The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon that ruled Southern Italy and Sicily for more than a century in the 18th and 19th centuries. It descends from the Capetian dynasty in legitimate male line through Philip, Duke of Anjou (later Philip V of Spain), a younger grandson of Louis XIV of France (1638–1715) who established the Bourbon dynasty in Spain in 1700 as Philip V (1683–1746). In 1759, King Philip's younger grandson was appanaged with the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, becoming Ferdinand IV and III (1751–1825), respectively, of those realms. His descendants occupied the joint throne, merged as the "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies" in 1816, until 1861, claimed it thereafter from exile, and constitute the extant Bourbon-Two Sicilies family.
The succession of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies has, since 1960, been disputed between the senior Calabrian line, which is currently represented by Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria (born 1968), and the junior Castro line, which is currently represented by Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro (born 1963). Efforts of reconciliation were carried out in 2014, but have been followed by continuing arguing in the family as Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, abolished the law of male primogeniture to absolute primogeniture in 2016, making his eldest daughter heir by going against the tradition of male-line succession within the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
Name The name "Bourbon-Two Sicilies" (sometimes shortened to "Bourbon-Sicily") combines the patriline (Bourbon) with their former territorial designation (Two Sicilies).
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The name of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies came from the unification of the Kingdom of Sicily with the Kingdom of Naples (called the kingdom of peninsular Sicily), by King Alfonso V of Aragon in 1442. The two had been separated since the Sicilian Vespers of 1282. At the death of King Alfonso in 1458, the kingdoms became divided between his brother John II of Aragon, who kept Sicily, and his bastard son Ferdinand, who became King of Naples. The crowns of Naples and Sicily remained functionally separate, albeit often ruled by the same monarch, until their formal union in 1816.
The last reigning king, Francis II, was overthrown by Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860; the following year, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed by the newly founded Kingdom of Italy by plebiscite.
Reigning kings
| Ferdinand I1816–1825 || || 12 January 1751Naplesson of Charles VII and Maria Amalia of Saxony||Marie Caroline of Austria12 May 176817 childrenLucia Migliaccio of Floridia27 November 1814No children||4 January 1825Naplesaged 73 |- | Francis I1825–1830|| || 14 August 1777Naplesson of Ferdinand I and Maria Carolina of Austria||Maria Isabella of Spain6 July 180212 children||8 November 1830Naplesaged 53 |- | Ferdinand II1830–1859 || || 12 January 1810Palermoson of Francis I and Maria Isabella of Spain||Maria Christina of Savoy21 November 18321 childMaria Theresa of Austria9 January 183712 children||22 May 1859Casertaaged 49 |- | Francis II1859–1861|| || 16 January 1836Naplesson of Ferdinand II and Maria Christina of Savoy||Maria Sophie of Bavaria8 January 18591 child||27 December 1894Arcoaged 58
Heads of the House since 1861 NameReign Portrait Birth Marriage(s)Issue Death Claim Francis II17 March 1861–27 December 1894 16 January 1836Naples, Two SiciliesSon of Ferdinand II of the Two Siciliesand Maria Cristina of Savoy Maria Sophie of BavariaBari Cathedral3 February 18591 daughter 27 December 1894Aged 58Arco, Trentino, Austria-Hungary Son of Ferdinand IIDeposed king of the Two Sicilies Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta(Alphonse I)27 December 1894–26 May 1934 28 March 1841Caserta, Two SiciliesSon of Ferdinand II of the Two Siciliesand Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two SiciliesChurch in Rome8 June 186812 children 26 May 1934Aged 93Cannes, France 4th son of Ferdinand IIHalf-brother of Francis II Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria(Ferdinand III)26 May 1934–7 January 1960 25 July 1869Rome, Papal StatesSon of Prince Alfonso, Count of Casertaand Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Maria of BavariaMunich Frauenkirche31 May 18976 children 7 January 1960Aged 90Lindau, Bavaria, Germany 1st son of Alfonso, Count of Caserta
When Prince Ferdinand Pius died in 1960, he left no male descendant, and two branches of the family claimed the right to succeed him as head of the house. Ferdinand Pius had seven younger brothers. At the time of Ferdinand Pius's death in 1960, the oldest brother, Carlos (1870–1949) was deceased, but had left descendants. The next surviving brother was Ranieri (1883–1973). By the rule of primogeniture, headship would normally pass through Carlos to his son Alfonso. Ranieri contested Alfonso's claim arguing that Carlos had renounced any claim to the Two Sicilies succession on the part of himself and his heirs when he executed the Act of Cannes in 1900 in anticipation of his marriage the next year to Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, heiress presumptive to the Spanish throne. Alfonso offered a different interpretation of the Act of Cannes, describing it as effective only if Carlos should succeed to the Spanish throne. He also took the position that the Act of Cannes was invalid under the succession rules of the house of Two Sicilies itself, since these laws provided only one, specific reason for a renunciation and that was in the event of the Spanish and Two Sicilies crowns being united in one person - which has not happened since 1759. Despite an investigation by five of the highest institutions of the Spanish state having concluded unanimously that the legitimate claimant was the late Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, the junior line continues to perpetuate its claim.
