Juan Carlos I was born in Rome in 1938, grandson of Spain's exiled king Alfonso XIII. He grew up moving between Portugal and Switzerland. Franco chose him as successor, believing Juan Carlos would continue authoritarian rule. He didn't. After Franco died in 1975, Juan Carlos moved Spain toward democracy, oversaw the first free elections in forty years, and personally helped block a military coup attempt in 1981. He abdicated in 2014 under corruption allegations. The transition he led is studied as a model of peaceful political change.
January 5, 1938
88 years ago
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