Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta

Contents

Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta (28 March 1841 – 26 May 1934) was the third son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria.

He was pretender to the throne of the Two Sicilies in succession of his older half-brother, Francis II of the Two Sicilies. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Ferdinand Pius.

Heir to the throne

Born in Caserta, Alfonso was the fourth-in-line heir to the throne of Two Sicilies since the time of his birth. Ahead of him in line were his older half-brother Francis and older brothers Prince Louis, Count of Trani and Prince Alberto, Count of Castrogiovanni. On 12 July 1844, Alberto died, two months short of his fifth birthday and naturally childless which made Alfonso the third-in-line. On 22 May 1859, Ferdinand II died, making Francis the king. Francis had no children yet from his wife Duchess Maria Sophie in Bavaria. Louis became his heir presumptive and Alfonso the second-in-line heir to their half-brother.

The Two Sicilies were conquered by the Expedition of the Thousand under Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1861 leading to the end of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Garibaldi served the Kingdom of Sardinia which was in the process of Italian unification. The deposed Royal House survived with Francis still at its head, even though he was no longer King. On 8 June 1886, Louis died. His only daughter Princess Maria Teresa was not in line for the throne, because females were barred from succession. Louis' death made Alfonso the heir presumptive to Francis, who had survived his own daughter. On 27 December 1894, Francis II died, making Alfonso the head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Alfonso later died at Cannes on May 26, 1934.

Personal life

Alfonso was also an artist, and received tuition from Achille Vianelli.[1]

Marriage and issue

Alfonso was married to his cousin, Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (16 March 1851 – 12 September 1938) on 8 June 1868. She was a daughter of Prince Francis, Count of Trapani and his wife Archduchess Maria Isabella of Austria, Princess of Tuscany.

Her paternal grandparents were Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Isabella of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his second wife Maria Antonietta of the Two Sicilies.

Maria Isabella was a daughter of Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. Maria Antonietta was another daughter of Francis I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Isabella of Spain.

They had twelve children.[2]

  • Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (10 April 1877 – 4 October 1947)
  • Princess Maria Giuseppina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (25 February 1880 – 22 July 1971)
  • Prince Gennaro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (24 January 1882 – 11 April 1944)

Honours and arms

Orders and decorations

Arms

Ancestry

References

  1. 1."The List". Abbott and Holder. 22 July 2020. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020.
  2. 2.[1] Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine at www.borbone-due-sicilie.org
  3. 3."Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, pp. 52, 55, retrieved 13 August 2020
  4. 4."Real y distinguida orden de Carlos III", Guóa Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1930, p. 226, archived from the original on 20 June 2018, retrieved 4 March 2019
  5. 5.Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 9