Permanent Deputation and Council of Grandees of Spain and Titles of the Kingdom

Permanent Deputation and Council of Grandees of Spain and Titles of the Kingdom
Diputación Permanente y Consejo de la Grandeza de España y Títulos del Reino
FormationMay 15, 1815 (1815-05-15)
FounderFerdinand VII
Legal statusprivate association of public interest
Purposeto represent the Spanish nobility and advice the Monarch on related issues
Headquarters3 Ayala Street, Madrid
Location
  • Spain
Protector
Felipe VI
Dean
The Duchess of Arcos
Secretary
The Count of Casa Galindo
The Marquess of Vívola
Main organ
Assembly
Parent organization
The Crown
SubsidiariesCultural Foundation of the Spanish Nobility
Websitediputaciondelagrandezaytitulosdelreino.es

The Permanent Deputation and Council of Grandees of Spain and Titles of the Kingdom (Spanish: Diputación Permanente y Consejo de la Grandeza de España y Títulos del Reino), before 2019 called Permanent Deputation and Council of Grandees of Spain, is a Spanish public interest association that represents the Spanish nobility.[1] It has around 800 members,[2] representing 40 % of Spain's titled nobility.

Furthermore, in addition to representing the nobility, the Permanent Deputation and Council has the responsibility to advise the Monarch —and the Ministry of Justice— regarding the exercise of the royal prerogative of granting noble titles —or any other aristocratic honour—, as well as in procedures regarding succession and reinstatement of these, and the acknowledgement of foreign and papal titles.[1]

Regarding its legal nature, the Council of State, on the occasion of the statutory reform proposed by the Grandees, issued an Opinion on 22 April 1999, which has proven controversial in the doctrine. Traditionally, the institution had been considered a public corporation, but the Council of State preferred to create the formula of a "mixed corporation".[3]

The 1999 Opinion states that the Deputation and the Council enjoy a "unique nature". The Opinion specifies that the Deputation, "as it is composed of private individuals and lacks a corporate or associative structure, it is a representation of a body that has been publicly recognized and that carries out a certain activity of public interest (...) it has a unique and non-fungible character, which gives it public relevance even without converting it into a Public Law Corporation (...)". For these reasons, the Council of State continues, the Deputation and Council must receive "in its very existence and in its internal regulation some type of external public recognition".[3]

History

The Permanent Deputation and Council was created in 1815 by Ferdinand VII. After the Peninsular War, on 15 May 1815, the King summoned all Grandees of Spain so they could agreed on the financial contributions that their circumstances allowed in order to alleviate the needs of the Royal Treasury.[4] Two of them, José Miguel de Carvajal-Vargas, 2nd Duke of San Carlos and Pedro de Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo, 13th Duke of the Infantado, very close to the sovereign, were responsible for communicating the decision. The first meetings happened in June 1815.[4] By 1817, the grandees had donated the Crown around 8,5 million reales.[5]

At the meeting of 10 August 1815, the Duke of San Carlos was appointed its first dean.[6] Days later, on August 14, they met again to started the works to form an exhaustive list of grandees —from Spain and the rest of the empire—, to elaborate the first internal rules (estatutos) —which received royal assent on 19 October 1815—, and to agree to meet every Friday.[6]

During the dynastic crisis that led to three civil wars, the Deputation of Grandees remained loyal to the infant queen Isabella II and his mother, the Queen Governor Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies.[7] During the reign of Isabella II and the Restoration, the grandees achieved great political influence, having the right to be senators[7] (which they lost after the disestablishment of the Senate in 1923) and to have a diplomatic passport (which they lost in 1984[8]), among other privileges.

The internal rules of the Deputation were replaced by a new ones in 1883. During the reign of Alfonso XIII, the Deputation of Grandees was included in the administrative processes of granting, succession and reinstatement of noble titles and other aristocratic dignities, being, together with the Council of State, one of the bodies to which the monarch asks for an opinion.[9] In 1915, King Alfonso XIII granted the Deputation new internal rules and, in 1929, the Diputation was given the right to appoint a counselor in the Council of State.[10]

During the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera, the organization proposed to integrate also the Titles of the Kingdom —those entitled nobles without the dignity of grandee—, but the fall of the monarchy in 1931 prevented this proposal from succeeding.

