User Contributed Dictionary
Adjective
(dated, rare term)- infant (attr.)
Noun
(dated, rare term)Noun
- infanta (in Spain & Portugal)
Derived terms
Extensive Definition
Infante (masculine)
or infanta (feminine),
also anglicised as
infant, was the title and rank given in the medieval European kingdoms of
Aragon,
Castile,
Galicia,
Navarre,
León,
and Portugal
to a son or daughter, and to a grandson or granddaughter in the
male line of a reigning monarch (and also to a princess's children
if she was the heir apparent to the throne), and their woman
consorts. Male consorts had not, and have no right to the title,
style and rank.
The name derives from the same root as "infant," but this means simply
"child" in Romance languages (cfr. French Enfants de France), and
in this case indicates that the Infante or Infanta is the child of
the monarch. Like the Enfants de France, all Infantes in the
different kingdoms were and are always royal princes, in the
general meaning of the word.
Portuguese infantes
Infante had no feminine form at first in Portugal, and may be related in Portuguese to the Portuguese lower nobility, the infanções, who were also the younger children with no prospects of heritage in the noble houses they were born to, just distinguished in law by some prerogatives, but almost no patrimony.Afterwards, the word Infanta emerged in Portugal
as a feminised form applied to the Portuguese princesses after the
16th and 17th centuries. Also, after Edward
of Portugal, in the 15th century, the heir apparent and his
older son, or daughter, were styled just as "Prince" and
"Princess". The first Prince in Portugal was the future Afonso
V, his eldest son, maybe adopting the French royal style by an
English influence brought by queen Philippa
of England.
After the ascension of the House of
Braganza to the royalty, it was added the title "Most Serene"
(Sereníssimo) to the title of Infante - as well as Sereníssima to
Infanta -, since the complete name of this house was "Most Serene
House of Braganza" (Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), a style granted
by the Pope.
The style, however, does not seem to be used with the title of
Prince Royal.
The current Infantes of Portugal (presently a
republic) are
Dom Henrique, Duke of Coimbra and
Dom Miguel, Duke of Viseu (the brothers of
Dom Duarte, Duke of Braganza, head of the Portuguese Royal
House), and his younger children
Dom Afonso, Prince of V,
Dona Maria Francisca de Bragança, Infanta de Portugal and
Dom Diniz, Duke of Porto.
Dom Afonso de Santa Maria, Prince of Beira, the eldest son and
heir apparent to the Portuguese Royal House, being born the Prince,
is not styled Infante.
After its independence, Brazilian monarchy kept
the use of Infante to indicate the siblings of the heir apparent.
However, its use was gradually decreased since the official style
for them was
Princes of Brazil, distinguishing the Brazilian Infantes from
the
Imperial Prince of Brazil, the heir apparent, and the
Prince of Grão-Pará, his/her eldest born son (or daughter). It
should be noted that the Brazilian title of Prince of Brazil must
not be confused with the former Portuguese homonym title.
Spanish infantes
In contemporary Spain, distantly related princes of the blood of the Spanish royal family are also granted the title. Note that infante is also used for a hereditary title of nobility, as in los infantes de Carrión in The Lay of the Cid.The current Infantas of Spain are Leonor
and Sofia
(the daughters of Prince
Felipe and Princess
Letizia),
Elena and
Cristina (daughters of King Juan
Carlos and Queen
Sofía), and
Pilar and
Margarita (daughters of
Juan de Borbón, Count of Barcelona).
Carlos de Borbón, Duke of
Calabria and King Juan Carlos' cousin, also holds the title of
Infante of Spain. Prince Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos, is
heir
apparent to the Spanish throne and therefore Prince
of Asturias.
See also
infante in Belarusian (Tarashkevitsa):
Інфант
infante in Bosnian: Infant
infante in Czech: Infant
infante in German: Infant
infante in Spanish: Infante
infante in French: Infant
infante in Korean: 인판테
infante in Italian: Infante
infante in Latvian: Infants
infante in Dutch: Infante
infante in Polish: Infant
infante in Portuguese: Infante
infante in Russian: Инфант
infante in Slovak: Infant
infante in Swedish: Infant
infante in Ukrainian: Інфант