List of heirs to the Spanish throne
From the personal union of the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon until the accession of the first Bourbon monarch in 1700, the heir to the Spanish throne was the person closest to the Spanish monarch according to the male-preference cognatic primogeniture. From the accession of Philip of France as Philip V until the Pragmatic Sanction of 1830, the heir to the Spanish throne was the person closest to the Spanish monarch according to the Salic law.
The heir, whether heir apparent or heir presumptive, was often granted the title of Prince of Asturias.
Heirs to the [Catholic Monarchs]
and Ferdinand V of Castile were already parents at the time of their accession in 1474. Their heir presumptive was their daughter,- Isabella, who was created Princess of Asturias. On 30 June 1478, she was displaced by the birth of a brother,
- John, who was created Prince of Asturias. Ferdinand V of Castile ascended the throne of Aragon as Ferdinand II in 1479, making John the heir apparent to the Aragonese throne as well as the Prince of Girone. He died childless on 4 October 1497, leaving his wife, Margaret of Austria, pregnant. She gave birth to a stillborn daughter, at which point John's older sister,
- Isabella, became heir presumptive to the Castilian throne again and heir presumptive to the Aragonese throne for the first time. She had married King Manuel I of Portugal. Upon her death on 23 August 1498, their son,
- Miguel de la Paz, became heir presumptive. Already Prince of Portugal, Miguel was created Prince of Asturias and Girona as well. The heir to the thrones of Portugal, Castile and Aragon died in infancy on 19 July 1500. After his death, his aunt
- Joanna became heir presumptive. She had married Philip of Austria and had had children by the time she became heir.
- John, son of Ferdinand by his second wife, became heir apparent to the Crown of Aragon upon his birth on 3 May 1509, and was created Prince of Girona. He died only hours after his birth, and his half-sister, by now already Queen of Castile, became once again heir to the Crown of Aragon.
Heirs to Joanna I
Joanna I was already mother of two sons and a daughter at the moment of her accession. She co-ruled with her husband, Philip I, until his death in 1506. Her heir apparent at the moment of her accession was her son,- Charles, Archduke of Austria.
Heirs to Charles I
Charles I became King of Castile and Aragon in 1516, but he did not become sole ruler until his mother's death in 1555. During his reign, the Spanish kingdoms were in personal union with the Holy Roman Empire, Archduchy of Austria, Kingdom of Germany and Seventeen Provinces. When Charles I became sole ruler, his son,- Philip, King of England and Ireland, became heir apparent to the Spanish thrones and Prince of Asturias.
Heirs to Philip II
Philip was already father at the moment of his accession. His heir apparent was his son,- Charles, who was created Prince of Asturias. He died childless in 1568, leaving his sister,
- Isabella Clara Eugenia, as the heir presumptive. In 1571 she was displaced by the birth of her half-brother,
- Ferdinand, who was created Prince of Asturias. He died as a child in 1578, leaving his brother
- Diego as heir apparent, and was formally invested as Prince of Asturias in March 1580. He died as a child in 1582, making his brother
- Philip heir apparent and Prince of Asturias.
Heirs to Philip III
- Isabella Clara Eugenia, was the heir presumptive until the birth of Philip's daughter,
- Anne in 1601. She was heir presumptive until her brother,
- Philip, replaced her in 1605. He became heir apparent upon his birth and later Prince of Asturias.
In 1615, Anne became Queen consort of France and renounced her rights to the Spanish throne as part of her marriage contract.
Heirs to Philip IV
Philip IV ascended the thrones of Spain, Portugal and the Seventeen Provinces in 1621. He had been married for six years at the moment of his accession but still childless. Therefore, Philip's brother,- Charles, became heir presumptive upon Philip's accession. Charles was first replaced by Philip's daughter,
- Maria Margaret. Maria Margaret, heir presumptive, died shortly after birth in 1621 and
- Charles became heir presumptive again. In 1623, he was again replaced by a niece,
- Margaret Maria Catherine. The heir presumptive died a little over a month after her birth and
- Charles became heir presumptive again. Two years later, almost on the same date, Charles was replaced by another daughter of Philip,
- Maria Eugenia. Maria Eugenia was heir presumptive until her death in July 1627.
- Charles became heir presumptive again and remained so until October 30 of the same year, when
- Isabella Maria Theresa was born to the King. She died 24 hours after birth, leaving her uncle
- Charles heir presumptive again. Charles would remain the heir presumptive until the birth of his nephew,
- Balthasar Charles, in 1629. Balthasar Charles immediately became heir apparent and later Prince of Asturias. He remained heir apparent until his death in 1646. His sister,
- Maria Theresa, became heir presumptive. She remained heir presumptive until the birth of her brother,
- Philip Prospero, in 1657. Philip Prospero was heir apparent until his death in 1661, leaving the succession unclear for five days until the birth of his brother,
- Charles, who was created Prince of Asturias.
Philip IV died in 1665, leaving testament in which he had given preference to his younger daughter, Holy Roman Empress Margaret Theresa, and her descendants regarding the succession to the Spanish thrones. In his will, he also stipulated that Margaret Theresa and her descendants should be followed by her husband, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his descendants because Leopold I was not only a member of the House of Habsburg, but also son of Philip IV's younger sister, Maria Anna.
