Duke of Alba short biography. Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba (1507–1582) Duke, Spanish military commander and statesman

Fragment of the painting "Maja dressed".

Spanish Duchess Cayetana Alba, great-granddaughter of "the bloodiest man in Spain" - Marshal Alba. She became famous for her balls and sprees. The duchess allegedly posed for the artist Francisco Goya for the paired paintings Clothed Maja and Naked Maja. These works of art were bought by Manuel Godoy, the first minister and favorite of the Queen of Spain. The Minister secretly collected a collection of masterpieces with naked ladies.

In the hall in front of the public, the painting "Nude Maja" was covered by a painting with "Maja Clothed". When the minister was alone, the picture with the "dressed maha" was moved to the side with the help of special mechanism, thus the beauty of the second secret masterpiece with a naked figure was revealed.

The minister paid the price for his passion for art. Although the relatively tolerant 19th century had already begun. The humane Spanish inquisitors confiscated immoral masterpieces, and collectors and artists usually faced imprisonment and public humiliation.

Maha naked.

“So radiantly good, so direct, so arrogant, so capricious. Either she entered into a conversation with street boys about the upcoming bullfight, then suddenly arrogantly did not notice the bows. Spanish, like a real maja" - describes the Duchess Lyon Feuchtwanger, Goya's biographer.

In general, the duchess was a very emotional lady who herself did not like to be bored and did not allow others.
Dressing up as a simple townswoman and misbehaving was one of the favorite pastimes of a noble person.
The townspeople always heatedly discussed the adventures of the duchess, condemning and admiring at the same time. She was the shocking queen of her time.

Maha is dressed.

Pictures of naked women were seized from the minister by the inquisitors, and the artist Francis Goya was charged with immoral behavior. Thanks to influential patrons, the painter managed to escape punishment.

"Francisco Goya painted portraits of almost all one hundred and nineteen Spanish grandees. He knew their sins, their human weaknesses, he behaved with them as equals," writes Feuchtwanger.

Manuel Godoy in his youth immediately liked the Spanish queen

For the favorite minister, worse than the Inquisition was the wrath of Queen Maria Luisa, who had long competed with the Duchess of Alba. Once the Spanish queen sent the duchess into exile from Madrid for three years.

Spanish Queen Maria Luisa in her youth.

The people of Spain did not like Queen Maria Luisa and hated her favorite Manuel Godoy, and the Duchess of Alba aroused universal popular admiration. When the bullfighter dedicated the fight with the bull to the queen - the audience was silent, when the fight was dedicated to the Duchess of Alba - the audience rejoiced.

Novelist Lion Feuchtwanger describes the confrontation between the duchess and the queen, who is richer and more noble. Caetane Alba people forgave every whim.

“In general, Cayetana de Alba led a no less proud and extravagant lifestyle than the queen: she had the same expensive quirks - and it was also impossible to call her much more virtuous than the queen ...

It was a great courage on her part to build a new castle for herself, just now, when the whole country was suffering the greatest hardships because of the war. After all, the extravagance of Marie Antoinette during the construction of the Trianon was one of the reasons that led her to the chopping block. But Doña Cayetana, with a presumptuous smile, like a true Duchess of Alba, picked up Marie Antoinette's amusements at the very moment when she had to leave them. Many, including Francisco, could not say what she arouses in them - delight or hatred. And it has always been like this: Madrid was mad at Cayetana, Madrid laughed at Cayetana, Madrid was in love with Cayetana."

Worn out by life favorite Manuel Godoy in the portrait of Francisco Goya

Queen Maria Luisa dressed as a simple Spaniard. Portrait of Francisco Goya

Cayetana Alba was the 13th duchess of the family. She also inherited several titles from her relatives. Full name Duchess sounds impressive Maria del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva and Alvarez de Toledo.

Ceremonial portrait of the Duchess Cayetana of Alba (1795) by Goya.

