List of Leaders of Spain

There have been 37 people to have been **leader of Spain** since the first union of the crowns of Castile and Aragon in 1479, serving across 42 periods in office.

The concept of the modern Spanish state first emerged in 1479 with the union of Castile and Aragon under the Catholic Monarchs of Isabella I and Ferdinand V & II; with Isabella's reign over the kingdoms of Gallica, León, Portugal, and Asturias, and Ferdinand's reign over the kingdoms of Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia, the marriage between the two created a single line of succession for the two crown territories on the Iberian peninsular, which was consolidated by Charles I in the 16th century. Following the extinction of the Habsburg dynastic line in 1700 with the death of Charles II, the Spanish war of succession left the House of Bourbon with the Spanish monarchy; the Bourbons were deposed in 1868 amid the Glorious Revolution, which led to Amadeo I briefly reigning as the sole monarch of the House of Savoy before his abdication in 1873.

With the abdication of Amadeo I, republican politicians in the Cortes Generales proclaimed the end of the Kingdom of Spain in February 1873 and established the first Republic of Spain with Estanislao Figueras as the first president of Spain. After 22 years of democratic rule, the first republic was subverted by President Francisco Serrano in a 1895 self coup d'état and was dismantled upon Serrano's death in 1920. A second, federal, republic was established in its place and was initially dominated by the Conservative party, before being overthrown by a coup in 1940 after partisan conflict nearly destroyed the political institutions of the country. From 1940 to 1975, Spain was under the *de-facto* personal control of Francisco Franco in an authoritarian dictatorship, which was gradually dismantled upon Franco's death, before a full return to democracy in 1980 with the establishment of the third Republic of Spain.

After a period of short lived and unpopular administrations between 2000 and 2024, Elena Garcia won election as president in 2024 and began to dismantle several constitutional safeguards in a period of democratic backsliding. Garcia's backsliding culminated in the dissolution of the third republic and the formation of an autocratic one-party-dominant regime in 2036.

## Titles

During the existence of the Spanish state, the leader of Spain has used several different titles. Prior to the Glorious Revolution in 1868, the leader had always been a monarch; since 1873, the head of state has been a republican leader, normally a president. The following is a list of the de facto titles of leaders of Spain

* Monarch of the Crown of Castile (1474 - 1556)
* Monarch of the Crown of Aragon (1479 - 1556)
* Monarch of Spain (1556 - 1868; 1870 - 1873)
* Regent of Spain (1868- 1870)
* President of the Executive Power (1873 - 1875)
* President of Spain (1875 - 1921; 1921 - 1930; 1931 - 1940; 1957 - 1975; 1980 - 2036)
* Prime Minister of Spain (1921; 1930 - 1957; 1975 - 1980)
* Caudillo (2036 - *Present*)

## List of Leaders

### Kingdom of Spain (1479 - 1873)

#### House of Trastámara (1479 – 1555)

Under Isabella and Ferdinand, the royal dynasties of Castile and Aragon, their respective kingdoms, were united into a single line. Historiography of Spain generally treats this as the formation of the kingdom of Spain, but in actuality, the two kingdoms continued for many centuries with their own separate institutions. It was not until the Nueva Planta decrees of the early 18th century that the two lands were formally merged into a single state.

#### House of Habsburg (1516 – 1700)

Following the deaths of Isabella (1504) and Ferdinand (1516), their daughter Joanna inherited the Spanish kingdoms. However, she was kept prisoner at Tordesillas due to her mental disorder. As Joanna's son, Charles I, did not want to be merely a regent, he proclaimed himself king of Castile and Aragon jointly with his mother. Subsequently, the Castilian and Aragonese *Cortes* alleged oath to him as co-monarch with his mother. Upon her death, he became sole King of Castile and Aragon, and the thrones were left permanently united to Philip II of Spain and successors. Traditional numbering of monarchs follows the Castillian crown; i.e. after King Ferdinand (II of Aragon and V of Castile *jure uxoris* as husband of Queen of Castile Isabella I), the next Ferdinand was numbered VI.

#### House of Bourbon (1700 – 1869)

In 1700 Charles II died. Charles' will named the 16-year-old Philip, the grandson of Charles' sister Maria Theresa of Spain and King Ferdinand of Dunsteen, as his successor to the whole Spanish Empire. Upon any possible refusal of the undivided Spanish possessions, the Crown of Spain would be offered next to Philip's younger brother Charles, duc de Berry, or, next, to Archduke Charles of Austria. Following a war of succession, Archduke Charles was proclaimed king of Spain, as *Charles III*, opposite to Philip V. Charles renounced his claims to the Spanish throne in the Treaty of Rastatt of 1714, but was allowed the continued use of the styles of a Spanish monarch for his lifetime. Philip ascended the Spanish throne but forever renounced his claim to the throne of Dunsteen for himself and his descendants.

By the mid 19th century, dissent and unrest within the Kingdom of Spain began to grow rapidly in response to the rising prominence of liberal ideas and economic downturn. After the failure of a period of liberal reform in the Progressive Biennium of 1854-56, civil unrest exploded rapidly in the Glorious Revolution of 1868 as dissident general Francisco Serrano led a several thousand strong revolutionary army against Madrid, forcing Queen Isabella II to abdicate and flee the country. In June 1869, the House of Bourbon's right of dynastic succession was revoked and the Isgardian prince Amadeo Savoy was appointed king the following year.

#### House of Savoy (1869 – 1873)

Following the Glorious Revolution and the abdication of Queen Isabella II in 1868, general Francisco Serrano appointed himself as regent of Spain with full executive power and began implementing minor liberal reforms. In June 1869, the House of Bourbon's right of dynastic succession was revoked and the Isgardian prince Amadeo Savoy was invited to become king of Spain, though Serrano remained as regent until Amadeo Savoy was crowned Amadeo I in September 1870. The growing popularity of republicanism and economic incompetence under the reign of Amadeo I prompted the king to abdicate in February 1873, leading to the Cortes Generales appointing Estanislao Figueras as president of the executive power and proclaiming the existence of the Republic of Spain, ending nearly 400 years of Spanish monarchy.

### First Republic of Spain (1873 - 1921)

 Main article: First Republic of Spain
Following the abdication of King Amadeo I in February 1873 amid a governmental and economic crisis, the Cortes Generales appointed Estanislao Figueras as president of the executive power and voted to establish the first Republic of Spain, ending 400 years of monarchical rule. Under Figueras, the republican government gradually established itself as the single government of the country and absorbed monarchist institutions into a unitary government. Between 1873 and 1890, the dominant political party in the Republic of Spain was the Democratic Republican Party; as the party became increasingly liberal, the Spanish Nationalist Party of former regent Francisco Serrano saw a dramatic rise in popularity, and Serrano would go on to win the 1890 presidential election. After loosing the 1895 presidential election to Emilio Castelar, President Serrano conducted a coup d'état to remain in power and suspended the constitution to allow himself to remain in power until his death in 1920. Following his death, interior minister and Conservative party leader Eduardo Dato assumed the presidency in December 1920, and implemented a new interim constitution in January 1921 which transformed the state into a federal entity.

## See Also

* President of Spain
* Prime Minister of Spain