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Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo

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Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo
Creation date30 January 1812
Created byFerdinand VII
PeeragePeerage of Spain
First holderArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
Present holderCharles Wellesley, 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo[1]
Heir apparentArthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington
Subsidiary titlesDuke of Wellington
MottoVirtutis Fortuna Comes

Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Spanish: Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. It was conferred by King Ferdinand VII on the British General Arthur Wellesley, then 1st Viscount Wellington, later 1st Duke of Wellington, in 1812, after his important victory at the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo that same year, as a victory title. As all dukedoms but one in the peerage of Spain[a], it has Grandeeship attached.

History

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Historically, this Spanish dukedom is held by the successors of the 1st Duke of Wellington holding the title of Duke of Wellington, although this has not always been the case because of different succession laws. Traditionally, when titles were created, the first holder could determine how their title would pass: in the United Kingdom, almost all ducal titles were created with agnatic primogeniture, while Spanish titles usually passed either by male primogeniture or by agnatic primogeniture. This changed with the 2006 reform to Spanish nobility succession, which enforced succession by absolute primogeniture to all titles.

In 1943, Anne Rhys (née Wellesley), the only daughter and eldest child of Arthur Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington, inherited the Spanish dukedom but not the British titles of her family, which passed to her uncle Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington after her younger brother was killed in action during the Second World War. In 1949 Anne renounced the title in favour of her uncle.

In 2010, The 8th Duke of Wellington & 9th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo ceded the Spanish dukedom to his eldest child, Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro, who, in accordance with Spanish procedure, made formal claim to the title with the Spanish authorities on 10 March 2010.[2] King Juan Carlos of Spain, through his minister, granted the succession of the dukedom to the Marquess of Douro by Royal Decree of 21 May 2010.[3] The new Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo succeeded his father as Duke of Wellington in 2014.

Arms of the Dukes of Wellington as Dukes of Ciudad Rodrigo

Dukes of Ciudad Rodrigo since 1812

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Order of succession

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As of 2024 the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo is the 10th Duke's eldest child, Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington. Lord Mornington has fraternal twins, a first-born daughter, Lady Mae Madeleine Wellesley, and a second-born son, Arthur Darcy Wellesley, Viscount Wellesley. Lady Mae Madeleine is Lord Mornington's heir apparent to the Spanish dukedom as the eldest child, while Viscount Wellesley is the heir to the British dukedom as the eldest male, which could lead to another separation of these titles.

Family tree

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ With the exception of the Dukedom of Fernandina.
  1. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) - 12 June 2010
  2. ^ Anuncio de la Subsecretaría (División de Tramitación de Derechos de Gracia y otros Derechos), sobre solicitud de sucesión por cesión en el título de Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, con Grandeza de España
  3. ^ "BOE-A-2010-9317 Orden JUS/1527/2010, de 21 de mayo, por la que se manda expedir, sin perjuicio de tercero de mejor derecho, Real Carta de Sucesión en el título de Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, con Grandeza de España, a favor de Lord Charles Wellesley". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Spain: 50503. 12 June 2010. BOE-A-2010-9317.
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