(21) 1. BORBÓN Y FARNESIO, Luis Antonio Jaime de (1727-1785)

Birth. July 25, 1727, Buen Retiro Palace, Madrid, Spain. Royal Infant of Spain. Youngest son of King Philip V and his second wife, Isabel de Farnesio. Brother of Kings Fernando VI of Spain (1713-1759) and Carlos III of Spain (1716-1788), Queen Marma Ana of Portugal (1718-1781), Duke Felipe of Parma (1720-1765), Marma Teresa (1726-1746), wife of the dauphin of France, and Queen Marma Antonia of Sardinia (1729-1785), as well as of King Luis I of Spain (1707-1724), Felipe (1709), Felipe Pedro (1712-1719) and Francisco (1717), all already dead by the time he was born. He was given the name Luis in honor of his deceased brother. He was the 12th count of Chinchón and the father of Cardinal Luis María de Borbón y Vallábriga (1800)

Education. Studied at home (geography, history, religion, music, drawing, French, Italian, Castillian and all what a royal infant of the time should learn).

Sacred orders. Never received any of the sacred orders.

Episcopate. In 1734, Cardenal Diego de Astorga y Céspedes, archbishop of Toledo died. King Felipe V manifested to the pope his wish that his son Luis Antonio become the successor. Pope Clement XII objected because of his young age (seven years old) and because he was very unhappy with the Borbons because of their claims in Italy. Nevertheless, he appointed the boy perpetual administrator of the temporal matters of the archdiocese on November 10, 1735.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of December 19, 1735; received the deaconry of S. Maria della Scala, December 19, 1735. He was only eight years old. Took official possession of the archdiocese, March 13, 1736. Received the red biretta in Madrid, March 23, 1736. Administrator of spiritual affairs of Toledo, assisted by Bernardo Froilán Saavedra, titular archbishop of Larissa, November 26, 1737. Did not participate in the conclave of 1740, which elected Pope Benedict XIV. Administrator of spiritual affairs and temporal matters of the archdiocese of Seville, with the assistance of Gabriel de Torres y Navarra, titular archbishop of Melitene, September 19, 1741. On February 12-14, 1743, took place in Madrid the celebrations for the concession of the red hat to the cardinal. At 27, conscious of his lack of religious vocation and of his strong sexual drive, he decided to submit his resignation to all his ecclesiastical posts to King Fernando VI and to Pope Benedict XIV. During the secret consistory of December 18, 1754, resigned the cardinalate and the administration of the sees of Toledo and Seville, through Cardinal Joaquín Fernández Portocarrero, who acted as his procurator.

Later life. Became count of Chinchón in 1754 and 22 years later, on June 27, 1776, married morganatically Maria Teresa de Vallabriga y de Rozas, who was thirty two years younger, in the palace of the dukes of Fernandina in Olías del Rey. In that year, King Carlos III had issued a pragmatic sanction by which any royal infant who would marry a person not of royal blood, or whose marriage was not approved by the king, would be excluded from the succession to the throne. If the marriage took place, the children would not inherit either the last name or the arms of the Borbons.

Death. August 7, 1785, at 5:45 a.m., Arenas de San Pedro, Avila. Exposed for five days in Arenas and buried in the royal chapel of the shrine of San Pedro de Alcántara (he had requested to be buried in the chapel of his palace of Boadilla and if not possible, in the chapel of the palace of Chinchón but the king ordered otherwise). In 1800 the remains were transferred to the royal chapel of the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Links. Biography, in Spanish, with portraits; and his genealogy, 10a.

©1998-2009 Salvador Miranda.