Futuro: Introduction

According to the 1978 Spanish Constitution, the King and Queen are the Head of State for Spain. The King moderates and arbitrates the regular working of the institutions, assumes the representation of the Spanish government in international affairs, and performs other functions expressly given to him as King of the nation. The current King of Spain is el Rey Felipe VI de Borbón. His wife is la Reina Letizia. Take some time to explore the royal family’s official website. An English version of the official website ia also available.

The King and Queen have two children. The eldest daughter is named Leonor. The second child of the King and Queen is named Sofia. Leonor is the Princesa de Asturias and is the first line for succession to the Spanish throne.

Take some time to read more about the Spanish Civil War.

Spanish Civil War

In 1936, a rebellion broke out in Morrocco, lead by General Francisco Franco. This military uprising marked the start of the Spanish Civil War. The war was fought by Spanish Republicans and left-wing groups against the nationalists, who were lead by Franco. The Republicans came from, for the most part, Madrid and Catalonia while the nationalists came in large part from rural areas. The war lasted until 1939 and anywhere from 500,000 to one million people were killed. Not all of these were killed during actual fighting. There were mass executions that resulted in many deaths.

The end of the war brought the reign of Francisco Franco as dictator of Spain. His dictatorship lasted until 1975. During his rule, the Spanish Monarchy lived in exile. In 1969, Franco announced that upon his death, rule of Spain would be turned over to Juan Carlos, the grandson of Spain's last ruling king. Juan Carlos was the King of Spain until 2014 when his son King Philip VI of Bourbon assended to the throne.