At the age of 12, relatives gave Cayetana in marriage to the 14-year-old Duke de Toledo Medina-Sidonia, who also belonged to the Alba family. So the relatives united the two branches of the family.

Family relationships spouses developed harmoniously, there was mutual understanding and respect between them. Gossips said that the duke and duchess cheated on each other and did not even live together. In any case, the spouses were careful not to dishonor the honor of the family and not to humiliate each other.

The Duke of Toledo Alba died at the age of 40, the couple lived together for 26 years.

Cayetana's husband is the Duke of Alba in a portrait by Goya.

According to legend, the artist and the duchess were connected by a secret long-term romance. While working on portraits of the Duchess, Goya wrote to a friend: “Sometimes I am so excited that I cannot bear myself. With difficulty, I will calm down a bit so that I can get back to work.”

After the death of the Duke, Goya settled in the estate of the Duchess of Alba, consoling her from mental suffering for her late husband. The Duchess let the artist into her closed residence, where only the closest people had access.

"The new castle was small; Cayetana invited only her closest friends and the most distinguished grandees. Francisco was proud and happy to be numbered among them," the biographer writes.

Duchess Alba in a portrait by Goya

Two details of the portrait indicate a serious relationship between the artist Goya and the widow of the duchess: rings with the names "Goya" and "Alba" are depicted on the lady's fingers, and the duchess points to the inscription "Solo Goya" at her feet.

Presumably, "Maja Nude" was written in 1800, after the death of the Duke of Alba. The Duchess of Alba passed away two years after the creation of this masterpiece. She died at 40, like her late husband.

The Duchess of Alba bequeathed her fortune to the poor, and the artist Francisco Goya left her simple ring as a legacy.

It is possible that "Nude Maja" was written after the death of the duchess, specially commissioned by the minister - connoisseur.

Young Francisco Goya

The descendants of the Duchess of Alba do not agree with the version that it is their noble great-grandmother who is depicted in such an obscene form "Naked Maha", but this version has not yet been refuted.

Another Duchess of Cayetana Alba

In the 20th century and today, another Cayetana from the Alba clan has become famous. This lady had the largest number of different titles in the world (7 duchess titles, 23 marquises and 19 countesses). In her youth, she was considered one of the first beauties of Spain, who was admired by crowds of fans.

The duchess of the 20th century professionally danced flamenco and rode skiing.

Duchess Cayetana of Alba wedding dress(1948)

At 22, the Duchess of Alba married the Duke of Sotomayor, and they had six children. The husband died in 1972 at the age of 53.

Second marriage of Cayetana Alba (1978)

Six years later, in 1978, the Duchess married the composer Jesús Aguirre, director of the Department of Music at the Ministry of Culture. They lived together for 23 years, Aguirre died in 2001.

However, the widow, who was 75 years old, did not lose hope of finding a new personal happiness. To questions from the press, the lady answered “I will still bury you all!”.

Third wedding of the Duchess (2011)

The news about the next marriage of the 85-year-old duchess with Alfonso Diez (Alfonso is such a name) in 2011 was discussed by the entire Internet.

A smart, wealthy lady, before the wedding, transferred all her property to her six children. Her fortune was estimated at 3.5 billion euros.

Unfortunately, the Duchess did not manage to enjoy family life for a long time; she died in 2014 at the age of 88.

Such are the fates of two bright namesake women from the Alba clan, who were remembered by contemporaries, and their descendants will remember their name.

The name of this man is known to the Russian reader from the excellent book The Legend of Ulenspiegel. Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, closest relative of Queen Juana Henriquez. For the Spaniards - a brilliant military leader. For the Protestant world - a bloody despot and executioner.

The title of counts, and later dukes of Alba, was established in the 15th century. In 1429, he was honored by the Bishop of Toledo, who could not pass on the title to his offspring, since he, as a priest, had no children. After his death, the title passed to his nephew, from whom the Dukes of Alba descend.

Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, born in 1507, was the grandson of the second Duke of Alba. Father Fernando spent his whole life in military campaigns and died in battle with the main enemy of the Spaniards - the Moors. The boy was still very young and was taken in by his grandfather. The upbringing was appropriate, because the grandfather's mother had sister Spanish queen. Fernando quite rightly believed that royal blood flows in his veins. And behaved accordingly.

Path to glory

He was arrogant to the point of arrogance, and most of all in his life he was afraid to drop his own dignity. For a dismissive attitude towards those who were lower than him in origin, the duke was hated, and for his willingness to defend his honor in any way, they were afraid. For the sake of honor, Fernando did not stop at nothing. Raised in the Catholic faith, he was ready to fight for the faith, like the first crusader knights. He was not embarrassed that the 16th century was already underway and that, in addition to Catholics, there were Protestants who inhabited very vast territories. Fernando considered Protestants to be heretics.

Any Christian who has departed from catholic church, was worse for him than an unfaithful Saracen. The young duke was torn with all his mightto war, in order to defend their faith with weapons in their hands and valiantly serve the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, which then included Spain ...

From the age of sixteen, when his actions in the battle of Fuenterrabia were noted by King Charles V of Habsburg, he no longer parted with his monarch. He went with him along the paths of wars in France, Italy, Africa, Hungary, Germany and achieved military successes everywhere. The king highly appreciated the merits of the duke, but nevertheless made a secret will for his son, in which he asked him not to allow Fernando to manage the lands of the crown in any case and not to listen to his advice regarding domestic policy. A remarkable military strategist, a fearless commander, Alba understood only the language of war. And what is good on the battlefield is not good for civilian life.

"Bloody Council"

Charles V abdicated in favor of his son Philip in 1556, and died quietly two years later in a monastery. Philip, the beloved son of Emperor Charles, was a specific person. On the one hand, he dearly loved nature, was fond of art, and on the other hand, he was as hard as a diamond in the Catholic faith. And just like the Duke of Alba, he relied on executions and the Holy Inquisition to resolve all issues of faith.

Under his father Karl, a wave of uprisings of the newly-minted Lutherans passed through Germany, and protestant riots were brewing in the Netherlands. Prince Philip was appointed to govern these heresy-prone lands, but as long as Charles was alive, open warfare never came. However, when, contrary to the will of his father, Philip entrusted Fernando de Toledo to maintain calm in the Netherlands and appointed him to the post of stadtholder (viceroy), everything changed.

In 1567, the duke, with a small but strong Spanish army, entered the recalcitrant country, where by that time the first bourgeois revolution in history had taken place and the Protestants were stronger than ever. True, revolutionary passions were already on the decline. But the Spanish army stirred up the waning passions. King Philip instructed his viceroy "to rid the Netherlands of heretics." The Duke, no longer a young man, carried out this order.

Six years of his governorship, the Dutch will remember forever. It was a St. Bartholomew's night that stretched for six years. The duke began by capturing the troublemakers and leaders of the revolution - Philippe de Montmorency, Count Horn, and Lamoral, Count Egmont. Only William of Orange managed to escape to Germany. There he hastily gathered an army of German Lutherans and French Huguenots to go to war against the duke.

Fernando ruled the Netherlands with such brutality that people were afraid to support the rebels. As soon as he took control of the country in his own hands, he immediately created the so-called "Council of Unrest", which was supposed to seek out and bring to justice the rebels. One could get on the "rebellious" list for any offense - disapproval of the new government, deviation from catholic faith, origin from a family of heretics or disaffected. In the Netherlands, everyone knew that if someone was arrested for libel or for their faith, then there would be no mercy. The Council created by the duke was very quickly dubbed "bloody".

In just the first three months of power, Alba executed 1,800 people. Some lucky ones were lucky - they were not killed, but only had their property completely confiscated. But the leaders of the revolution Horn and Egmont ended their days on the chopping block. They were executed immediately after the first victories that the Protestant troops of William and Ludwig of Orange won over Alba in 1568 - as a warning.

