Marqués de Alta Villa

José Ramiro de la Puente y González Nandín, Marqués de Alta Villa sometimes Altavilla[1] (28 April 1845 in Reina del Bétis, Séville – 16 December 1909 in Madrid) was a Spanish grande and writer on Madrid, exiled for much of the later part of his life in Paris.

The Marqués de Alta Villa; photograph by Kaulak

Exile in Paris

He acquired the château of Savigny-sur-Orge on the death of the former owner maréchale Davout, and there received from 1869 to 1876 the court of Isabella II in exile. He also frequented the Queen's own property, the former Hôtel Basilewski on avenue Kléber, renamed the Palais de Castille, which was the centre of the Bourbon Spanish exile community in Paris. Increasingly he came to serve as a powerful secretary to the exiled court of Queen.[2] It was during this period, he became interested in various topics such as agricultural science, opera singing, as well as continuing more conventional aristocratic pursuits such as fencing and hunting. The Queen returned to Spain in 1874-1876 following the Bourbon restoration of her son Alfonso XII but Alta Villa continued to serve the Queen in Paris.

He was granted the papal title of marchese de Alta Villa del Casale Monferrato Piedmont, on October 9, 1880.

Fencing

He was a noted fencer and espadachín[3] and wrote the preface for C. Leon Broutin's guide El arte de la esgrima of 1894.

Music

He took music lessons from Giovanni Lucantoni and singing lessons from Anna de La Grange and Madame Ferrari.

Works
  • Don Ramiro de la Puente y González Nandín. Guía oficial de España 1904

References
  1. José María de Bustamante y Urrutia, Alonso Zamora Vicente Catálogos de la Biblioteca Universitaria Page 112 "José Ramiro de la Puente y González Nandín. Marqués de: v. en el texto: La Puente y González Nandín, Ramiro de. Marqués de Altavilla."
  2. Cuban Studies 29 Enrico Mario Santí - 1999 "(Ramiro de la Puente, ahora marqués de Altavilla, como poderoso secretario) y una pequeña corte en el exilio."
  3. José del Corral -Casas madrileñas desaparecidas: misterios, amores e intrigas 2004 - Page 142 "Y también, aunque eso nada tenga que ver ahora, cierto caballerete, gran esgrimidor y conocido espadachín que, por gracia de Isabel ... del que se cuentan cosas más que divertidas y que murió de gerente del cementerio de la Patriarcal,"
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