The 33 titles of nobility canceled by the new law of democratic memory in Spain

This October 21, 2022, 33 Spanish nobles are stripped of their title. The Democratic Memory Act passed the Senate a few days ago and comes into effect this Friday. Thirty titles are considered an offense to democracy, and their owners are dismissed by the Ministry of Justice. Among these, we find the famous Duchess of Franco, mother of Prince Luis Alfonso de Bourbon and granddaughter of the general.

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The titles of nobility of the Franco regime are abolished

On October 19, 2022, King Felipe VI of Spain signed the Democratic Memory Law, published in the Official Bulletin (BOE) on October 20, with entry into force on October 21. Earlier in the month, the law narrowly passed the Senate. RTVE reported that 128 senators voted in favor of the law, 113 were against and 18 abstained.

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The law of democratic memory considers in particular the sentences judged during the Francoist regime as null. It provides for the creation of a DNA bank to help find those who have disappeared from the regime. It gives a clearer definition of the victims and entitles them to a series of compensations. Among other measures put in place by this law, there is a day for victims of the regime which is set for October 31. There is also the suppression of the honors granted by the regime and the titles of nobility which were conferred during the period.

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The Duchess of Franco loses her title as well as her brother, the Lord of Meirás

In all, 33 titles of nobility have been identified as undemocratic. They were granted between 1948 and 1978. The Franco regime ended in 1975 and King Juan Carlos succeeded him that year. In all, five titles of nobility conferred by Juan Carlos during the Transition period are also affected by this law.

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Among the most famous titles or the most famous public figures who are affected by this dismissal, we find the Duchy of Franco. The title was granted by King Juan Carlos to Carmen Franco y Polo, General Franco’s only daughter, on November 26, 1975, the fourth day of King Juan Carlos’ reign. The 2nd Duchess of Franco, current holder of the title, is Maria del Carmen Martinez-Bordiú, daughter of the 1st Duchess. The 2nd Duchess of Franco is the mother of Prince Luis Alfonso de Bourbon, considered the pretender to the throne of France by legitimists.

Francisco Franco y Martinez-Bordiú, the younger brother of the 2nd Duchess of Franco, is the second member of Franco’s family to be stripped of their titles. He was until then the 2nd lord of Meirás. The title had been conferred by Juan Carlos on Franco’s widow, the same day as the granting of that of Duchess of Franco. Upon the widow’s death, the title passed to her grandson. The title refers to the Franco family stronghold, the Pazo de Meirás, a mansion whose family was expropriated in 2020. The family is still in conflict with the state, which has owned the place for two years. The dispute relates in particular to the inventory of goods inside the residence.

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Dismissal of five titled nobles by Juan Carlos

Several titles of dukes with the Grandeur of Spain will be canceled this Friday. The five titles of nobility granted by Juan Carlos, considered Francoist, and which are abolished are: the county of Iturmendi, the county of Rodríguez de Valcárcel, the marquisate of Arias Navarro, the duchy of Franco and the lordship of Meirás. Another famous title is that of Duke of Mola, granted by Franco posthumously in 1948 to his faithful general Emilio Mola, planner of the 1936 coup that started the civil war. The 3rd Duke of Mola is the general’s grandson. Other titles threatened with removal were eventually preserved after review. In 2019, El Mundo listed 42 titles.

The 33 titles of nobility abolished are (in chronological order of attribution):

1. Duke of Primo de Rivera, with Grandeur of Spain
2. Duke of Calvo Sotelo, with Grandeur of Spain
3. Duke of Mola, with Grandeur of Spain
4. Count of Alcazar of Toledo, with Grandeur of Spain
5. Count of Labajos
6. Marquess of Dávila, with Grandeur of Spain
7. Marquis of Saliquet
8. Marquess of Queipo de Llano
9. Marquess of Alboran
10. Count of Jarama
11. Marquess of Varela of San Fernando
12. Count of Benjumea
13. Marquess of Somosierra
14. The greatness of Spain granted to the Count of Rodezno
15. Marquis of San Leonardo de Yagüe
16. Count of Cierva
17. Marquis of Vigon
18. Count of Fenosa
19. Count of Castillo de La Mota
20. Marquis of Suanzes
21. Marquess of Kindelan
22. Count of Pallasar
23. Marquess of Casa Cervera
24. Count of Martin Moreno
25. Marquess of Bilbao Eguia
26. The greatness of Spain granted to Don Fernando Suárez de Tangil y de Angulo
27. Count of Bau
28. Duke of Carrero Blanco, with Grandeur of Spain
29. Lord of Meirás, with Grandeur of Spain
30. Duke of Franco, with greatness of Spain
31. Marquess of Arias Navarro, with Grandeur of Spain
32. Count of Rodríguez de Valcárcel
33. Count of Iturmendi

In section 2 of this new law of democratic memory are listed the 33 titles of nobility forfeited as well as the other rewards, honors and distinctions put in place during the regime. In this sense, the Imperial Order of the Yoke and Arrows is also abolished. The order had been founded in 1937 by General. Although the yoke and the arrows were the emblems of the Catholic kings, they were taken over by Franco and had become the heraldic symbols of the Falange.