translated into 102 different languages.

Felipe VI (Spanish: [feˈlipe ˈseksto]; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces, holding the military rank of captain general, and also plays the role of the supreme representation of Spain in international relations. Felipe was born in Madrid during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco as the third child and only son of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. Felipe was officially created Prince of Asturias in 1977, two years after his father became king. Felipe was formally proclaimed as prince in 1986. He was also made honorary soldier of the Spanish Army at the age of 9. Felipe was educated at Santa María de los Rosales School and went to Lakefield College School in Canada. Later, he studied law at the Autonomous University of Madrid and he obtained a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. To prepare for his future role as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Felipe joined the Spanish Army in 1985. During the next two years, he completed his military training in the Navy and Air Force. After completing his civil and military studies, he undertook official duties representing his father in different social and institutional events, such as chairing charity foundations or attending inaugurations of Latin American leaders. At one of these events with the press, Felipe met TV news journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, whom he married in 2004. They have two daughters, Leonor and Sofía. Felipe ascended the throne on 19 June 2014 upon the abdication of his father. His reign has been marked by his condemnation of the Catalan independence referendum that led to the 2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and moves towards greater transparency in royal affairs. According to a poll conducted in 2020, Felipe has moderately high approval ratings.

4. Mariana Victoria of Spain (1718 - 1781)

With an HPI of 67.05, Mariana Victoria of Spain is the 4th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Mariana Victoria of Spain (Portuguese: Mariana Vitória; 31 March 1718 – 15 January 1781) was an Infanta of Spain by birth and was later the Queen of Portugal as wife of King Joseph I. She acted as regent of Portugal in 1776–1777, during the last months of her husband's life, and as advisor to her daughter, Maria I of Portugal, during her reign.

5. Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal (1535 - 1573)

With an HPI of 65.82, Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal is the 5th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Joanna of Austria (in Castilian, Doña Juana de Austria; in Portuguese, Dona Joana de Áustria, 24 June 1535 – 7 September 1573) was Princess of Portugal by marriage to João Manuel, Prince of Portugal. She served as regent of Spain for her brother Philip II during his trips to England to marry Mary I from 1554 to 1556, and 1556 to 1559. She was the mother of King Sebastian of Portugal. Married at 16 to her even younger husband, Joanna was widowed after two years, giving birth in the same month to her only child. Later that year Joanna returned to Spain at her father's request, leaving her young son in the care of her mother-in-law, who was also her aunt. She never saw Sebastian again, but corresponded and had portraits sent. In later life Joanna was active in religious affairs.

6. Queen Fabiola of Belgium (1928 - 2014)

With an HPI of 65.79, Queen Fabiola of Belgium is the 6th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Fabiola Fernanda María-de-las-Victorias Antonia Adelaida de Mora y Aragón (11 June 1928 – 5 December 2014) was Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Baudouin from their marriage in 1960 until his death in 1993. The couple had no children, as all five of Fabiola's pregnancies resulted in miscarriage, so the Crown passed to her husband's younger brother, King Albert II.

7. Carlota Joaquina of Spain (1775 - 1830)

With an HPI of 63.93, Carlota Joaquina of Spain is the 7th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Doña Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830) was Queen of Portugal and Brazil as the wife of King Dom John VI. She was the daughter of King Don Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. Detested by the Portuguese court — where she was called "the Shrew of Queluz" (Portuguese: a Megera de Queluz) — Carlota Joaquina gradually won the antipathy of the people, who accused her of promiscuity and influencing her husband in favor of the interests of the Spanish crown. After the escape of the Portuguese court to Brazil, she began conspiring against her husband, claiming that he had no mental capacity to govern Portugal and its possessions, thus wanting to establish a regency. She also planned to usurp the Spanish crown that was in the hands of Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte. After the marriage in 1817 of her son Pedro with the Archduchess Leopoldina of Austria and the later return of the royal family to Portugal in 1821, Carlota Joaquina supported her son Miguel in his intrigues to gain the throne, but their relationship deteriorated and she ended up being confined in the Royal Palace of Queluz, where she died alone and abandoned by her children and political allies on 7 January, 1830.

