Pact of Territet () was an attempt to mend the long-standing dynastic feud between two Spanish Borbón branches and their supporters, known as the Alfonsists and the Carlists. In September 1931 it was agreed between two competitive exiled claimants, the former king Alfonso XIII and his Carlist rival the Infante Jaime, Duke of Madrid (recognized by Carlists as Jaime III). The deal envisioned that a new Spanish constituent assembly would pronounce who should be the king, and both pretenders pledged to accept the verdict. It was also tacitly understood that the following king should be Juan de Borbón y Battenberg, descendant of the Alfonsist branch but supposed to embrace Carlist political principles. Following the unexpected death of Jaime III the agreement was questioned by his Carlist successor, Infante Alfonso Carlos; he demanded further declarations on part of the Alfonsists. As they failed to materialize, both branches stuck to their own principles and the deal was abandoned. In historiography there are doubts about details of the agreement, and some authors question its very existence.
Background
In the 1830s the ruling Spanish house of Borbón suffered breakup, conditioned by two distinct visions of what the legitimate succession law was. The family got politically divided into two branches, the Alfonsists and the Carlists.the classic liberal view in Antonio Pirala, Historia de la guerra civil y de los partidos liberal y carlista, Madrid 1852, the work many times reprinted and re-worked until late 19th century; the classic Traditionalist view in Melchor Ferrer, Historia del tradicionalismo español, vol. II: El precarlismo. Desde el pronuciamiento de Riego hasta la muerte de Fernando VII, Sevilla 1941. For academic account see e.g. Jordi Canal, El carlismo, Madrid 2000, ISBN 8420639478, pp. 28-120 The former got the upper hand and following a civil war – related also to other major cleavages – secured their rule in Madrid, while the latter went on exile.Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza, La Primera guerra carlista, Madrid 1992 Alfonsism and Carlism became two political currents organized around loyalty to different Borbón branches, though there was also major ideological difference; the former embraced Liberalism, the latter opted for Traditionalism. The split continued up to the 20th century, with another civil war in the 1870s and a series of other minor violent conflicts.Canal 2000, pp. 120-273 In the 1920s it seemed that Carlism was on its last legs, reduced to a minor political movement close to extinction. However, the fall of the Spanish monarchy in 1931 dramatically changed the setting. Suddenly also the Alfonsist branch found itself exiled from Spain, claiming the throne which no longer existed.Martin Blinkhorn, Carlism and Crisis in Spain 1931-1939, London 1975, pp. 39-40
When the Second Spanish Republic was born, the Alfonsist dynastic head was the 45-year-old Alfonso de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena, who as king Alfonso XIII ruled Spain between 1886 and 1931 (furtherly referred as Don Alfonso). At the time he had 6 children, including 4 sons. His oldest son Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg was declared Príncipe de Asturias, a traditional title reserved for the official successor to the throne, though he was physically impaired and there were some doubts as to his ability to rule.for a monograph on Alfonso XIII following his deposition see Eduardo González Calleja, El ex-rey, [in:] Javier Moreno Luzón (ed.), Alfonso XIII, un político en el trono, Madrid 2005, ISBN 8495379597, pp. 403-436 At the time the Carlist dynastic head was the 61-year-old Jaime de Borbón y Borbón-Parma, who inherited the claim from his late father in 1909 and was recognized by his followers as king Jaime III (furtherly referred as Don Jaime).there is no academic monograph on Don Jaime; for a hagiographic perspective see Francisco Melgar, Don Jaime el príncipe caballero, Madrid 1932 He was not married, had no children and given his age and bachelor status, he was highly unlikely to have any descendants. The next-in-line to the Carlist throne was Don Jaime's paternal uncle, the 82-year-old Alfonso Carlos de Borbón y Austria-Este, who also had no children (furtherly referred as Don Alfonso Carlos).the best single work on Alfonso Carlos is Cristina de la Puente, José Ramón Urquijo Goitia, El autor: Alfonso de Borbón y Austria-Este, [in:] Alfonso de Borbón, Viaje al Cercano Oriente en 1686, Zaragoza 2012, ISBN 9788413403755, pp. XXXVII-LXXII Hence, it was almost certain that the direct line of Carlist claimants would extinguish, probably with childless death of Don Alfonso Carlos first and then with the childless death of Don Jaime. It was not clear who would inherit the Carlist claim later.Blinkhorn 1975, p. 70
Both Don Alfonso and Don Jaime referred to each other as "cousin", though their family relation was distant; their great-grandparents were brothers and they had a common great-great-grandfather, the king of Spain Carlos IV. They maintained some correspondence, scarce and formal, but in correct tone; usually it was reduced to greetings related to various family events. However, there were also cases of somewhat warmer exchange, e.g. following the 1921 Annual disaster Don Jaime wrote that he was ready to join Don Alfonso's soldiers in Africa seeking revenge; Don Alfonso thanked him cordially and declared that the moment was not opportune.Melchor Ferrer, Historia del tradicionalismo español, vol. XXIX: Jaime III. Desde su proclamación en julio de 1909 hasta su fallecimiento en octubre de 1931, Sevilla 1960, p. 219 It is not clear whether before 1931 the two have ever met in person; except an awkward 1908 incident of unsure credibility, reportedly having taken place in France,a car with Alfonso XIII was travelling from the Spanish border to Biarritz, while a car with Don Jaime was travelling South to Behovia; they met at a closed railway crossing