Orange hoped to defeat the duke, but - alas! The next two battles ended in the defeat of the princes. And in the "cleansed" Netherlands, a bloody bacchanalia began. In a couple of years, the Duke of Alba introduced so many new taxes and payments that the rich country was rapidly impoverished. The merchants went bankrupt. Hunger has begun. If the duke hoped economic measures pacify the troublemakers, then he miscalculated. Even those who had not previously intended to participate in the uprising joined the dissatisfied.

In 1572, the country was shaken by the uprising of the Geuzes (from the French gueux - "beggars"). The inspirers of liberation came to the rescue - Oransky. As a result, Spain lost two of the largest and richest provinces of the Netherlands - Holland and Zeeland. To this, the duke answered the rebels in the way he always answered - with executions. The country was covered in blood. However, the lost provinces were never returned.

King Philip recalled his viceroy. He must have finally remembered his father's advice. But it was too late: the Dutch put the name of Philip himself next to the name of his stadtholder. And in the history of the Netherlands, both of them are known as bloody executioners.

Last resort

The failure in the Netherlands deeply hurt the pride of the Duke of Alba. And although he was not formally dismissed, but he himself asked the king to resign, everyone perceived this as a disgrace. Many were happy with this turn of events. The duke made many enemies during his long life. There were these enemies in his own family.

In his youth, the duke had the good fortune (or misfortune) to produce an illegitimate son by a village girl, the daughter of a miller. This son first managed to become a knight, then received the governorship in Catalonia. And then he completely interfered in the dynastic plans royal family, who hoped to marry him to the maid of honor Magdalena Guzman. The son, as it turned out, secretly married his cousin, the daughter of the Viceroy of Sicily. The king was furious. The son was imprisoned in the fortress of La Mota, and the Duke of Alba was removed from the court. They forgot about him for a long seven years.

But in 1580, when Spain got involved in the war for the Portuguese succession, the disgraced nobleman was again called to the royal service. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Spanish army. And he justified the trust: he ended the war in just a few weeks, taking the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, an incredibly quick victory over the enemy and the incredible cruelty and ruthlessness of the Spaniards. Portugal was drenched in blood just like before - the Northern Netherlands. The duke, however, did not consider the loss of the enemy cruelty. For him, it was just a waste of human material.

The king had no choice but to thank his commander in chief. But the general never returned to Madrid. For the last two years he has lived in Lisbon. Once, many years before this, the last war in his life, he jokingly stood up for the independence of Portugal. To the question of King Charles, is it not time to seize Portugal and annex it to the Spanish crown, he said this: “Sire, if we seize Portugal, where will our disgraced sons flee from Spanish power?” Now the sons had nowhere to run. And the duke died.

(c) Andrey Vasiliev

There are a lot of photos of the duchess with her children on the net, so I will not repeat myself.

The marriage of Duchess Cayetana Fitz-James Stewart and Luis Martinez de Irujo and Artazcoz, Duke of Sotomayor produced six children. She now has nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

In Madrid, on October 2, 1948, Maria had her first son named Carlos Fitz-James Stuart Martinez de Irujo. In October 1950, a second son was born: Alfonso, who was named Martinez de Irujo Fitz-James Stewart.

Funny moment. After the wedding, Luis, Cayetana and the Duke of Alba dreamed of a boy. The first boy was supposed to inherit the title of Duke of Alba (he is, in fact, not passed on to women, and only three of them bore this title so as not to lose it), both Cayetans). Carlos was born, the child of the happy couple's honeymoon.

Everyone's happiness knew no bounds, but now they needed an heir to Iruho's titles. The second son was born. Cayetana began to dream of a girl. She wanted to have a daughter to dress her up, pamper her, in the end, being constantly surrounded by men can bother even such a person as Cayetana. But the third son is born .... Then the fourth ...