8. Queen Letizia of Spain (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 61.17, Queen Letizia of Spain is the 8th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (pronounced [leˈtiθja oɾˈtiθ rokasoˈlano]; born 15 September 1972) is Queen of Spain as the wife of King Felipe VI. Letizia was born in Oviedo, Asturias. She worked as a journalist for ABC and EFE before becoming a news anchor at CNN+ and Televisión Española. In 1998, she married Alonso Guerrero Pérez; they divorced the following year. In 2004, Letizia married Felipe, then Prince of Asturias as the son and heir apparent of King Juan Carlos I. The couple have two daughters, Leonor and Sofía. As Princess of Asturias, Letizia represented her father-in-law in Spain and abroad. On Juan Carlos's abdication in June 2014, Felipe became king, making Letizia queen consort. As the consort of the ruling monarch, Letizia has no constitutional functions of her own and it is constitutionally prohibited for her to assume any, unless she assumes the role of regent. The Queen performs public commitments representing the Crown, often with her husband, but she is focused on being the patron, president or member of numerous charities and organizations, and she is the visible face of the Spanish international cooperation, often traveling around the world supervising and promoting it.

9. Infante Francisco de Paula, Duke of Cádiz (1794 - 1865)

With an HPI of 60.33, Infante Francisco de Paula, Duke of Cádiz is the 9th most famous Spanish Nobleman. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain (10 March 1794 – 13 August 1865) was an Infante of Spain and the youngest son of Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. He was a brother of Ferdinand VII, and the uncle and father-in-law of Isabella II. His education at the Spanish court was derailed by the Napoleonic intervention in Spain. The departure of the fourteen-year-old Infante to exile in May 1808 provoked a popular uprising that was violently suppressed by French troops. For the next ten years, Infante Francisco de Paula lived in exile with his parents, first in Marseille and later in Rome. Infante Francisco de Paula returned to Spain in 1818, being called by his eldest brother, King Ferdinand VII, who showered him with honors and privileges. Interested in artistic pursuits, Francisco was an amateur singer and painter. In 1819, he married his niece, Princess Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily, the eldest daughter of his older sister Maria Isabella. The couple had eleven children and were very active in political affairs. Luisa Carlotta was instrumental in securing the succession for Ferdinand VII's daughter, Queen Isabella II. During the regency of Isabella II, Francisco was excluded from the government by his sister-in-law, Queen Maria Christina. Siding with the liberals, Francisco de Paula and his wife became active in the opposition and were forced to move to France in 1838. They returned to Spain under the government of Maria Christina's successor as regent, General Espartero. As they also conspired against Espartero, they were sent back into exile. The proclamation of Queen Isabella II's majority allowed them to return. The Infante and his wife centered their hopes on marrying their eldest son, Infante Francisco de Asis, to Queen Isabella II. Luisa Carlotta died in 1844, but, under pressure from French diplomacy, Queen Isabella II married Francisco de Asis in October 1846. As father-in-law to his niece the Queen, Infante Francisco de Paula occupied a prominent position at court during Isabella II's reign. However, as he tried to intervene in politics, he was briefly exiled once again in 1849. In 1852, with the Queen's approval, he contracted a morganatic marriage. He died twelve years later.

10. Petrus Gonsalvus (1537 - 1618)

With an HPI of 60.07, Petrus Gonsalvus is the 10th most famous Spanish Nobleman. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Petrus Gonsalvus (Spanish: Pedro González; c. 1537, Tenerife – c. 1618, Capodimonte), referred to by Ulisse Aldrovandi as "the man of the woods", was a gentleman in the court of Henry II of France. He was noted for having hypertrichosis, which led to him being known as the "wild gentleman of Tenerife" (salvaje gentilhombre de Tenerife) and the "Canarian werewolf" (hombre lobo canario). His life at various courts in Italy and France has been well chronicled.

People

Pantheon has 36 people classified as Spanish noblemen born between 790 and 2007. Of these 36, 8 (22.22%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Spanish noblemen include Felipe VI of Spain, Queen Letizia of Spain, and Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia. The most famous deceased Spanish noblemen include Anne of Austria, El Cid, and Mariana Victoria of Spain. As of April 2024, 7 new Spanish noblemen have been added to Pantheon including James II, Count of Urgell, Urraca Sánchez of Pamplona, and Humfrid.