The Second Republic did not stop the activity of the Deputation, which continued giving —in the name of the exiled monarch— provisional succession to the noble titles. Also, they promoted the restoration of the monarchy, an activity that became complicated during the dictatorship and that divided the nobles into two: some attempted to do so from within the regime, while others, fearing reprisals, limited themselves to publish anonymous manifestos and proposals.[11] Most of the provisional successions were ratified by the dictatorship of Francisco Franco when the monarchy —without a king— and the nobility laws were restored between 1947 and 1948.[12] Francisco Franco also created noble titles, but most of them were suppressed in 2022.[13]

Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1975, the Deputation promoted again the idea of integrating the Titles of the Kingdom, which was achieved in 1999, with the approval of new internal rules[14] in an assembly chaired by King Juan Carlos I. In 2019, the Permanent Deputation and Council of Grandees of Spain was renamed as Permanent Deputation and Council of Grandees of Spain and Titles of the Kingdom.[15]

List of deans[16]
No. Name Term
1 The Duke of San Carlos 1815–1816
2 The Duke of Parque 1816–1817
3 The Count of Fuentes 1818–1819
4 The Duke of Frías 1820
5 The Duke of San Fernando de Quiroga 1823–1829
6 The Duke of Villahermosa 1829–1834
7 The Marquess of Monte Real 1834–1835
8 The Duke of Castro-Terreño 1836–1843
9 The Duke of Gor 1843–1850
10 The Duke of Frías 1850–1851
11 The Count of Altamira 1851–1859
12 The Marqués de Miraflores 1859–1862
13 The Marquess of San Felices 1862–1863
14 The Lord of Casa Rubianes 1863–1865
15 The Marquess of Vallehermoso 1865–1866
16 The Marquess of San Felices 1866–1867
17 The Marquess of Molins 1867–1877
18 The Count of Pinohermoso 1877–1883
19 The Count of Puñonrostro 1883–1890
20 The Duke of Sesto 1890–1909
21 The Duke of Veragua 1909–1910
22 The Duke of Gor 1910
23 The Duke of Tamames 1910–1917
24 The Duke of Fernán Núñez 1917–1925
25 The Duke of T'Serclaes 1926–1927
26 The Marquess of Santa Cruz 1928–1940
27 The Duke of Alba de Tormes 1941–1953
28 The Duke of the Infantado 1953–1991
29 The Duke of San Carlos 1992–1997
30 The Count of Elda 1998–2009
31 The Duke of Aliaga 2010–2018
32 The Duke of Fernández-Miranda 2018–2022
33 The Duchess of Arcos 2022–pres.

Organization

The Permanent Deputation and Council of Grandees of Spain and Titles of the Kingdom is governed by two bodies: the Assembly and the Permanent Deputation and Council.[14]

Assembly

The Assembly of Grandees and Titles of the Kingdom is integrated by those aristocrats that hold the dignity of Grandee or a noble title and are up to date with the payment of ordinary or extraordinary dues.[14]

The assemblies are chaired by the Monarch or the member of the royal family that HM designates for this purpose. Failing this, the assembly is chaired by the Dean who, with the sovereign's authorization, calls the meetings and establishes the agenda.[14]

Permanent Deputation and Council

The Permanent Deputation and Council of Grandees and Titles of the Kingdoms is the executive body of the Deputation. It represents the entity and it exercises the functions assigned to it by the Spanish nobility laws.[14]

This body is composed by a Dean, who must be a Grandee, and sixteen deputy-counselors. Eight of them must be grandees and the other eight titles of the Kingdom. Also, from its members, the Permanent Deputation must appoint a Secretary and a Treasurer, and may also appoint a Deputy Dean (also a grandee).[14]

Current executive council

As of August 2025:[17]

  1. María Cristina de Ulloa y Solís-Beaumont, 18th Duchess of Arcos (GE). Dean.
  2. Enrique María Lasso de la Vega y Valdenebro, 12th Count of Casa-Galindo (GE). Secretary.
  3. Francisco de Borja de Arteaga y Fierro, 12th Marquess of Vivola. Treasurer.
  4. María Pérez de Herrasti y Urquijo, 16th Marchioness of Albayda (GE).
  5. Jorge de Camps y Galobart, 4th Baron of Algerri.
  6. Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Argüelles, 14th Viscount of la Armería.
  7. Francisco de Borja Montesino-Espartero y Velasco, 4th Viscount of Banderas.
  8. Juan Pedro Domecq de Morenés, 5th Marquess of Grigny.
  9. Fernando Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Huéscar (GE).
  10. Leoncio Alonso González de Gregorio, 22nd Duke of Medina Sidonia (GE).
  11. Rafael Benjumea y Benjumea, 19th Count of Peñón de la Vega.
  12. Javier Benjumea Llorente, 2nd Marquess of Puebla de Cazalla.
  13. José Sainz y Armada, 7th Duke of Rivas (GE).
  14. Rafael de Atienza y Medina, 7th Marquess of Salvatierra.
  15. José María Sanz-Magallón y Rezusta, 16th Marquess of San Adrián (GE).
  16. Hugo O'Donnell, 7th Duke of Tetuan (GE).
  17. Catalina Luca de Tena y García-Conde, 2nd Marchioness of Valle de Tena (GE).