Heirs to Charles II
Charles II was four years old when he succeeded his father on the thrones of Spain. The heir presumptive was either his older half-sister, Queen Maria Theresa of France, whose renunciation was considered invalid, or his older sister, Holy Roman Empress Margaret Theresa, who had been designated heir presumptive by Charles's father.According to the will of Philip IV and if Maria Theresa's renunciation was valid, the heir presumptive to Charles II at the moment of his accession was his older sister,
- Margaret Theresa. Upon her death in 1673, her daughter,
- Maria Antonia, became heir presumptive to the Spanish thrones according to the will of Philip IV. She died in 1692, leaving her two-month-old son,
- Joseph Ferdinand, Electoral Prince of Bavaria, as heir presumptive. The succession rights of Joseph Ferdinand were advocated by his great-grandmother, Dowager Queen Mariana of Spain. However, he died one year before Charles II.
- Philip, Duke of Anjou, as heir presumptive.
Heirs to Philip V
Philip V ascended the Spanish thrones on the death of his grand-uncle, Charles II, in 1700. This resulted in the War of the Spanish Succession, which concluded in his favour. Philip V was the first Spanish monarch of the House of Bourbon. He changed the Spanish laws of succession to the throne, replacing the traditional male-preference cognatic primogeniture with agnatic primogeniture which prohibited women from ascending the Spanish throne. During Philip V's reign, the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon merged into a single state after centuries of personal union. Philip V was forced to renounce his rights to the French throne as a part of the Treaty of Utrecht.Philip V was unmarried and childless at the moment of his accession. According to the will of Charles II, Philip's younger brother,
- Charles, was heir presumptive until the birth of Philip's son,
- Louis.
Heirs to Louis I
Louis I was childless when he ascended the Spanish throne. His brother,- Ferdinand, became his heir presumptive and was created Prince of Asturias. However, it was decided that Louis's father,
- Philip, should become heir presumptive instead of Ferdinand due to his young age.
Heirs to Philip V
Philip V's heir at the moment of his second accession was his oldest surviving son,- Ferdinand, already Prince of Asturias.
Heirs to Ferdinand VI
Ferdinand VI was childless. During his entire reign, his brother,- Charles, King of Naples and Sicily, was heir presumptive.
Heirs to Charles III
Charles III was already a father at the moment of his accession. His heir apparent during his entire reign was his second son,- Charles, because his eldest son Philip was mentally retarded.
Heirs to Charles IV
Charles IV was already a father at the moment of his accession. His heir apparent during his entire reign was his son,- Ferdinand.
Heirs to Ferdinand VII
Ferdinand was childless at the moment of his accession. His brother,- Charles, was the heir presumptive.
- Charles became the heir presumptive again. However, Ferdinand issued Pragmatic Sanction in March 1830, which replaced the Salic law introduced by Philip V with the traditional male-preference cognatic primogeniture. Thanks to the new succession rules, Charles was replaced by Ferdinand's eldest daughter,
- Isabella, who became heir presumptive upon her birth in October 1830 and was created Princess of Asturias.
Heirs to Isabella II
Isabella II was three years old when she ascended the throne of Spain. Her heir presumptive was her younger sister,- Louisa Ferdinanda. Louisa Ferdinanda was replaced by Isabella's son,
- Ferdinand, who died a few hours after his birth in the autumn of 1850. His aunt,
- Louisa Ferdinanda, became heir presumptive again. However, a year later, the Queen gave birth to her namesake,
- Isabella, who was created Princess of Asturias. She was not heir presumptive for long. In 1857, the Queen gave birth to
- Alfonso, who replaced his older sister, becoming heir apparent and Prince of Asturias.
Heirs to Amadeus I
During Amadeus I's short reign, the heir apparent was his son,- Emmanuel Philibert, who was created Prince of Asturias.
Heirs to Alfonso XII
The First Spanish Republic did not last long. In 1874, the eldest son of Isabella II was proclaimed king as Alfonso XII. He was unmarried and without legitimate children. His heir presumptive was his older sister,- Isabella, Princess of Asturias and Countess of Girgenti. She was replaced by Alfonso's daughter,
- Mercedes, who was born in 1880 and created Princess of Asturias. In 1885, Alfonso XII's wife, Maria Christina of Austria, became pregnant with
- a son.
Heirs to Alfonso XIII
A posthumous son was indeed born to Alfonso XII and he immediately succeeded his father as Alfonso XIII. His sister,- Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, became his heir presumptive. She remained heir presumptive until her death in 1904.
- Alfonso, succeeded his mother as heir presumptive to the throne of Spain. However, he was replaced by his cousin and namesake,
- Alfonso, son of Alfonso XIII, who was born in 1907. He was created Prince of Asturias but renounced his succession rights in 1933, due to his intended unequal marriage. His brother,
- Jaime, became the new heir apparent. Jaime himself renounced his succession rights few days later, leaving his brother,
- Juan as heir apparent.
In 1947, monarchy was restored but the throne remained vacant. In 1969, Francisco Franco recognized
- Juan Carlos, son of Juan, Count of Barcelona, as heir apparent to the throne of Spain.
Heirs to Juan Carlos I
| Heir | Status | Relationship to Monarch | Became heir | Became heir | Ceased to be heir | Ceased to be heir | Next in succession relation to heir, dates | Monarch |
| Heir | Status | Relationship to Monarch | Date | Reason | Date | Reason | Next in succession relation to heir, dates | Monarch |
| Felipe, Prince of Asturias | Heir apparent | Son | 22 November 1975 | Father became king | 19 June 2014 | Father abdicated, became king | Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo, sister | Juan Carlos I |
| Felipe, Prince of Asturias | Heir apparent | Son | 22 November 1975 | Father became king | 19 June 2014 | Father abdicated, became king | Infanta Leonor, daughter | Juan Carlos I |