House of FitzJames
The House of FitzJames, also known as FitzJames Stuart, is a noble family founded in 1670 by James FitzJames, the 1st Duke of Berwick. He was the illegitimate son of James II & VII, the Stuart king of England, Scotland and Ireland. After the Glorious Revolution in 1688, he went into exile with his father. Since then, much of the family’s history has been in Spain and France, with many members serving in the military.
There are two main branches of the family. The Spanish branch later gained the dukedom of Alba after the 13th Duchess of Alba died childless in 1802; this connection to Alba came through the 4th Duke of Berwick, whose mother was the granddaughter of the 11th Duchess of Alba.
When the 10th Duke of Berwick died in 1953, the Spanish titles (including Alba and Liria) went to his daughter, while the Jacobite title of Berwick stayed with his nephew because Spanish and Jacobite succession laws are different (Spanish practice favors female lines less, while Jacobite law follows male succession).
Today the Jacobite title is held by Jacobo Hernando Fitz-James Stuart y Gómez, the 12th Duke of Berwick, and his heir is his brother, Don Luis Esteban Fitz-James Stuart y Gómez, 14th Marquess of Valderrábano. The family is connected to the House of Alba and the House of Silva.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:55 (CET).