See also

Bibliography

  • Moral Roncal, Antonio Manuel (2020). "Las Juntas y Diputación Permanente de la Grandeza de España (1815-1833): un intento de intervención política conjunta de la alta nobleza" [The Juntas and Permanent Deputation of the Grandees of Spain (1815–1833): an attempt of joint political intervention by the high nobility] (PDF). Historia y política (in Spanish). 43: 159–191. eISSN 1989-063X. ISSN 1575-0361.

References

  1. ^ a b Barrios Pintado, Feliciano; Alvarado Planas, Javier; Gómez Sánchez, Yolanda (2014). La nobleza no titulada en España: dictámen jurídico [The untitled nobility in Spain: legal opinion] (PDF) (in Spanish). Madrid: Ediciones Hidalguía. pp. 67–68.
  2. ^ "Don Felipe se reúne con una representación de la Grandeza de España: ¿quiénes son? ¿qué hacen?". ¡HOLA! (in Spanish). 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  3. ^ a b Council of State (22 April 1999). "Opinion of the Council of State regarding inquiry 4816/1998". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  4. ^ a b Moral Roncal (2020), p. 162–163.
  5. ^ Moral Roncal (2020), p. 167.
  6. ^ a b Moral Roncal (2020), p. 164–165.
  7. ^ a b Moral Roncal (2020), p. 188.
  8. ^ Bayon, Felix (1984-05-28). "Cardenales, ex ministros y grandes de España, privados del pasaporte diplomático". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  9. ^ Ministry of Grace and Justice (18 June 1912). "Real Decreto de 27 de mayo de 1912 sobre concesión y rehabilitación de Títulos y Grandezas de España" [Royal Decree of 27 May 1912, on the granting and reinstatement of Titles and Grandees of Spain.]. www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  10. ^ Office of the Prime Minister (22 June 1929). "Real decreto-ley aprobando las refundiciones, que se insertan, de las disposiciones legales vigentes relativas a la organización y atribuciones del Consejo de Estado y a su régimen interior" [Royal Decree-Law approving the amendments, which are inserted, of the current legal provisions relating to the organization and powers of the Council of State and its internal regulations.] (PDF). www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-10. Article 2. The Council of State shall be composed of: [...] a member of the Deputation of Grandees that they designate [...]
  11. ^ Artola Blanco, Miguel (2015). "Los años sin rey. Imaginarios aristocráticos durante la Segunda República y el primer franquismo (1931-1950)" (PDF). Historia y Política. 36: 116. eISSN 1989-063X. ISSN 1575-0361. Other monarchist groups, including many aristocrats, preferred to integrate into the Movement's structures with the prospect of reaching an understanding with Franco, without renouncing the prospect of a restoration.
    These differences created the perfect climate for a few years of heated debate in monarchist circles in the form of proposals, drafts, political reform projects, or simple outlines for restoring the monarchy. For today's historian, it is often difficult to identify the individual authors of these writings, since, faced with the threat of being monitored or denounced by the authorities, it was common to use anonymous letters or transmit instructions orally.
  12. ^ García de Enterría y Carande, Eduardo, Eduardo (1948). "La legalidad sobre Grandezas y Títulos nobiliarios" [The legality of Grandships and noble titles]. Anuario de derecho civil (in Spanish). 1 (4): 1369–1381. ISSN 0210-301X.
  13. ^ "Spain scraps 33 titles handed out by dictator Franco to family and aides". Reuters. 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Ministry of Justice (23 November 1999). "Orden de 8 de octubre de 1999 por la que se dispone la publicación de los Estatutos de la Diputación Permanente y Consejo de la Grandeza de España". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  15. ^ Ministerio de Justicia (2019-07-19), Orden JUS/782/2019, de 5 de julio, por la que se modifica la denominación de la Diputación Permanente y Consejo de la Grandeza de España, que pasa a denominarse Diputación Permanente y Consejo de la Grandeza de España y Títulos del Reino, pp. 78458–78458, retrieved 2025-08-10
  16. ^ "Decanos". Diputación de la Grandeza y Títulos del Reino (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  17. ^ "Consejo". Diputación de la Grandeza y Títulos del Reino (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
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