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José Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba

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José Álvarez de Toledo
Duke of Alba,
Marquis of Villafranca (etc...)
The Duke of Alba by Francisco de Goya, 1795
Full name
José María del Carmen Francisco Manuel Joaquín Pedro Juan Andrés Avelino Cayetano Venancio Francisco de Paula Gonzaga Javier Ramón Blas Tadeo Vicente Sebastián Rafael Melchior Gaspar Baltasar Luis Pedro de Alcántara Buenaventura Diego Andrés Apostol Isidro
Born(1756-07-16)16 July 1756
Madrid, Spain
Died9 June 1796(1796-06-09) (aged 39)
Seville, Andalusia, Spain
Noble familyHouse of Toledo
Spouse(s)María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva Alvarez de Toledo, 13th Duchess of Alba
IssueMaría de la Luz (Adopted)

Don José Álvarez de Toledo Osorio y Gonzaga, 11th Marquis of Villafranca, Grandee of Spain, jure uxoris Duke of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain (16 July 1756 – 9 June 1796) was a patron of the artist Francisco Goya.

Biography

Álvarez de Toledo was born in 1756 in Madrid. He became chamberlain, at thirteen, to King Charles IV of Spain. He, originally Marquess of Villafranca, married his kinswoman Doña María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva y Álvarez de Toledo, 13th Duchess of Alba, who was the legendary "Duchess of Alba" in Goya's paintings, thus becoming de jure uxoris Duke of Alba. Their marriage made them the wealthiest couple in the kingdom; they competed against the Osuna family. A year after his marriage, he inherited the dukedom of Medina-Sidonia and joined two of the most important Houses of the Spanish nobility.

The failed attempt of his friend Alejandro Malaspina to oust Queen María Luisa's favourite Manuel de Godoy in favour of the Duke of Alba put an early end to the political career of the progressive aristocrat.

In 1796, Álvarez de Toledo y Gonzaga died on 9 June in Seville.

In a famous portrait by Goya, the duke is clad in elegant riding clothes. With an air of melancholy he looks up from the music book he is holding in his hands, including the "Four songs/with piano accompaniment/by Mr. Haydn". The duke commissioned several works from Joseph Haydn and was a gifted musician himself. In his painting, Goya subtly combines the symbols of his model's passion for music and equestrian skills (viola or violin, riding boots and riding hat) with the neoclassical interior of the ducal residence.

Ancestry

Titles and styles

Titles

Styles

  • The Most Excellent The Duke of Fernandina (1756–1773)
  • The Most Excellent The Marquis of Villafranca (1773–1776)
  • The Most Excellent The Duke of Alba (1776–1779)


Spanish nobility
Preceded by Duke of Fernandina
1756–1796 		Succeeded by
Marquis of Villafranca
1773–1796
Preceded by Duke of Medina Sidonia
1779–1796
Vacant
Title last held by
María Teresa de Haro
as Duchess of Alba 		Duke consort of Alba
1776–1796 		Vacant
Title next held by
Rosalia Ventimiglia
as Duchess of Alba
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