He was born in Segovia, Spain, in 1913 and went into exile in 1931 with his family. He became a pretender after his eldest brother renounced his claim to marry a “commoner” and his second brother, who was deaf, also renounced his claim. During the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Don Juan tried to join General Francisco Franco’s Nationalist army, but was unsuccessful. Following the war, however, he began to publicly oppose the dictator and campaigned for the return of a constitutional monarchy. In 1969, His son Juan Carlos de Borbón agreed to be named by Franco as his heir and future king, despite his father remaining the legitimate heir. In 1975, upon Franco’s death, Juan Carlos succeeded to the throne and called for a constitutional monarchy. In 1977, upon returning to Spain from exile, Don Juan formally renounced his claim to the throne. Don Juan died in April 1993 in Pamplona, Spain.
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Juan Carlos Teresa Silverio Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg
Juan Carlos Teresa Silverio Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg was a pretender to the Spanish throne following the death of his father, King Alfonso XII,I in 1941, and until 1977, when he formally renounced his claim, allowing his son King Juan Carlos I to claim the throne instead.
