Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba

Medal record
Men's Polo
Representing Spain
Olympic Games

Real Academia Española
Real Academia Española
	In office; 14 March 1943 – 24 September 1953
Preceded by	Manuel de Saralegui y Medina [es]
Succeeded by	Pedro Laín Entralgo
Personal details
Born	Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó; 17 October 1878; Madrid, Spain
Died	24 September 1953 (aged 74); Lausanne, Switzerland
Spouse	María del Rosario de Silva, Duchess of Alba
Children	Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba
Residence	Liria Palace

Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó, 17th Duke of Alba, 10th Duke of Berwick,

Marquessate of Carpio. He was granted the Order of the Golden Fleece of Spain in 1926.^[2]

A close friend and relative of the British royal family, he was one of the leading guests at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II in 1947.^[3]

Family

The Duke was born on 17 October 1878 in Palace of Liria in Madrid, the first son of Carlos María Fitz-James Stuart, 16th Duke of Alba and María del Rosario Falcó, 21st Countess of Siruela. Don Jacobo was baptised only a few days after with the name "Santiago", a variant of Jacobo. His godparents were his paternal grandfather, Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 15th Duke of Alba and his maternal grandmother María del Pilar Ossorio y Gutiérrez de los Ríos, 3rd Duchess of Fernán Núñez.^[4]

On 7 October 1920 he married Maria del Rosario de Silva, 9th Marchioness of San Vicente del Barco (Madrid, 4 April 1900 – Madrid, 11 January 1934), lady of the bedchamber to Queen Victoria Eugenie and sole heiress to the enormous fortune and long list of titles of the house of Híjar as the only child of Alfonso de Silva, 16th Duke of Híjar and her mother María del Rosario Gurtubay, at the Spanish Embassy in London. The two had a single daughter, Cayetana, who inherited all of the family's titles and fortune.

Early years

He carried out his first studies under private tutors, but was later sent to England to study at

Universidad Central de Madrid

, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in law.

Diplomatic career

He served as Lord of the Bedchamber to the young King

Duke of Connaught, who was present for the festivities.^[5]^[6]

Between 2 February 1930 and 18 February 1931, Alba was Foreign Minister of Spain. During the Spanish Civil War, the Communists occupied his residence, the

Hernando Carlos María Teresa Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó

(1882-1936).

Alba became

Campion Hall, University of Oxford, in June 1936, alongside Alban Goodier S.J., the former Archbishop of Bombay, and the Earl of Oxford.^[7] He was still the ambassador there in 1939, when Neville Chamberlain

's cabinet formally gave to Franco's Nationalists diplomatic recognition.

The master Soviet spy

King George VI was warned of this possibility in October 1943, as his Private Secretary Sir Alan Lascelles reported in his diary, and advised not to say anything that he did not want to reach the enemy.^[8]

After the war, Alba's relations with Franco markedly cooled, the result of Alba supporting a prompt monarchist restoration much more than Franco. Alba was a leading guest at the 1947

wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.^[9]

Olympic career

He won a silver medal in polo at the 1920 Summer Olympics.^[10]^[11]

Honors

1902: Knight Grand Cross Royal Victorian Order.^[12]
1925: Grand Cordon Order of Leopold.^[13]
1926: Knight Order of the Golden Fleece.^[14]

Titles and styles

Titles

Dukedoms

17th Duke of Alba, Grandee of Spain
13th Duke of Huéscar, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to his grandson Don Carlos
10th Duke of Berwick, Grandee of Spain
10th Duke of Liria and Jérica, Grandee of Spain
10th Duke of Montoro, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to his daughter Doña Cayetana
2nd Duke of Arjona, Grandee of Spain

Count-Dukedoms

11th Count-Duke Of Olivares, Grandee of Spain

Marquessates

17th Marquess of Carpio
, Grandee of Spain
22nd Marquess of Coria
19th Marquess of Ardales -Ceded to his sister Doña Sol
19th Marquess of la Mota
19th Marquess of Moya
18th Marquess of Sarria
17th Marquess of Barcarrota
17th Marquess of Villanueva del Fresno
16th Marquess of Villanueva del Río
15th Marquess of la Albaga
13th Marquess of Eliche
13th Marquess of San Leonardo
11th Marquess of Osera
11th Marquess of Tarazona

Countships

21st Count of Lemos, Grandee of Spain
21st Count of Siruela, Grandee of Spain
19th Count of Lerín, Grandee of Spain, Constable of Navarre
11th Count of Montijo, Grandee of Spain
19th Count of Osorno, Grandee of Spain
15th Count of Monterrey, Grandee of Spain
13th Count of Baños, Grandee of Spain
24th Count of San Esteban de Gormaz
20th Count of Miranda del Castañar
20th Count of Modica (Kingdom of Sicily
)

