Dukes of Osuna

The 9th Duke (1755–1807) and Duchess of Osuna (c. 1754–1834), with their children, c. 1790, portrait by Goya

Duke of Osuna was a Spanish noble title awarded in 1562 by King Philip II of Spain to Don Pedro Girón de la Cueva, (Osuna, Sevilla, 29 July 1537–1590). Don Pedro was also Viceroy of Naples, (1582–1586), Ambassador in Portugal and 5th Count of Ureña.

The fortunes of the town of Osuna started to rise in the mid-15th century. At that time Osuna was ruled by Pedro Girón, 1st Lord of Osuna. His son Alfonso Téllez-Girón de las Casas was elevated to Count of Ureña in 1464 by King Enrique IV of Castile. The dynasty’s influence increased, obtaining the title of duke of Osuna in 1562. Osuna became the Andalusian capital of the domains of the Téllez-Girón family, who carried the ducal title.

Some of the most notable members of the House of Osuna were Don Pedro Téllez-Girón, 3rd Duke of Osuna, who was a general and viceroy of Naples. He became known to history as the "Great Duke of Osuna".

Another celebrated member was Don Pedro Téllez-Girón, 9th Duke of Osuna and his wife Doña María Josefa Pimentel, 12th Countess-Duchess of Benavente, who were some of the most prominent patrons to the painter Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes.

List of counts of Ureña

1. Don Alfonso Téllez-Girón de las Casas, 1st Count of Ureña
2. Don Juan Téllez-Girón de las Casas, 2nd Count of Ureña
3. Don Pedro Girón y Velasco, 3rd Count of Ureña
4. Don Juan Téllez-Girón y Velasco, 4th Count of Ureña

List of dukes and duchesses of Osuna

1. Don Pedro Girón de la Cueva, 1st Duke of Osuna
2. Don Juan Téllez-Girón de Guzmán, 2nd Duke of Osuna, 1st Marquis of Peñafiel.
3. Don Pedro Manuel Girón de Velasco, 3rd Duke of Osuna, Viceroy of Sicily (1611–1616) and Viceroy of Naples (1616–1620).
4. Don Juan Téllez-Girón y Enriquez de Ribera, 4th Duke of Osuna (1597–1656).
5. Don Gaspar Téllez-Girón y Sandoval, 5th Duke de Osuna, Viceroy of Catalonia (1667–1669) and Governor of Milan (1670–1674).
6. Don Francisco de Paula Téllez-Girón y Benavides, 6th Duke of Osuna (1678–1716).
7. Don José María Téllez-Girón y Benavides , 7th Duke of Osuna since 1716 (1685 – 8 March 1733).
8. Don Pedro Zoilo Téllez-Girón y Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, 8th Duke of Osuna since 1733, 7th Marquis of Peñafiel, 11th Count of Ureña, since 1733, Grandee of Spain, was made a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and of the Order of Carlos III, (27 June 1728 – 1 April 1787).
9. Don Pedro Téllez-Girón y Pacheco, 9th Duke of Osuna since 1787, (8 August 1755 – 7 January 1807).
10. Don Francisco de Borja Téllez-Girón y Pimentel, 10th Duke de Osuna (6 October 1785 – 21 May 1820).
11. Don Pedro de Álcantara Téllez-Girón y Beaufort-Spontin, 11th Duke of Osuna (1810–1844), also 14th Duke del Infantado, died without issue.
12. Don Mariano Téllez-Girón y Beaufort-Spontin, 12th Duke of Osuna (Madrid, 19 July 1814 – Beauraing, Belgium, 2 June 1882), brother of the 11th Duke, also 15th Duke del Infantado.
13. Don Pedro de Àlcantara Téllez-Girón y Fernández de Santillán, 13th Duke of Osuna (1812–1900).
14. Luis María Téllez-Girón y Fernández de Córdoba, 14th Duke of Osuna (1870–1909).
15. Mariano Téllez-Girón y Fernández de Córdoba, 15th Duke of Osuna. (1887–1931), brother of the 14th Duke. Married to Petra Duque de Estrada y Moreno.
16. Doña Angela Téllez-Girón y Duque de Estrada, became 16th Duchess of Osuna in 1931 at the age of 6 years.

