As an American, I enjoy many rights and privileges. But something I'll never be able to fully grasp and understand is what it's like to live under a government that still respects and acknowledges its royal heritage. Sure, Americans like to gawk at Kate Middleton and daydream about what it might be like to be a princess, but an aversion to monarchy is a deeply rooted American trait. And yes, I can recital all the U.S. Presidents in chronological order, but that's hardly the norm in America. Can Spaniards converse freely about their past kings and if so, how do the Spaniards feel about living under a monarchy? The royal family is nowhere near as powerful as it once was, but are they still popular among the Spanish masses?
The days of Spain's worldwide might are gone, along with the men who personified that power, the Spanish Habsburgs. It's largely due to two royals that Spain was concretely unified in 1492, namely Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile and their marriage. Both Carlos I and Felipe II contributed to Spain's quest for domination in both Europe and the New World, which has had wide-reaching effects still felt today. But as far as the Habsburgs go, or the rest of Spanish royal/political power, the 16th century was the peak of influence and might. Granted, a major war was fought in the early 18th century over who would succeed Carlos II and his infertile line. Louis XIV's grandson, Felipe V, would eventually ascend to the throne and usher in the Bourbon dynasty in Spain, along with other facets of French society and culture. This includes the Palacio Real in Madrid, built over the ruins of a Moorish fortress/castle. In many ways, it's as if a piece of France were dropped in the middle of the Spanish meseta. And today, it is still a popular tourist attraction for people visiting Madrid (including our choir tour). Even with the sagging economy Spain is dealing with, the opulence and splendor of the Palacio Real is still looked upon lovingly. This could be largely because, though it's funded by the government and though the royal family still collects money for their expenditures, the people of Spain see the root of their problems with the corruption amongst their representatives. While in Spain, I took the time to ask a few people in Madrid, Barcelona, and Salamanca what they think of the current figurehead king, Felipe VI, and if they had a favorite/least-favorite deceased royal. Nearly everyone I asked (in broken Spanish) agreed that they like Felipe VI more than Juan Carlos I, and they're glad he decided to abdicate the throne. The Spaniards seemed much more at ease over an abdication than the English did seventy years ago with Edward VIII. When it came to favorite royalty, most people referenced Ferdinand and Isabella, or Carlos I (another abdication king). They said they appreciated the royalty who saw to it that Spain was put on the world stage and, for a time, seen as the most influential kingdom. However, with least favorite royals, people were more divided. Some said Carlos IV, for his inability to deal readily with Napoleon Bonaparte and general ineptitude with state affairs. Others said Ferdinand VII, Carlos IV's successor after Jose Bonaparte, for his reactionary and extremely conservative policies, that started to divide the country between liberal and conservative in the 19th century. But other kings that I had figured were controversial or unliked, such as Felipe II or Carlos II, were never mentioned as disfavorable. I even found several large biographies in Spanish bookstores describing their lives in detail. One woman in such a bookstore even told me that she thinks there are no bad Spanish kings in history. This was very telling to me, and was ultimately my takeaway from the trip. Spain is a diverse and complex nation with many different peoples and ways of life combined under one nation. Today, the autonomous regions of Spain resemble the fragmented Spain of the middle ages more so than Spain's Golden Age. But something everyone can share is the royal political heritage of Spain. For better or worse, the kings of ages past have contributed to where Spain is today. A true Spanish patriot can accept the course of history and pride in their nation regardless, even if there had been a few bad-apple monarchs along the way. There's still plenty to be said for respecting a national royal family, and their place in the nation's heritage.
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