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The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the royal House of Bourbon. Four members of the house were monarchs of the Southern European nation the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which was located in the southern part of the Italian Peninsula and the island of Sicily. Although no longer in power, the house continues.

Bourbon Prince retakes Naples and Sicily
The territorial definition of the kingdom was first outlined in 1130 as the Normans founded the Kingdom of Sicily. After the War of the Sicilian Vespers, the kingdom was split into two; the Kingdom of Sicily on the island of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples on the southern part of the Italian peninsula. The Kingdom of Naples also continued to call itself the "Kingdom of Sicily" officially and so there were "two Sicilies". Both kingdoms eventually became part of the Crown of Aragon and then the Spanish Empire. Philip V of Spain was the first Bourbon king of both of the kingdoms but lost them during the War of the Spanish Succession as outlined in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.

With the break-out of the War of the Polish Succession, Philip V's son Charles, Duke of Parma was sent to reconquer the Kingdom of Naples from the Austria for the Bourbons of Spain. Charles with commander Duke of Montemar and admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova were victorious at the Battle of Bitonto against the Austrians and also at the Siege of Gaeta which took four months. The Treaty of Vienna in 1738 confirmed the return of both the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily to Spanish Bourbon control. However the kingdoms were not ruled from Spain, but instead had home rule from Naples with a viceroy for Sicily; the conquering Prince, who was retitled Charles VII of Naples and V of Sicily was the independent monarch.

With help from his chief minister Bernardo Tanucci, Charles ruled his two kingdoms. During this time the Roman archeological remains at Herculaneum and Pompeii were uncovered, which he encouraged. Charles was an exponent and leading figure of the enlightened absolutism form of monarchy. After the death of his brother Ferdinand VI of Spain, Charles became Charles III of Spain in 1759. However, he did not retain his Neapolitan and Sicilian kingdoms, instead to keep them independent from Spain with home rule from Naples he passed them on down to his son Ferdinand IV of Naples and III of Sicily; essentially setting up a de facto cadet branch. Charles did have two more senior sons but Felipe Antonio, Duke of Calabria was excluded due to his imbecility, while the future Charles IV of Spain was reserved as Charles' heir to the Spanish throne.

List of rulers

 * Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies 1816–1825 || [[Image:Ferdinand IV of Naples.jpg|100px|Ferdinand I]] || 12 January 1751 Naples son of Charles VII and Maria Amalia of Saxony||Marie Caroline of Austria 12 May 1768 17 children Lucia Migliaccio of Floridia 27 November 1814 No children||4 January 1825 Naples aged 73
 * Francis I of the Two Sicilies 1825–1830|| [[Image:Francis I of the Two Sicilies.jpg|100px|Francis I]] || 14 August 1777 Naples son of Ferdinand I and Maria Carolina of Austria||Maria Isabella of Spain 6 July 1802 12 children||8 November 1830 Naples aged 53
 * Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies 1830–1859 || [[Image:Giuseppe Bonolis - Ritratto di Ferdinando II di Borbone.jpg|100px|Ferdinand II]] || 12 January 1810 Palermo son of Francis I and Maria Isabella of Spain||Maria Christina of Savoy 21 November 1832 1 child Maria Theresa of Austria 9 January 1837 12 children||22 May 1859 Caserta aged 49
 * Francis II of the Two Sicilies 1859–1861|| [[Image:Franz2Sizilien.jpg|100px|Francis II]] || 14 August 1777 Naples son of Ferdinand II and Maria Christina of Savoy||Maria Sophie of Bavaria 8 January 1859 1 child||8 November 1830 Arco aged 58
 * }
 * Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies 1830–1859 || [[Image:Giuseppe Bonolis - Ritratto di Ferdinando II di Borbone.jpg|100px|Ferdinand II]] || 12 January 1810 Palermo son of Francis I and Maria Isabella of Spain||Maria Christina of Savoy 21 November 1832 1 child Maria Theresa of Austria 9 January 1837 12 children||22 May 1859 Caserta aged 49
 * Francis II of the Two Sicilies 1859–1861|| [[Image:Franz2Sizilien.jpg|100px|Francis II]] || 14 August 1777 Naples son of Ferdinand II and Maria Christina of Savoy||Maria Sophie of Bavaria 8 January 1859 1 child||8 November 1830 Arco aged 58
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Orders of knighthood

 * Order of St. Januarius
 * Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
 * Order of Saint George and Reunion
 * Order of Saint Ferdinand and Merit
 * Royal Order of Francis I

Resources

 * RoyaltyGuide.nl — House of Bourbon images.
 * Duchi e Duchesse di Parma - House of Bourbon-Parma images.
 * The Early Bourbon Monarchy in France, 1589–1661 - House of Bourbon in France info.
 * GeneAll.net - Henri IV, roi de France descendants.