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Juan Carlos I: photo, dynasty and biography

Juan Carlos I de Bourbon - King of Spain, has become a whole era. His reign lasted about forty years, for which the country has evolved from an extreme dictatorial fiefdom to a modern democratic state. Not everything went smoothly and steadily, all the difficulties were thrown on the shoulders of the young Democrat king, with which the political and social sphere of the Spanish kingdom was crowded .

History of the dynasty

Juan Carlos I is a representative of the ruling Bourbon dynasty. This family takes its roots in France, and its first representative in Spain was King Philip V, the accession of which occurred in the distant 1700. The Habsburg dynasty, which was the strongest at that time, on the European continent, feared that the primacy would pass into the hands of the Bourbons, who at that time controlled two large kingdoms: France and Spain. After this, a war began for the Spanish inheritance, during which the king of Spain was forbidden to claim the French crown, he was declared the legitimate ruler of Spain alone.

In 100 years the dynasty was overthrown by Napoleon, but in 1814 their power was returned. In 1871-1873 the throne was led by the Savoy dynasty, but from 1874 until 1931 the Bourbons were again "at the helm". After the elections, the power passed to the left Republicans, and as a result of several days of incessant demonstrations, Alphonse XIII left the country and went to emigrate to Italy. The Bourbon dynasty was predetermined to be reborn in 1975, when the vacant seat of Spain was occupied by the new King Juan Carlos.

Childhood and Youth

The future monarch was born in the family of the direct heir to the Spanish throne, don Juan Carlos, Count of Barcelona on January 5, 1938, when his family was in exile. Interestingly, he was baptized by E. Pacelli, who in a year became pope with the name Pius XII.

In 1947, Spain held a referendum in which 95% of voters cast their vote for the restoration of the monarchical order, but at the same time, General Franco remained a lifelong regent. A bill was drafted, in which, as expected, the name of the future king was not designated. The thing is that the direct heir of Alfonso XIII was his son Juan de Bourbon, who was an ardent opponent of dictator Franco and even participated in an unsuccessful conspiracy against him. Therefore, his 9-year-old son Juan Carlos (the first male child in the family) was elected to this role.

Getting an education

The next year the future heir to the throne was invited to Spain, where he began to study at the military academy of Zaragoza. Until 1958 he studied in the city of Maritime business, and then continued to serve in the Air Force of Spain. He completed his education at the prestigious University of Complutense, which he graduated only in 1961. The subjects of political science, economics and international law became profile subjects . After that he started direct political activity and began to take part in official events of the state.

Creating a family

In the 24th year of his life, Juan Carlos I decided to tie himself up with family ties. His chosen one was the Princess of Greece in exile Sofia, who was the eldest daughter of King Paul I. The marriage of crowned persons took place on May 14, 1962 in Athens, the capital of Greece. Then followed the honeymoon, after which the couple settled in the palace of Zarzuela in Madrid, he also remains their residence today. A year later they had a daughter, Elena, two years later - daughter Christina, and in 1968 Sofia brought to the world the son of Filipe, the future heir to the throne. Currently, the former King of Spain Juan Carlos and Sofia are growing 5 grandchildren.

Heir to the Spanish throne

General Franco declared Juan his heir only in 1969, which caused the great indignation of his father, the Count of Barcelona. The dictator could not leave the crown "to anyone," so he approached this choice carefully and saw in Juan the continuer of his case, especially since the elect himself showed by his actions that he was ready to follow the Franco way. He played well the role of "obedient boy" and a student, even swore an oath to the "National Movement" and repeatedly spoke in support of the Franco regime.

In the summer of 1974, Franco appointed Juan as acting head of the country. In November of the following year, after the death of General Franco, the parliament announced the restoration of the royal power, with the announcement of the monarch Juan Carlos I de Bourbon. Photo coronation of the new king after more than thirty years of empty Spanish throne for most of the people - a memory of the long-awaited events that followed the era of the dictator Franco.

