New games! PlayTrivia andBirthle.

The Most Famous

NOBLEMEN from Spain

This page contains a list of the greatest Spanish Noblemen. The pantheon dataset contains 842 Noblemen, 28 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 76.12, Anne of Austria is the most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 53 different languages on wikipedia.

Anne of Austria (French: Anne d'Autriche, Spanish: Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was an infanta of Spain who became Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XIII from their marriage in 1615 until Louis XIII died in 1643. She was also Queen of Navarre until that kingdom was annexed into the French crown in 1620. After her husband's death, Anne was regent to her son Louis XIV, during his minority, until 1651. During her regency, Cardinal Mazarin served as France's chief minister. Accounts of French court life of Anne's era emphasize her difficult marital relations with her husband, her closeness to her son, and her disapproval of her son's marital infidelity to her niece and daughter-in-law Maria Theresa.

2. El Cid (1045 - 1099)

With an HPI of 73.55, El Cid is the 2nd most famous Spanish Nobleman. His biography has been translated into 68 different languages.

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific al-sīd, which would evolve into El Cid ("the lord"), and the Spanish honorific El Campeador ("the valiant"). 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 as its Prince (Señorío de 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 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. Mariana Victoria of Spain (1718 - 1781)

With an HPI of 66.22, Mariana Victoria of Spain is the 3rd most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 31 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, in her reign.

4. Queen Fabiola of Belgium (1928 - 2014)

With an HPI of 66.11, Queen Fabiola of Belgium is the 4th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 40 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 from her marriage to King Baudouin in 1960 until his death in 1993. The couple had no children, so the Crown passed to her husband's younger brother, King Albert II.

5. Felipe VI of Spain (1968 - )

With an HPI of 65.48, Felipe VI of Spain is the 5th most famous Spanish Nobleman. His biography has been translated into 96 different languages.

Felipe VI (Spanish: [feˈlipe ˈseɣsto]; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and has two elder sisters, Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo, and Infanta Cristina. In 2004, Felipe married TV news journalist Letizia Ortiz, with whom he has two daughters, Leonor (his heir presumptive) and Sofía. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces with the military rank of Captain General, and also plays the role of the supreme representation of Spain in international relations.Felipe ascended the throne on 19 June 2014 upon the abdication of his father. His reign has been marked by his dissolution of the Spanish Parliament in 2016 (so that new elections could be called), strong condemnation of the Catalonian independence referendum that lead 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.

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

With an HPI of 65.43, Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal is the 6th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 29 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 to her brother Philip II of Spain 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, she was widowed after two years, giving birth in the same month. Later that year she returned to Spain at her father's request, leaving her son in the care of her mother in law, who was also her aunt. She never saw him again, but corresponded and had portraits sent. In later life she was active in religious affairs.

7. Carlota Joaquina of Spain (1775 - 1830)

With an HPI of 62.41, Carlota Joaquina of Spain is the 7th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 35 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 was confined in the Royal Palace of Queluz, where she died alone and abandoned by her children on 7 January, 1830.

8. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (1953 - )

With an HPI of 60.49, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia is the 8th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (Russian: Мария Владимировна Романова, romanized: Maria Vladimirovna Romanova; born 23 December 1953) has been a claimant to the headship of the House of Romanov, the Imperial Family of Russia (who reigned as Emperors and Autocrats of all the Russias from 1613 to 1917) since 1992. Although she has used Grand Duchess of Russia as her title of pretence with the style Imperial Highness throughout her life, her right to do so is disputed. She is a great-great-granddaughter in the male line of Emperor Alexander II of Russia.

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

With an HPI of 59.63, Infante Francisco de Paula, Duke of Cádiz is the 9th most famous Spanish Nobleman. His biography has been translated into 27 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, as well as 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. Queen Letizia of Spain (1972 - )

With an HPI of 58.14, Queen Letizia of Spain is the 10th most famous Spanish Nobleman. Her biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (pronounced [leˈtiθja oɾˈtiθ rokasoˈlano]; 15 September 1972) is Queen of Spain as the wife of King Felipe VI. Letizia came from a middle-class family. 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, whom she divorced the following year. In 2004, Letizia married Felipe, then Prince of Asturias as the son and heir 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.

People

Pantheon has 28 people classified as noblemen born between 790 and 2007. Of these 28, 6 (21.43%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living noblemen include Felipe VI of Spain, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, and Queen Letizia of Spain. The most famous deceased noblemen include Anne of Austria, El Cid, and Mariana Victoria of Spain. As of April 2022, 2 new noblemen have been added to Pantheon including Mariana Victoria of Spain and Berengar the Wise.