Dona Luisa Isabel Alvares de Toledo and Maura , 21st Duchess of Medina-Sidoniya ( Spanish: Luisa Isabel Alvarez de Toledo , full name Luisa Isabel María del Carmen - March 7, 2008 , Sanlucar de Barrameda , Spain ) - Spanish writer , historian and public figure ; the last representative of the aristocratic family Alvarezs de Toledo .
| Luis Isabel Alvarez de Toledo | |
|---|---|
| isp. Luisa Isabel María del Carmen Cristina Rosalía Joaquina | |
 Coat of arms of the dukes of Medina-Sidonia | |
| Birth name | |
| Date of Birth | August 21, 1936 |
| Place of Birth | Villa Guzmán el Bueno, Estoril, Portugal |
| Date of death | March 7, 2008 (71 years) |
| Place of death | Palace of Medina Sidonia, Sanlucar de Barrameda , Spain |
| A country | |
| Occupation | , |
| Father | José Joaquín Alvarez de Toledo y Caro |
| Spouse | José Leoncio González de Gregorio y Martí (1955-2008) Liliana Maria Dalman (2008) |
| Children | and |
| Awards and prizes | |
Content
Biography
The only daughter of José Joaquín Alvarez de Toledo (1894–1955), the 20th Duke of Medina Sidonia (1915–1955), and Maria del Carmen Maura i Herrera, the daughter of Gabriel Maura Gamaso, 1st Duke de Maura, and Julia de Herrera, the 5th Countess de la Morter. Occurs in a straight male line from Pedro Alvarez de Toledo . From the side of the mother - the granddaughter of the Prime Minister of Spain, Antonio Maura ; was the fourth cousin of the famous actress Carmen Maura . Three times the grandess of Spain .
Despite its aristocratic origins, throughout its life it held radical left-wing views, thanks to which it received the nickname “The Red Duchess” ( Spanish La Duquesa Roja ) in the press. She was a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party , participated in the anti-Franco movement. She was arrested several times, in 1971-1976. lived in exile in France.
Literary creativity
She made her debut in literature with the documentary novel “Strike” ( Spanish: La huelga ; 1967 , English translation 1971 ), describing the unrest of Andalusian wine- growing peasants, their cruel suppression and the anti-popular role of the Catholic clergy. In the same year, she was sentenced to six months in prison for participating in the events surrounding the Palomares del Rio incident: an American military bomber crashed in the skies over this town a year earlier, resulting in about 20 kg of plutonium spilling onto the ground. The Duchess first took advantage of her title to penetrate the security zone through the cordons, and then led the residents to the excitement, demanding compensation [1] . The Duchess's prison experience was reflected in her book “My Prison” ( isp. Mi cárcel ), and the events themselves - in the book “Palomares” ( 1968 ), which collected evidence from 80 residents of the town and was not published until 2002 [2] .
This was followed by the novel “Aviabaza” ( Spanish: La base ; 1971 ), describing the destroying social, cultural and environmental impact of the American military base on its location in Spain and its neighbors, the novel “The Hunt” ( Spanish: La Cacería ; 1977 ), in which satirically depicted are the hunting amusements of the Spanish aristocracy and its contempt for the Andalusian peasantry, and a number of other works.
According to researchers of the feminist camp,
Alvarez de Toledo refused to recognize social restrictions, challenging many class and gender restrictions; given its greater visibility, it helped the destruction of the obstacles that surrounded women during the days of the Franco regime [3] .
History Books
The main historical works of the Duchess Alvarez were associated with the richest historical archive stored in her castle. Based on these materials, she published two books about King Philip II and his era, a book about the Invincible Armada , which was commanded by her distant ancestor Alonso Perez de Guzmán, Duke of Medina-Sidonia , and several other works. The Duchess's publications started in 1992 with the books The Story of a Conspiracy ( used by Historia de una conjura ) and It Weren't We (by No fuimos nosotros ) and then summarized by the two-volume book Africa versus America, in which it was argued that between America and Africa maritime trade was conducted (in particular, by the forces of Phoenician merchants) long before the discovery of America by Columbus [4] .
Noble titles
Noble titles recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Justice:
- 21st Duchess of Medina-Sidonia, Grand Spain (1957)
- The 17th Marquise in Villafranca del Bierzo, Grand Spain (1957).
- 18th Marquise of Los Veles, Grand Spain (1951).
- 25th Countess of Niebla (1957).
Personal Life
On July 16, 1955, in Morter, Cantabria, she married José Leoncio González de Gregorio y Marti ( October 29, 1930 - February 23, 2008 ), the son of Leoncio de Gregorio y Arribas, Martínez de Asagra i Turulla, from marriage with Leticia Martí and Rodriguez de Castro. The Duchess had three children, with whom she was in a tense relationship.
- Don Leoncio Alonso Gonzalez de Gregorio and Alvarez de Toledo (born January 3, 1956 ), 22nd Duke of Medina-Sidonia (since July 30, 2008 )
- Dona Maria del Pilar González de Gregorio and Alvarez de Toledo (born January 10, 1957 ), 13th Duchess Fernandina (1993–2012)
- Don Gabriel Ernesto Gonzalez de Gregorio and Alvarez de Toledo (born 1958)
According to the statements of the younger son of the Duchess Gabriel, the lawsuit won by the Duchess with the children put an end to them, forbidding the Duchess to sell property belonging to the patrimonial castle in favor of the poor.
Just before her death, the duchess arranged a same-sex marriage with Liliana Maria Dalman ( him. Liliana Maria Dahlmann ), who for 20 years worked as her secretary and head of the Medina-Sidonia Foundation, responsible for the patrimonial archive [5] .
Sources
- ↑ The Duchess of Medina Sidonia : Obituary. // The Guardian , March 15, 2008. (English)
- Radical The Duchess of Medina of Sidonia: Aristocrat whose radicalism earned her the title of 'Red Duchess' : Obitury. // The Independent , 17 March 2008. (English)
- ↑ Alvarez de Toledo, Luisa Isabel // The Feminist Encyclopedia of the Spanish Literature / Edited by Janet Perez and Maureen Ihrie. - Greenwood, 2002. - Vol. 1, p. 21.
- ↑ Fallece a los 72 años la 'Duquesa Roja' Archived on February 10, 2009. // El Público, 8.03.2008. (isp.)
- ↑ Graham Keeley. Red Duchess wed lesbian lover to snub children // Daily Telegraph , 16 March 2008. (eng.)