Details

• Juan Téllez-Girón, 4th Count of Ureña, (c. 1494–1558):

his sister Isabel married Beltrán de la Cueva, 3rd Duke of Alburquerque while the mother of Juan and Isabel, named Maria de la Cueva y Alvarez de Toledo, was the daughter of Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva y Mendoza and Francisca Alvarez de Toledo. His two sisters, were called Magdalena and Maria, marrying also other high Spanish nobility people. Don Pedro married Leonor Ana Pérez de Guzman y Aragón, (Sanlucar, Cadiz, c. 1540 – married around 1558 – 23 November 1573). Her name was associated since then to the actual "Reserve of the BioSphere", known as Coto de Doñana.

• Pedro Girón, 1st Duke of Osuna :

One of his daughters, María, (Moron de la Frontera, 1553–1608) married on 18 March 1570, Juan Fernández de Velasco, 5th Duke of Frías, and their daughter, known as Ana de Velasco y Girón married, on 17 June 1603, the Portuguese 7th Duke of Braganza, Teodósio II, (Vila Viçosa, Portugal, 28 February 1568 – Vila Viçosa, 29 November 1630). The outcome of this marriage between the Ana de Velasco y Téllez-Girón and the Duke Teodósio II, was that they were the parents of John IV of Portugal "the Restorer", (Vila Viçosa, 18 March 1604 – Lisbon, 6 November 1656), the first Braganza to be crown King of Portugal, following the nacionalist coup against the Spanish Habsburgs, on 1 December 1640.

It was alleged that being already a Duke, he fathered an illegitimate son, known as Gabriel Téllez, becoming an active Member and Travel Visitor of the Religious Orden de la Merced, and being known today as famous Spanish theatrical author Tirso de Molina, (1584 – Soria, 12 March 1648).

• Don Francisco Téllez-Girón, 6th Duke of Osuna :

Married in 1694, aged 16, Maria Remigia Fernández de Velasco y Tovar, but there was not an adult male issue. He was a supporter of King Philip V of Spain and plenipotentiary signer of the Treaty of Utrecht.

• Francisco de Borja Téllez-Girón y Pimentel, 10th Duke of Osuna :

Painted by Goya as a child together with his eldest sister, Maria Joaquina Téllez-Girón y Pimentel. Married 19 March 1802, at 17, 17th year old Doña Françoise Philippine Thomas de Beaufort-Spontin y Toledo, (Paris 7 March 1785 – 28 January 1830), daughter of Count and Marquis Friedrich August Alex von Beaufort-Spontin, who became also c. 1782 Duke von Beaufort-Spontin (Namur 14 September 1751 – Brussels 22 April 1817), and Doña Leopoldina de Toledo y Salm-Salm, (Madrid, 1760 – Brussels, 4 July 1792).

• Mariano Téllez-Girón, 11th Duke of Osuna :

He represented Spain in the crowning of Queen Victoria in England and in the marriage in 1853 of Spanish aristocrat Eugenia de Montijo to Napoleon III. He is reported by Spanish diplomat and notorious writer Juan Valera, later Spanish Ambassador in the U.S.A., to have spent with him, Embassy Officer, and his extravagant Russian friends, while Spanish Ambassador in Russia (1856–1862), incredible amounts of money in Saint Petersburg.

When Mariano died in 1882, aged 68, there were lawsuits from pretenders supposed to be closely connected to the family, as well as creditors racing many of the buildings, castles, lands, artworks, etc. Closer inspections around many of the accumulated nobility titles reveal to us^[who?] that they are held now by rather ambiguous persons (legally speaking about their supposed inheritance rights).

He married in Wiesbaden, 4 April 1866, Doña Marie Eleonore zu Salm-Salm, née Princess zu Salm-Salm, (Hessen, Frankfurt am Mein, 31 January 1842 – Dülmen, 18 June 1891), who became thus 12th Duchess Consort of Osuna. She married again the Duc of Croy when Mariano died but there was not issue from both marriages.

Notice that the Salm-Salm family had entered already within the Osuna family through the Count, Marquis and Duke Friedrich, (deceased 1817), and first wife Leopoldina de Toledo y Salm-Salm, (deceased 1792), parents-in-law of the 10th Duke of Osuna.

Sources

• Hobbs, Nicolas (2007). "Grandes de España" (in Spanish). http://grandesp.org.uk/historia/titulos/titintro.htm. Retrieved 15 October 2008. 
• Instituto de Salazar y Castro (in Spanish). Elenco de Grandezas y Titulos Nobiliarios Españoles. periodic publication