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After the heroic and glorious resistance in Gaeta,
in February 1861 His Majesty Francis II of
the Two Sicilies and Queen Maria Sofia reached
Rome as guests of Pious IX, who in these sorrowful
circumstances could return the hospitality he had
received in Gaeta in 1848-'50 by Ferdinand II. The
Royal couple was housed first directly by the Holy
Father, then went to live in Palazzo Farnese (as the
reader will remember, the Bourbon of Italy are direct
descendants and heirs of the Farnese family through
Elisabeth, wife of the King of Spain Philip V and
mother of Charles of Bourbon)  .
But
then, as we saw in the previous page, the counterrevolution
was defeated in a bloodshed, and as years went by
it became clearer that the “miracle” of
1799 would not be repeated despite the same utmost
loyalty shown by the populations. Moreover, in 1870
Rome was taken, Pious IX was forced to limit his dominions
to the Vatican and then the royal couple had to leave
for a new exile; after living in various places, they
remained in Paris for many years. Francis II never
gave up his lawful rights over the Throne of the Two
Sicilies. In the subsequent years, the King always
kept fruitful relations with the most important European
legitimist families, among which the Charette, descending
from the hero of the Vandean Counterrevolution. When
Henry V of France died in 1883, he went to his funerals,
and recognised as lawful successor and heir to the
Throne Philip VII, Earl of Paris. He showed his loyalty
to legitimist princes also in the Carlist War of Spain,
and the Count of Caserta, his younger brother, fought
in this war with the rank of Commanding General of
the Army of Don Charles VII of Bourbon.
Alfonso of Bourbon Two Sicilies
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Francis
II died in Arco (present Alto Adige) in 1894,
without heirs; whereas Maria Sofia died in Munich
in 1925. Therefore, his younger brother His
Royal Highness Prince Alfonso of Bourbon Two
Sicilies, Count of Caserta, became
the Head of the Royal House and the Neapolitan
legitimists
recognised him as King with the name of Alfonso
I. He solemny declared to maintain all the rights
of the Family and renewed his protest for the
annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
to the Kingdom of Italy. Alfonso, born in 1841,
married his cousin Maria Antoinette of Bourbon
and lived in Cannes (after taking part in the
Carlist War as commanding general) and had 12
children; his daughters married Princes of European
Royal Families, and therefore he became the
ancestor of Catholic Monarchic Europe. In 1897,
his firstborn, Prince Ferdinand Pious, Duke of
Calabria, after serving in the Royal Spanish
Army in the campaigns of Cuba and Morocco, married
Maria of Bavaria, daughter of King Ludwig III.
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In 1900, his younger
brother, Prince Charles, renounced all his dynastic
rights over the Throne of the Two Sicilies and therefore
the Grand Magister of the Orders of Knighthood of
the Royal House for himself and all his descendants:
this was necessary so that he could become Infant
of Spain by marrying the Infant Maria Mercedes of
Bourbon, daughter of King Alfonso XII.
In this site, we provide
all necessary details and explanations under the heading
"The Sacred Military Constantinian Order
of St. George and the Royal House of the Bourbon
Two Sicilies", where we explain the historical,
dynastic and legal reasons by which Charles’s
heirs – because they are members of the Royal
Spanish family and therefore no longer memeber of
the Royal House of the Two Sicilies - have no right
to be or use the title of Head of the Royal House
of the Two Sicilies and can no more be the holders
of the Grand Magistry of the Orders of Knighthood
linked to the Royal House.
On 28 May 1934, the
Count of Caserta died and His Royal Highness
Prince Ferdinand Pious of Bourbon Two Sicilies
(de jure, Ferdinand III) became the Head
of the Royal House and claimed his dynastic rights
and issued new Statutes for the Constantinian Order
of St. George. Born in 1869, he lived in Bavaria and
had a life of sincere Christian piety; without giving
up his rights, he reconciled with the Savoy family.
He donated part of the Bourbon Archive to the Italian
State.
Wedding of HRH Prince Ranieri of Bourbon and
Countess Carolina Zamoyska and Bourbon Two Sicilies |
He
died heirless on 7 January 1960 (his only
son had died at the age of 13 in 1914), and
therefore all his dynastic rights went to
his brother, His Royal Highness Prince
Ranieri of Bourbon Two Sicilies (since,
as we said, Charles renounced all his dynastic
rights for himself and all his descendants
to become Infant of Spain), universally known
as Head of the Royal House and Grand Master
of the Orders of Knighthood of the Royal House;
Ranieri took the tile of Duke of Castro, which
is due to the Head of the Royal House (de
jure, Ranieri I). Born in Cannes on 3
December 1883, he too served in the Royal
Spanish Army; in 1923 he married his cousin
Countess Carolina Zamoyska and Bourbon Two
Sicilies; during his life he generously supported
many charity associations; in 1962 he attended
the transfer of the corpses of Royal House
members to the Church of Santa Chiara in Naples.
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He died on 13 January
1973 in his house, Saint-Sauver castle, but already
in 1966 he had passed all his functions to his son
Ferdinand, present Duke of Castro, Head of the Royal House of the Bourbon of the Two Sicilies and Grand
Master of the Orders of Knighthood of the Royal House. |
