Juan Carlos I (5 January 1938-) was King of Spain from 22 November 1975 to 19 June 2014, preceding Felipe VI.
Biography[]
Juan Carlos was born in Rome, Italy in 1938, the son of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and Maria de Las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He was the grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, who had left Spain without abdicating on 14 April 1931. In 1947, Francisco Franco defined Spain as a monarchy without determining the monarch. At Franco's instigation, Jaun Carlos went to Spain in 1948 to finish his studies and receive military training. While he disagreed with Franco, he was concerned to reconcile Spaniards still divided by the Spanish Civil War. In 1961, Franco officially designated him to occupy the throne after his death. As King, he was committed to national reconciliation, the country's regional diversity, and a complete democratization. He chose a Prime Minister, Adolfo Suarez, who would carry out his programme, so that direct, universal elections could be held by 1977. He supported Spain's constitutional definition as a country of autonomous regions, and promoted a special autonomy status for Catalonia. A 1981 military coup, in which the rebels seized the Parliament, came to nought not least because of the King's determination. As the democracy became more firmly entrenched under Felipe Gonzalez during the 1980s, he took a less active role in politics, focusing on his ceremonial and representative functions instead. More than any other person, he ensured a peaceful transition from the divisive, authoritarian Franco years to a stable, Western democracy. In 2014, he abdicated in favor of his son, who became King "Felipe VI of Spain".