Person

Juan Carlos I

b. 1938 · 20th century · Also known as Juan Carlos de Borbón

Juan Carlos I was king of Spain from 1975 to 2014. Francisco Franco named him as his successor in 1969, but after Franco's death he backed the transition to democracy with Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez, leading to the constitution of 1978. His televised stand against the attempted coup of February 1981 secured the new democracy. He abdicated in favour of his son Felipe VI.

Juan Carlos I
Image: Irekia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Francoist SpainKingdom of Spain

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Juan Carlos I. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/juan-carlos-i
MLA
“Juan Carlos I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/juan-carlos-i. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Juan Carlos I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/juan-carlos-i.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Juan Carlos I’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/juan-carlos-i (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