Saving the King
Person· Acting
Juan Carlos I
- Born
- January 5, 1938
- From
- Rome, Lazio, Italy
Also known as
Juan Carlos I de España · Juan Carlos de Borbón · Juan Carlos Borbón · Juan Carlos · Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias · Juan Carlos I of Spain · Juan Carlos of Spain · King Juan Carlos · King Juan Carlos I · Juan Carlos I de Borbón
Biography
Juan Carlos I, the last King of Spain reigned from 1975 until his abdication in 2014. Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias was born on January 5, 1938 in Rome, Lazio, Italy, during his family's exile. Expected to continue Franco's legacy, Juan Carlos, however, soon after his accession introduced reforms to dismantle the Francoist regime and begin the Spanish transition to democracy. This led to the approval of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in a referendum, which re-established a constitutional monarchy. In 1981, Juan Carlos played a major role in preventing a coup that attempted to revert Spain to Francoist government in the King's name. In 2008, he was considered the most popular leader in all Ibero-America.