As she ages, pregnancy becomes more difficult and she has several miscarriages. The fifth pregnancy was especially difficult, and she was already almost 40 years old. Doctors said: this is your last attempt, try. She tried her best.... However... a boy was born. Well...

Apparently, the dream of a daughter will have to be forgotten .... Realizing that she is unlikely to be able to bear another child, Alba gives her son the name that she "stored" for her daughter (fortunately, in Spanish this is possible, almost all names have both masculine and feminine form).

She calls her son by her own name - Cayetano. But a few years later she is pregnant again. Here she declares to her husband that she will lie for the entire period of pregnancy, and asks her not to disturb. The whole family walks on tiptoe .... And - lo and behold! Soon, a long-awaited girl is born in a happy family, as a gift from heaven.

Later, Cayetana, in her memoirs, seems to justify herself to her sons, since some of them are offended by their mother. None of them was so caressed, not pampered, like a little sister, but on the contrary, they were brought up, as it should be for aristocrats: in severity and discipline. This was especially true of Carlos, the eldest son, the only one who remembered well his grandfather, the Duke of Alba, who adored his grandson, but was a champion of discipline. In 1954, the 3rd son of the Duchess was born, whom she named after her father Jacobo .

Cayetano was difficult, although her most beloved son. She did not know how to educate him, to be as tough as with others, she did not have enough strength, she tried to spoil him, then she remembered the rules. As a result, this was her most unlucky son, the son who left home early, the son who spent fortunes on his real and only passion, horses. However, Cayetana is even flattered, because in this she sees herself. For her, horses are one of her greatest passions. Cayetano became an excellent rider, and even took third place at the Barcelona Olympics.

It was Cayetano who was the only one of her children who almost broke with her mother when Jesus appeared in her life. It seems that he never forgave her for the second marriage. Little Eugenia was also against it at first. As Alba jokingly recalls, it was because he kicked her out of her mother's bedroom. But Cayetano could never come to terms. However, he was then 15 years old ......

Yes, with children it is probably not easy for anyone. “Flowers of life…” sometimes more like nettles.

Birth of first child Carlos.

1. Carlos Fitz-James Stewart y Martinez de Irujo (Madrid, October 2, 1948), VI, Spanish aristocrat, XVIII Duke of Huescar (dated April 23, 1954) and heir to the title of Duke of Alba, is responsible for the management of the House and Foundation of the House of Alba Foundation.

He received a degree in law from the Complutense University of Madrid and now serves as President of several cultural institutions such as the Hispania Nostra Foundation and the Valencia de Don Institute. As future 19th Duke of Alba on the death of his mother, will inherit about 50 titles and their respective estates, among them huge tracts of land in Cordoba known as El Carpio. Fitz-James Stewart, 63, worked with his mother as an investment manager for the family and companies including Inversiones Princesa, EUROTECNICA AGRARIA, Euroexplotaciones Agrarias, Agrotecsa, Agralsa and Castrofresno.

Despite the fact that we are separated by several centuries from the time when Fernando Alvarez de Toledo lived, the biography of the Third Duke of Alba continues to interest many. Our hero came from a noble Castilian family, which, like other noble dynasties, received a high title for participating in wars with Muslims. In 1472 King Enrique IV granted Garcia Alvarez de Toledo the title of Duke of Alba. From that moment on, the goal of the family was to preserve the honor shown to her by serving the Spanish Crown.

Fernando was born in Piedraita near the city of Avila on October 29, 1507. He hardly knew his father, since he died when Fernando was 3 years old. Thus, the grandfather, Fadrique, the Second Duke of Alba, took up the upbringing of the heir to the title. He tried to give his grandson an impeccable education, entrusting him to the care of the poet Juan Boscan and two Italian humanists - Severo Marini and Bernardo Gentile.

In 1520, his grandfather placed Fernando in the imperial retinue, which accompanied Charles V * while traveling in France, the Netherlands, England and Germany. This trip greatly influenced the views of a thirteen-year-old teenager. While his peers were mainly interested in the internal affairs of Castile, Fernando already understood then that the emperor's ambitions extended much further than his Spanish possessions.

