Luis Fernández de Córdoba
Duke of Medinaceli
Luis Jesús Fernández de Córdoba y Salabert, 17th Duke of Medinaceli (16 January 1880 – 13 July 1956), was a Spanish nobleman and trophy hunter. He was born the world's most titled person since his father, the 16th Duke, had died months before in a hunting accident. He was 11 times a duke, 17 a marquess, 15 a count and 4 a viscount. Born as the only son of the 16th Duke of Medinaceli, Luis María Fernández de Córdoba y Pérez de Barradas, and his second wife Casilda Remigia de Salabert y Arteaga, 9th Marchioness of Torrecilla. He was baptised the day after his birth in the parish church of San Luis Obispo of Madrid. He was born posthumously to his father, who had died in a hunting accident some months earlier and as such he assumed the historical titles of the House of Medinaceli from birth. His mother, who would become the 11th Duchess of Ciudad Real in her own right, remarried the politician Mariano Fernández de Henestrosa, 1st Duke of Santo Mauro, in 1884. Through them, Luis was a half brother to Rafael and Casilda Fernández de Henestrosa. In 1911, he married Ana María Fernández de Henestrosa y Gayoso de los Cobos, lady-in-waiting of Queen Ena, daughter of the 8th Count of Moriana del Río, a Gentilhombre Grandee of Alfonso XIII. The ceremony took place in Madrid.
The Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (Spanish for 'Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville') is a Spanish maestranza de caballería or chivalric order created in 1670 from the remnants of the preceding Cofradía de San Hermenegildo (or Hermandad Caballeresca). It was created under the advocacy of the patron saint, Our Lady of the Rosary, and its original purpose was to train nobles in the use of arms and war horsemanship in order to better serve the Spanish Crown. It also served to train officers for the army. Ten years later, it drew up and ratified its own bylaws, and it underwent successive reforms in 1732, 1793, 1913, 1966, and finally in 1978. It was the first of the maestranzas de caballería to gain the privilege of being led by a member of the Spanish monarchy, in 1730. The order has been led by the following members of the Spanish royal family as Hermanos Mayores (literally 'older brothers'): Philip, Duke of Parma (1730–1765); Luis of Spain, Count of Chinchón (1765–1785); Fernando VII (1786–1834); Isabella II (1834–1874); Alfonso XII (1785–1885); Maria Christina of Austria (1885–1889); Alfonso XIII (from 1889). Since the outset, the institution has also organized many public events in the city of Sevilla, and it was one of the first guilds to sponsor equestrian sports there. One of its most noteworthy contributions was the creation of the Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla.
Duke of Medinaceli is an hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, created the title and awarded it on 31 October 1479 to Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega. He also held the title of 5th Count of Medinaceli, which was first awarded in 1368 to his ancestor, Bernal de Foix. In 1368, the King of the Crown of Castile bestowed the title of Count of Medinaceli on Bernal de Foix, the second husband of Isabel de la Cerda. Their grandson Luis, 3rd Count of Medinaceli, eventually inherited the title and changed his family name to "de la Cerda". Later on, Queen Isabella I of Castile raised the title from Count to Duke in 1479 for Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega, 5th Count of Medinaceli. The House de la Cerda is a noble line of the Crown of Castile descending from the Infante Ferdinand de la Cerda, eldest son of King Alfonso X. It was one of four noble lineages that arose directly from the Castilian royal family during the thirteenth century and is the origin of the Dukes of Medinaceli. The origin of the lineage stems from Infante Alfonso de la Cerda (1270–1333), son of the heir to the throne, Infante
Ferdinand de la Cerda who died before his father, Alfonso X. Alfonso X always stated his successor was his grandson Alfonso de la Cerda, instead of his second son, Infante Sancho. This motivated Sancho to revolt against his father. After a long civil war Sancho was finally crowned. Following an unsuccessful invasion by Aragon and Portugal, a peace settlement removed the Infantes de la Cerda from contention for the Castilian throne. The lineage of de La Cerda continued throughout the Middle Ages and was constituted as a noble house of the first rank, playing a leading role in Castilian politics. This line, like others from the Civil War of the mid-fourteenth century, continued through the female line to shift the family heritage until Dona Isabel de la Cerda married Bernal de Foix, first Count of Medinaceli. Currently, the House of La Cerda branches into several noble families: the House of the Dukes of Medinaceli, as direct heirs of Fernando and Alfonso la Cerda, and its minor Ducal House of Parcent.
Awards: Sash of the Order of Santiago (Orden Militar de Santiago), insignia and star of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville (Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla), stars of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III) and the Order of Pope Pius IX (Ordine di Pio IX).
