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| House of Bourbon-Sicily | |
|---|---|
| Name | House of Bourbon-Sicily |
| Country | Kingdom of Naples; Kingdom of Sicily; Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
| Founder | Charles VII of Naples |
| Final ruler | Francis II of the Two Sicilies |
| Founded | 1734 |
| Dissolved | 1861 (monarchy abolished) |
House of Bourbon-Sicily
The House of Bourbon-Sicily was a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon that reigned over the Kingdom of Naples, the Kingdom of Sicily, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from 1734 until the Italian unification of 1861, with continued dynastic claims and pretenders thereafter. Its members intermarried with royal houses such as the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the House of Savoy, and the House of Bourbon-Parma, linking courts in Madrid, Vienna, Paris, and Rome. The dynasty played roles in European diplomacy during the War of the Polish Succession, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Congress of Vienna, affecting treaties such as the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and the Treaty of Vienna (1738).
The dynasty emerged during military and diplomatic contests involving figures like Charles III of Spain, Philip V of Spain, Louis XV of France, Infante Philip of Spain (1700–1765), and commanders from the War of the Polish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession, with consequences mediated by negotiators at the Treaty of Vienna (1738), the Treaty of Aranjuez (1740), and the Treaty of Paris (1763). During the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars the Bourbon-Sicily kings such as Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies confronted forces under Napoleon Bonaparte, relied on allies like Great Britain and admirals such as Horatio Nelson, and engaged in exile dynamics with courts in Sicily and Palermo. The post-Napoleonic era involved restoration debates resolved at the Congress of Vienna, with the dynasty contesting claims against the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies rivals and interacting with emerging national actors like the Kingdom of Sardinia and leaders of Risorgimento movements including Giuseppe Garibaldi and Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour.
The branch traces to Charles VII of Naples (later Charles III of Spain), whose accession followed victories by commanders allied to the Spanish Bourbons and strategies shaped by diplomats from Madrid and the Court of Versailles, with succession arrangements influenced by treaties such as the Treaty of Vienna (1738) and personalities including Philip V of Spain and Louis XV of France. Dynastic formation involved marriage alliances with houses like House of Savoy via unions connecting to Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, with princely education in courts of Madrid, Versailles, and Vienna and patronage networks that included artists from Naples and scholars attached to institutions such as the University of Naples Federico II.
Rulers included Ferdinand IV of Naples (later Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies), Francis I of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, and Francis II of the Two Sicilies, whose reigns intersected with events like the Revolution of 1820, the Revolution of 1848 in the Italian states, and military actions by generals such as Guglielmo Pepe and insurgents under Giuseppe Garibaldi, and whose courts hosted diplomats from Austria, France, Britain, and the Ottoman Empire. These monarchs issued decrees affecting institutions such as the Royal Palace of Naples and engaged with consuls from Lisbon, St. Petersburg, and Constantinople while negotiating with figures like Metternich at gatherings with the Holy Alliance and handling naval matters involving admirals from Naples and Sicily.
After 1861 succession and claims split into rival branches with pretenders represented by figures such as Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta and Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro, contested in matters invoking dynastic law, orders of chivalry, and recognition by houses like the House of Bourbon-Parma, the House of Savoy, and the Holy See, and debated in correspondence with states including Spain, France, and United Kingdom. Disputes involved the administration of dynastic orders such as the Constantinian Order of Saint George and legal interactions with courts at Rome and institutions like the Sacra Rota Romana, with episodes reaching forums involving notables such as Pius IX and later pontiffs, and intersecting with property claims across estates in Naples, Palermo, Caserta Palace, and private collections tied to collectors in Vienna and Paris.
Cadet lines and personalities included members allied by marriage to Maria Carolina of Austria, Marie Antoinette's contemporaries, and connections to dynasts like Louis Philippe I of the French, Ferdinand of Aragon, and the Bourbons of Spain, while notable individuals encompassed naval leaders, statesmen, consorts such as Maria Amalia of Saxony, cultural patrons like Gioachino Rossini's patrons in Naples, and military figures interacting with Garibaldi and Cavour. Later exiled princes engaged in diplomatic roles with courts in Paris, London, and Vienna and fostered ties with royal houses including Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Bourbon-Parma, producing claimants and dynasts who featured in genealogies alongside families like Orléans and the Romanov relations by marriage.
The dynasty used styles including King of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, and princely titles associated with fiefs such as Messina and Palermo, and administered chivalric institutions like the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, the Order of Saint Januarius, and the Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit, with ceremonies held at residences such as the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Palace of Capodimonte, the Castel Nuovo, and the Palace of the Prefecture of Naples, and occasionally hosted foreign emissaries from courts in Berlin, Madrid, and St. Petersburg.
The house influenced architecture, music, and art in cities including Naples, Palermo, and Caserta through patronage of composers like Domenico Cimarosa and Giovanni Paisiello, architects who contributed to the Reggia di Caserta, and painters active in Neapolitan academies tied to patrons in the Bourbon courts, while its political legacy shaped debates in the Italian unification era involving figures such as Giuseppe Garibaldi and Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour and informed historiography preserved in archives in Naples University, Archivio di Stato di Napoli, and collections in Vatican Library. The dynasty's heraldry, festivals, and charitable foundations left marks on civic institutions in Sicily and southern Italian cultural memory, engaging contemporary scholars in departments at the University of Rome La Sapienza and the University of Florence and exhibitions in museums like the Museo di Capodimonte.
Category:Royal houses Category:Italian dynasties Category:House of Bourbon