Don Carlos spent many years in Spain as a guerrilla leader, trying to take over the throne, but never succeeded.
Don Carlos of Bourbon, a member of the Spanish royal family, died on this date in 1855. The Carlists, i.e. those wishing to restore a separate line of the Bourbon dynasty to the Spanish throne, are named after him. They believed that he was the legitimate heir to the throne and was supposed to succeed his elder brother, Ferdinand VII. Ferdinand died without male issue and this caused a succession crisis. According to Spanish principles, his eldest daughter was allowed to succeed him. However, this ran against what was customary to the Bourbon dynasty, which originated from France and applied Salic law, according to which only male members of the dynasty are allowed to succeed the crown.
Don Carlos was orn in Aranjuez, some 50 km south of Madrid, in 1788. He held the title Infante de España, the Spanish equivalent of Crown Prince. After his brother Ferdinand VII died in 1833, Don Carlos declared himself King Charles V of Spain. This led to a war between his supporters and the forces of Queen Isabella II, Ferdinand’s eldest daughter.
Don Carlos spent many years in Spain as a sort of guerrilla leader, making several attempts to seize the throne. Despite his efforts, he was unsuccessful and eventually forced to leave his homeland. He died in Trieste in 1855, when that city was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire under Francis Joseph I. Don Carlos was buried in the Cathedral of Saint Justus (San Giusto). His successors made more attempts to take the throne, all unsuccessful, but a number of Carlists remain active to this day.
