Juan Carlos I

Juan Carlos I (hwän kär`lōs), 1938–, king of Spain (1975–), b. Rome. The grandson of Alfonso XIII, he was educated in Switzerland and in Spain. Placed by his father, Don Juan de Borbón, under the care of Francisco Franco as a possible successor, he graduated from Spain's three military academies and received commissions in the army, navy, and air force; he also did graduate work at the Univ. of Madrid and served apprenticeships in many government departments. He married Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962; they have three children. In 1969 he was designated heir to the throne and Franco's successor. After Franco's death in 1975, he became the first Spanish king since his grandfather was deposed in 1931. A popular monarch, he presided over Spain's transition to democracy with intelligence and sensitivity. He has acted decisively to maintain political stability in Spain, as in choosing Adolfo Suárez as premier in 1976, foiling a right-wing military coup in 1981, and handling a scandal involving anti-Basque death squads in the mid-1990s.

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Juan Carlos I

(born Jan. 5, 1938, Rome, Italy) King of Spain from 1975. The grandson of Alfonso XIII, he lived in exile until 1947. After Francisco Franco abolished the republic and declared Spain a representative monarchy, he prepared Juan Carlos for his future role, paying particular attention to his military education. In 1969 Juan Carlos was designated prince; he acceded to the Spanish throne two days after Franco's death. Although he had sworn loyalty to Franco's National Movement, he proved to be relatively liberal and helped restore parliamentary democracy. In 1981 he deflated a potential military coup and preserved the democracy. He became the first Spanish king to visit the Americas and was the first crowned monarch to make an official visit to China. Throughout his tenure as king, he traveled abroad on many goodwill missions and was very popular at home.

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Juan Carlos I 

Born Jan. 5, 1938, in Rome. King of Spain from November 1975.

Juan Carlos I is the grandson of King Alfonso XIII, overthrown in 1931, and the son of Prince Don Juan, who has lived outside Spain since 1931. He received a military education and completed a course of study at the University of Madrid. On July 23, 1969, Juan Carlos was officially proclaimed successor to Franco; upon Franco’s death he would become head of state with the title of king.

Juan Carlos I’s reign was signaled by the announcement of a program of limited reforms and the dissolution and collapse of the Franco dictatorship.