First battles

The following year, Fernando got his first combat experience, defending the Kingdom of Navarre with his grandfather from the attack of the French army. And ten years later, after the death of his grandfather, Fernando became the Third Duke of Alba. It was his turn to defend the honor of the family clan, and such an opportunity was not long in coming.

Around the same time, Emperor Charles issued a call to all Christian nobility to defend Vienna, which was besieged by the Turkish army of Suleiman the Magnificent. The young Duke of Alba responded to the monarch's call by traveling through the Netherlands and France with his friend, the poet Garcilaso de la Vega.

True, when they arrived at the place, it turned out that the Turks had already retreated. Therefore, Fernando decided to join his uncle Pedro de Toledo, Marquis de Villafranca, who at that time held the post of Viceroy of Naples. Charles V entrusted the Marquis with the organization military operation against the Turkish pirate Khair-ed-Din Barbarossa, who hunted in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tunisia.

During the Tunisian campaign of 1635, those qualities were manifested for which the monarchs would highly appreciate the Duke of Alba in the future - the talent of a strategist and organizer. In addition, in Tunisia, he experienced one of the most dramatic episodes in his life, when in the city arsenal the Spaniards discovered the armor of his father, who was taken prisoner and died on the island of Djerba twenty-five years earlier. Charles V personally gave Fernando his father's armor.

However, not all military campaigns were as successful as the Tunisian one. So, the Spanish expedition to Provence not only failed to achieve its goal - to take revenge on the French King Francis I , but almost ended in disaster. On the last day of August 1536, the soldiers of the Duke of Alba miraculously got out of an ambush set by him near Marseille. On that day, he was convinced of the importance of a well-thought-out military strategy, and also that sometimes a direct attack on the enemy does not always bring victory.

Imperial Advisor

The Tunisian and Provencal Companies changed the Duke's status. During next years he holds the post of adviser on military and state issues under Emperor Charles V . In 1538, he was among those courtiers who attended a reception hosted by Pope Paul. III and then for Francis I . In 1539, Alba, together with the emperor, suppressed a rebellion in Ghent.

In the following January, 1540, he was the only Spaniard invited to the emperor's table, during a dinner with the king of France in Paris. Charles V then he said, referring to one of the French nobles: “One day he will become a great military man, because he comes from a brave and distinguished family, he had a good start, and I will raise him according to his merits, which I really hope for.”

After religious debates in Germany, where Alba was present with the emperor, at the end of 1541 he returned to Spain on his behalf. Charles V conceived a military campaign in Algiers, and the duke had to prepare the army for the planned military campaign. Arriving in Cartagena, he found, to his horror, instead of an army, a disorderly crowd of nobles, more busy exhibiting their outfits than combat training.

In fact, the army that appeared before Alba in Cartagena, half consisted of soldiers and prostitutes. In order to somehow correct the situation, he first applied punishments, which subsequently made him famous. The duke ordered the public whipping of prostitutes and undisciplined soldiers, sending home those nobles who were not ready to obey his orders.

Despite the measures taken by the duke, the Algerian campaign failed, firstly, due to a poorly thought out campaign plan and, secondly, due to adverse weather conditions (Spanish ships could not even land on the shore). After the defeat in Algiers, Karl V decided to transfer control of Spain to his son Philip. Departing for Germany, the emperor asked his son to respect the Duke of Alba, who was appointed one of the prince's chief advisers, saying: "He is the best we have now in these Kingdoms."

Nevertheless, the emperor soon again called to himself the best of his generals. The Protestant princes of Germany united in the Schmalkaldic Union, rebelling against the power of the Catholic Emperor. This time military campaign was successful. Titian depicted the Battle of Mühlberg in 1547 on a canvas, a copy of which the Duke of Alba later commissioned to reproduce in his castle.