Juan Carlos I was born in Rome on January 5, 1938, the grandson of Spain's exiled king Alfonso XIII. He grew up moving between Portugal and Switzerland, a royal without a kingdom, educated in the expectation of a restoration that was far from guaranteed. Francisco Franco, Spain's dictator, chose Juan Carlos as his successor in 1969, passing over his father Don Juan, believing the young prince would continue authoritarian rule after Franco's death. He was wrong. When Franco died on November 20, 1975, Juan Carlos inherited a dictatorship and systematically dismantled it. He appointed reformist prime minister Adolfo Suárez, who legalized political parties including the Communist Party, and oversaw the first free elections Spain had held in 41 years. The new constitution of 1978 established Spain as a parliamentary monarchy. The critical test came on February 23, 1981, when Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero stormed the Spanish Congress with 200 Civil Guards during a vote on the new prime minister. Tanks rolled in Valencia. Military captains across Spain waited to see which side would win. Juan Carlos spent the night calling military commanders personally, ordering them to stand down and support the constitution. By morning, the coup had collapsed. His intervention is widely credited with saving Spanish democracy. The transition he led is studied in political science as a model of peaceful regime change. His later years were less celebrated. Corruption scandals involving his personal finances, a controversial elephant-hunting trip during Spain's economic crisis, and questions about undisclosed wealth eroded public support. He abdicated in favor of his son Felipe VI in 2014 and left Spain for Abu Dhabi in 2020.