near Urugne in France. While Don Jaime's entourage, including Rafael de Olazábal and Julio de Urquijo, rose to pay their respect to member of the royal family, Don Jaime kept sitting and stared at Alfonso XIII, who did not know the Carlist prince. The train passed in-between, the crossing was opened and two vehicles parted each its own way. Referred after La Correspondencia Militar 30.07.1908, available here theoretically they might have met outside Spain during grand events related to family life of European royals, like weddings or funerals, but no source confirms this. Don Alfonso and Don Alfonso Carlos maintained some more intense correspondence related to financial problems of the latter after the fall of Austro-Hungarian empire; in the 1920s the official Spanish diplomacy greatly assisted him in terms of ensuring safe status of his real estate in republican Austria.Ignacio Miguéliz Valcarlos (ed.), Una mirada intima al día a dia del ultimo pretendiente carlista, Pamplona 2017, ISBN 9788423534371, 2017, pp. 129, 134, 164, 379
Rapprochement
Though for almost 100 years in a bitter dynastical feud, in 1931 the Alfonsists and the Carlists found themselves driven somewhat closer by their shared hostility towards the newly established republic. Also, sudden reduction of Don Alfonso to the status of an exile put him on similar footing to Don Jaime, which facilitated communication. All this tended to "weaken objections to the consideration of joint political activity with fusion as a possible final goal".Blinkhorn 1975, p. 70 Don Jaime was driven by the acute succession problem; Don Alfonso was desperate to "grab at anything which might boost the slender chance of a restoration".Blinkhorn 1975, pp. 70-71 In both movements there were currents which supported opening talks on some sort of dynastical agreement, possibly even leading up to final reconciliation of the two branches.the Alfonsist leader Goicoechea declared: "ayer nos separaba mucho; hoy casi nada; nada en lo porvenir", Javier Tusell, Historia de España en el siglo XX, vol. 2: La crísis de los años treinta, Madrid 2007, ISBN 9788430606306, p. 139 However, within both movements there were also currents vehemently opposed to any deal. Many Carlists were infuriated by an idea of a compromise with the hated liberal dynasty that generations of their forefathers fought (and died) to topple. In the Alfonsist ranks, not fully recovered from bewilderment and shock following the rapid fall of the monarchy, the opposition to any deal with the Carlists was less pronounced. However, there were also doubts about abandoning liberal principles for the sake of adopting ultra-reactionary features.Blinkhorn 1975, p. 70
Having left Spain from the port of Valencia in April 1931 the former king Don Alfonso travelled by sea to Marseilles and then further on towards Paris. He set his residence in Fontainebleau, first in a hotel and then in a chateau, purchased soon afterwards. At that time Don Jaime, who usually shuttled between his palace in the Austrian Frohsdorf and his apartment in Paris, resided in the French capital.it was from Paris that he issued a manifesto related to the newly-established republic in April 1931, Ferrer 1960, p. 284 It is not clear whether the two have met in person in Paris prior to late summer of 1931. However, at one point in the spring of 1931 they decided to open talks on some sort of dynastic agreement; no source consulted provides information who initiated the negotiations.in his 1954 account Julio Dánvila Rivera claims that some high-ranking Carlists met on social, not political grounds in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and during conversations the idea of dynastic talks was born, Julio Dánvila Rivera, Datos por la historia, [in:] ABC 20.07.1954 Both Don Alfonso and Don Jaime appointed their envoys, respectively Julio Dánvila Rivera and José Maria Gómez Pujadas. They met in late May 1931 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, at the residence of a French legitmist Vicomtesse de la Gironde. As they found promising perspectives, Dánvila and Gómez Pujadas reported to their kings accordingly.Blinkhorn 1975, p. 70
Direct correspondence between the two claimants followedCanal 2000, p. 291 before Don Jaime left Paris for his traditional summer residence in Frohsdorf.it is not clear when exactly Don Jaime left Paris; his last known signed in the French capital is dated June 7, 1931, Ferrer 1940, p. 287 He formed an informal body, made of prestigious Carlists, who were consulted on the proposals.Juan-Cruz Allí Aranguren, El carlismo de Franco. De Rodezno a Carlos VIII [PhD thesis UNED], s.l. 2021, p. 63 No details are known though it seems that basic principles of some consensus were agreed at the time;Blinkhorn 1975, p. 70 also a so-called Comité de Accíon, the body called to discuss would-be violent action against the republic, continued talks with the Alfonsists in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and San Sebastián.Ferrer 1960, p. 211 Don Jaime was reportedly strongly influenced by his secretary Francisco Melgar, Rafael de Olazábal and especially by Gómez Pujadas, who travelled to Frohsdorf to convince his king;Ferrer 1960, p. 212 they were allegedly from the onset determined to work towards a fusion and towards passing succession rights to the Alfonsist branch.Ferrer 1960, p. 215 It is not clear who in the direct entourage of Don Alfonso – apart from Dánvila – was pushing towards a deal; other of his negotiators named are Juan de la Cierva y Peñafiel and generals Miguel Ponte y Manso de Zúñiga and Luis Orgaz Yoldi. Further phone calls between Don Alfonso and Don Jaime followed. Details and drafting of a written document was left to Dánvila and Gómez.Ferrer 1960, p. 213
The pact
Dánvila and Gómez agreed the text and having obtained approval of their monarchs they signed the draft in the Swiss locality of Territet on September 12, 1931; it was subject to later royal ratification.