Dukes of Villahermosa

The Dukes of Villahermosa (Spanish: Duque de Villahermosa) are nobility and Grandees of Spain. The fortunes of the Villahermosa family started to rise in the mid-15th century. At that time Villahermosa was lorded over by Alfonso de Aragón y de Escobar, who was a non-legitimate son of John II of Aragon. Pedrola became the Aragonian capital of the domains of the Azlor de Aragón family, who carried the ducal title.

The residence in Madrid after the 18th century was a neoclassic palace on the corner of Paseo del Prado and the road of San Jerónimo. After modern remodeling by Rafael Moneo in the late 1980s, the palace presently houses the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

List of the Dukes of Villahermosa

1 - Alfonso de Aragón y de Escobar, 1st Count of Cortes in Navarre, title bestowed on him by his father in 1462, as consort king of Queen Blanca de Navarra. 1st count of Ribagorza Conde de Ribagorza of his line, (known as Alfonso VI de Ribagorza), in 1469. Later 1st duke de Villahermosa in 1476, (* 1417 - +1495). Married in 1477, Leonor de Sotomayor, when he was aged 60. He got from her 2 males/1 female and also, further, non-legitimate, 6 males/females.

2 - Alfonso de Aragón y Sotomayor, second legitimate male, 2º duke de Villahermosa since 1495, (* 1479 - + Valladolid, Spain, 1513). 1 illegitimate daughter, Leonor, who got illegitimate children from Fernando Ximénez de Urrea.

3 - Mariana de Aragón y Sotomayor, legal sister of the 2nd duke Alfonso, above. 3rd Duchess of Villahermosa, (1485–1513) who had married in 1506 Roberto Sanseverino, (1485–1508), Count of Marsico, Italy, 3rd Prince of Salerno, Italy, having with him 1 male/1 female:

4 - ** Ferdinando Sanseverino y de Aragóm, (18 January 1507 - exiled in France since 1554, 1572), 4th Prince of Salerno through his Italian father, 4th Duke of Villahermosa though his Spanish mother, both titles when he was not yet more than 6 years old on becoming a full orphan after 1513. Since 1554 the 4th Duke, aged then around 47, was punished by king Charles I of Spain, a.k.a. Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire to lose his titles and lands in Spain and Italy because of his services to the French Crown.

• • Sister of the very young 4th Duke was Laura Sanseverino de Aragón who seems to have married Italian-Spanish condottiero, Ignacio de Avalos, 1sr Marquis del Vasto

The title of 2nd Count of Ribagorza, had become redundant since 1476 when Alfonso de Aragón y de Escobar, (1417–1495), legitimised step brother of the unfortunate Charles, Prince of Viana, (1421–1461), King Ferdinand II of Aragón, (1453–1516), and Queen of Naples Juana of Aragón, (1454 - 9 January 1517) had been promoted by his father to 1st Duke of Villahermosa.

Then, in that year of 1476, 3 years before his death, Juan II of Aragón, approaching his 80's, thought fit to pass the title of 2nd Count of Ribagorza to the son of the 1st duke, Alfonso, namely Juan de Aragón y Junquers, (Benabarre, Spain, 1457 - Monzon, Spain, 1528),1st Duke of Luna in 1495 by his step brother king Ferinand II of Aragon, (1453 - king of Aragon 1479 - 1516), Viceroy of Naples. He had a sister, also a Royal Aragonese bastard, named Leonor de Aragón y Junquers. She managed in due time to pass her royal Aragonese genes to the Milá family, existing today, Counts of Albayda, and then, through these Milá's, via a female, to the Italian Borja´s, Princes of Schillache, existing today, too.

By 1479, the new 2nd Count of Ribagorza would marry wealthy and influential Aragonese noble woman Maria López de Gurrea, deceased circa 1492. Thee out of 5 males/females by the 2nd Count of Ribagorza, Viceroy of Naples, died young but Alfonso Felipe de Aragón y Gurrea, (1487–1550) managed to be after 1528, 3rd Count of Ribagorza and 2nd Duke of Luna, marrying 3 times and having 5 males/fgemales, 0 males females and 8 males/females respectively.

From the 3rd marriage with 8 males/females, came:

5 - [[Martín de Aragón] y de Cardona]], 3rd Duke of Luna, 5t duke de Villahermosa after 1554 by decision of king Charles I of Spain on substituting Fernando Sanseverino y de Aragón, , ( Pedrola, Spain, * 1525 - + Zaragoza, Spain, 1581), who married in 1541, in Medina Sidonia, Spain, Luisa de Borja, (Gandía, Spain, 1529 - Zaragoza, Spain, 1560) . The inheritor of the title of Duke was then, since 1581:

6 - Fernando de Aragón y Borja 6th duke de Villahermosa (*1546 - Duke since 1581 - ????).

7 - Francisco de Aragón y Borja, count de Luna, 7 duque de Villahermosa. TheDuchy seemsto have been suppressed.

8 - Maria Luisa de Aragon, 8 duchess de Villahermosa

9 - Fernando Manuel de Aragon, 9 duke de Villahermosa (* 1613 - ????)

10 - Carlos de Aragón de Gurrea y de Borja, 10th duke de Villahermosa (* 1665 -  ????)

11 - José Claudio de Aragón y Gurrea de Castro Pinós, 11º duke de Villahermosa (* 1697 - ????)

12 - Juan Pablo de Aragón-Azlor, 7º duke de la Palata, 12º duke de Villahermosa (Pedrola 1730 - Madrid, 1790).

13 - Víctor Amadeo de Aragón-Azlor y Pignatelli de Aragón, 8º duke de la Palata, 13º duke de Villahermosa (* - ????)

14 - José António de Aragón Azlor y Pignatelli de Aragón, 9º duke de la Palata, 14º duke de Villahermosa (* 1785 - ????)

15 - Marcelino Pedro de Aragón Azlor y Fernández de Córdoba, 15º duke de Villahermosa * 1815

16 - Maria del Cármen de Aragón-Azlor y Idiáquez, 16ª duchess de Villahermosa (Madrid, 30-XII-1841 - id., 1919)

17 - Francisco-Xavier de Aragón-Azlor e Idíaquez, 17º duke de Villahermosa (* 1842 - ????),

18 - José Antonio Azlor de Aragon y Hurtado de Zaldivar, 18º duke de Villahermosa (* 1873 - ????).

19 - Maria del Pilar Azlor de Aragon y Guillamas, 10º duke de la Palata, 19ª duchess de Villahermosa (* 1908 - ????)

20 - lvaro de Urzaiz y Azlor de Aragon, duke de Villahermosa (* 1937 - ????)

See also

• http://genroy.free.fr/stl293.html

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducado_de_Villahermosa . Biographies, March 2010, on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 15th Dukes/Duchesses of Villahermosa. In Spanish.