19th Count of Villalba

18th Count of Andrade

17th Count of Gelves

16th Count of Galve

15th Count of Casarrubios del Monte

15th Count of Fuentes de Valdepero

13th Count of Ayala

11th Count of Santa Cruz de la Sierra

10th Count of Fuentidueña

10th Earl of Tinmouth

Viscountcies

11th Viscount of la Calzada

Baronies

10th Baron Bosworth

Styles

The Most Excellent The Duke of Huéscar (1878–1901)
The Most Excellent The Duke of Alba de Tormes (1901–1953)

Coat of arms

Heraldry of Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó
Coat of arms of Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó as Duke of Alba

References

^ Obituaries from the Times. Newspaper Archive Developments Limited. 1951. p. 11.
^ Geneall
^ Royal Collection: Seating plan for the Ball Supper Room
^ http://www.senado.es/cgi-bin/verdocweb?tipo_bd=HI20&PWIndice=4&Signatura=HIS-0010-05&Contenido=1 ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ "No. 27440". The London Gazette. 6 June 1902. p. 3681.
^ William A. Shaw, The Knights of England, page 425
^ "Campion Hall Pages 339-340 A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3, the University of Oxford. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1954". British History Online.
^ Diary entry of 14 October 1943, page 201, "King's Counsellor - Abdication and War - the diaries of Sir Alan Lascelles, edited by Duff Hart-Davis, published 2006
^ Royal Collection: Seating plan for the Ball Supper Room
^ Sports Reference Olympics Archived 2009-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart". Olympedia. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
^ The London Gazette, 10 June 1902, p. 574
^ Royal Decree of 1925/-Mémorial du centenaire de l'Ordre de Léopold. 1832-1932. Bruxelles, J. Rozez, 1933.
^ Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) - 28 May 1926

External links

Newspaper clippings about Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW

Spanish nobility
Preceded by Carlos María Fitz-James Stuart	Duke of Alba 1902–1953	Succeeded by Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart
	Duke of Berwick 1902–1953
	Duke of Montoro 1902–1947
	Duke of Huéscar 1902–1951	Succeeded by Carlos Fitz-James Stuart
Preceded by Empress Eugénie	Marquess of Ardales 1920–1953	Succeeded by Jaime de Mitjans
Italian nobility
Preceded by Carlos María Fitz-James Stuart	Count of Modica 1902–1953	Succeeded by Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart

[1] Obituaries from the Times. Newspaper Archive Developments Limited. 1951. p. 11.

[2] Geneall

[3] Royal Collection: Seating plan for the Ball Supper Room

[4] ttp://www.senado.es/cgi-bin/verdocweb?tipo_bd=HI20&PWIndice=4&Signatura=HIS-0010-05&Contenido=1 ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[5] "No. 27440". The London Gazette. 6 June 1902. p. 3681.

[6] William A. Shaw, The Knights of England, page 425

[7] "Campion Hall Pages 339-340 A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3, the University of Oxford. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1954". British History Online.

[8] Diary entry of 14 October 1943, page 201, "King's Counsellor - Abdication and War - the diaries of Sir Alan Lascelles, edited by Duff Hart-Davis, published 2006

[9] Royal Collection: Seating plan for the Ball Supper Room

[10] Sports Reference Olympics Archived 2009-07-04 at the Wayback Machine

[11] "Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart". Olympedia. Retrieved 27 August 2021.

[12] The London Gazette, 10 June 1902, p. 574

[13] Royal Decree of 1925/-Mémorial du centenaire de l'Ordre de Léopold. 1832-1932. Bruxelles, J. Rozez, 1933.

[14] Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) - 28 May 1926

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v t e Dukes of Alba
Álvarez de Toledo	García, 1st Duke (1470–1488) Fadrique, 2nd Duke (1488–1531) Fernando, 3rd Duke (1531–1582) Fadrique, 4th Duke (1582–1583) Antonio, 5th Duke (1583–1639) Fernando, 6th Duke (1639–1667) Antonio, 7th Duke (1667–1690) Antonio, 8th Duke (1690–1701) Antonio, 9th Duke (1701–1711) Francisco, 10th Duke (1711–1739) Doña María Teresa, 11th Duchess (1739–1755)
de Silva	Fernando, 12th Duke (1755–1776) María Cayetana, 13th Duchess (1776–1802)
Fitz-James Stuart	Carlos Miguel, 14th Duke (1802–1835) Jacobo, 15th Duke (1847–1881) Carlos María, 16th Duke (1882–1901) Jacobo, 17th Duke (1902–1953) Cayetana, 18th Duchess (1955–2014) Carlos, 19th Duke (2015–present)

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