The first democratic transformation

As it turned out, the new monarch did not want to follow Franco's course and immediately proceeded to a radical reform of the entire state apparatus. He appointed to the post of prime minister an experienced politician Adolfo Suarez. His main task was a smooth and, most importantly, legal transition to democracy. By the fall of 1976, the "Act on Political Reform" had been drafted, it was destined for him to become a legislative document transforming the old state power.

In 1977, all bans on the activities of opposition political parties were lifted. In the summer of the same year, the first alternative parliamentary elections were held, and autumn was marked by a change in the territorial structure of the country from the unitary to the federal: autonomies of Basquiat and Catalonia were created. The year 1978 was marked by the adoption of a new democratic constitution, and in the spring of 1979 an extraordinary parliamentary election was held in accordance with the constitution.

The democratic transformation that Juan Carlos I carried out pushed his father to reconcile with his activities and to recognize his son as the legitimate leader of the state. And in 1978, the Count of Barcelona died. Most European ruling dynasties that had not previously recognized Juan Carlos as king, recognized his legitimate authority on the Spanish throne, but there were still forces inside the country that wanted a return to the path of the dictator Franco, they were nationalists and the military.

"God save the king!"

At the 6th year of the reign of the country, in 1981, an attempt was made in the country to carry out a bloodless coup. Radical officers broke into the parliament, seized members of the government and deputies with a demand to appoint "their" general to the post of prime minister. However, the king did not keep silent, as was expected of him, he responded with a sharp reaction. The rebels were not ready for this, and by morning they had to surrender to the authorities.

The authority of Juan at the same time has increased significantly even among left-wing Republicans and other oppositionists. It was after those events of 1981 that the leader of the Communists, S. Carrillo, who had previously talked about the king with a mocking smile on his face, exclaimed in a fit of emotion in front of the television cameras: "God save the king!"

Juan Carlos 1 felt that the mission for the democratization of Spain had been completed. After that, he decided to move away from active political interference in the affairs of the state, especially since at the next parliamentary elections in 1982 the majority of votes were given in support of the Social Democrats. Since then, he performed the nominal function of the head of state, was responsible for the moral honor and authority of the patron of the state and people, and also served as Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

Scandals of recent years

In 2012, a series of scandals began, connected with the royal family. At this time in Spain, there was a protracted economic crisis. However, this did not stop the entertainment. Juan Carlos I went to Botswana to hunt elephants. According to the estimates of statistical companies, this was spent about 44 thousand euros. This information caused a sharp irritation of the population, some activists took to the streets of Madrid, criticizing the extreme waste in the difficult economic period.

In the same year, investigations began in the case of embezzlement of state property and corrupt activities. Accused of this neither much nor little, and the Infanta Christina and her husband I. Urdgararina. Official charges were brought against them only in 2014. After this scandal, the king was forced to publish a declaration of cash receipts. According to her, in 2011 the monarch's annual income was about 293 thousand euros, 40% of which were paid to the state budget in the form of tax.

Abjuration

The last years of his reign are no longer young Juan Carlos 1 (the Bourbon dynasty at which revived and acquired a democratic connotation) complained of health. This resulted in his voluntary renunciation. June 18, 2014 was the last day when the king of the Spanish monarchy was H. Carlos. At the same time, the authorities wanted to give him the title of Count of Barcelona, but the representative of the Bourbons decided that after retiring, he did not want to have any titles and would simply be Juan Carlos, without the prefix "Majesty" or "Highness". The next day, on June 19, 2014 in Spain, the new king, the son of Juan Carlos-Felipe, entered into his legal rights.

As eyewitnesses and cameras testify, during the abdication the face of the king glowed with happiness. Juan Carlos I perfectly understood that he did much for his native country: he reformed the system of state structure from military dictatorship to democracy, economically transformed Spain from an agrarian into a high-tech developed European civilization. He walked the road of good and democracy, but was not afraid to show rigidity when it became necessary in 1981. He managed to reconcile the ardent enemies - the Communists and the Francoists. And after 39 years of service for the benefit of his homeland, he went on a well-deserved vacation without debts to his homeland.

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