+Senior (Calabrian) line NameReign Portrait Birth Marriage(s)Issue Death Claim Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria(Alphonse II)7 January 1960–3 February 1964 30 November 1901Madrid, SpainSon of Carlos of Bourbon-Two Siciliesand Mercedes, Princess of Asturias Alicia of Bourbon-ParmaSt. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna13 April 19363 children 3 February 1964Aged 62Madrid, Spain Grandson of Alfonso, Count of CasertaNephew of Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria(Charles I)3 February 1964–5 October 2015 16 January 1938Lausanne, SwitzerlandSon of Alfonso, Duke of Calabriaand Alicia of Bourbon-Parma Anne of OrléansSt's Peter Church, Dreux12 May 19655 children 5 October 2015Aged 77Retuerta del Bullaque, Ciudad Real, Spain 1st son of Alfonso, Duke of Calabria Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria(Peter I)5 October 2015–present 16 October 1968Madrid, SpainSon of Carlos, Duke of Calabriaand Anne of Orléans Sofía Landaluce y MelgarejoAlmudena Cathedral30 March 20017 children 1st son of Carlos, Duke of Calabria
+Junior (Castrian) line NameReign Portrait Birth Marriage(s)Issue Death Claim Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro(Rainier I)7 January 1960–13 January 1973 3 December 1883Cannes, FranceSon of Prince Alfonso, Count of Casertaand Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Maria Carolina ZamoyskaChurch in Vyšné Ružbachy, now Slovakia12 September 19232 children 13 January 1973Aged 89Lacombe, France 5th son of Alfonso, Count of CasertaBrother of Ferdinand Pius, Duke of CalabriaClaim based on documents reputed invalid Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro(Ferdinand IV)13 January 1973–20 March 2008 28 May 1926Maciejowice, PolandSon of Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castroand Maria Carolina Zamoyska Chantal de Chevron-VilletteChurch in Giez, Switzerland23 July 19493 children 20 March 2008Aged 81Draguignan, France Son of Ranieri, Duke of Castro Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro(Charles I)20 March 2008–present 23 February 1963Saint-Raphaël, FranceSon of Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castroand Chantal de Chevron-Villette Camilla CrocianiSaint-Charles Church, Monaco31 October 19982 daughters Son of Ferdinand, Duke of Castro
On 25 January 2014, representatives of the two rival branches, Prince Carlo (Castro line) and Prince Pedro, then Duke of Noto (Calabria line), jointly signed a pledge of partial reconciliation. The document recognised both branches as members of the same house, committed both to pursue further reconciliation and concord, meanwhile recognising the titles then claimed by each branch.
At the Holy Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica celebrated in Rome on 14 May 2016, during a Pilgrimage by members of the Constantinian Order awarded by Prince Carlo to Rome and Vatican City, Prince Carlo made public his decision to change the rules of succession. He claimed that this change was so the rules of succession would be (as he claimed) compatible with international and European law, prohibiting any discrimination between men and women. The rule of absolute primogeniture would henceforth apply to his direct descendants, his elder daughter being named by him as heiress apparent. Prince Pedro publicly objected that Prince Carlo's declaration violated the terms of their reconciliation agreement, to which Carlo replied that further "destabilisation" could lead to termination of the 2014 pact.
Members of the House
Titles
Children and male-line grandchildren of the King of the Two Sicilies bore the title Prince(ss) Royal of the Two Sicilies with the style of Royal Highness. Other agnatic descendants of the King, born of authorized marriages, bore the title Prince(ss) of the Two Sicilies with the style of Royal Highness.
Since 1861, and similarly to members of the House of Bourbon-Parma, the style Prince(ss) of Bourbon-Two Sicilies has been used for and by members of this family to highlight their membership in the House of Bourbon. The title of princess is also borne by the wives of the princes of the house provided the marriage is dynastically approved.
Princes of the Two Sicilies (since 1816)