A 60-year-old great-grandson residing in Seville is seeking recognition of the paternity of an aristocrat who was mayor before the Civil War. The trial, which begins after ten years of processing, is supported by over 50 love letters, photographs, and testimonies.
A resident of Seville, aged 60, has managed to have a trial held after nearly a decade of judicial waiting, in which he claims to be recognised as a descendant of an aristocrat who was mayor of an important Andalusian city before the Civil War. The proceedings, which are taking place in the courts of the capital of Seville, aim to determine the parentage of a child born in 1900 from an extramarital relationship.
According to the documentation provided by the plaintiff, the alleged parent had a romantic relationship with a woman of humble social standing, from which a child was born in 1900. The differences in status would have prevented marriage, but the relationship is said to have continued discreetly, with secret meetings several days a month and financial support from the aristocrat, who allegedly purchased a home for the mother and child and financed the latter's university studies.
The main body of evidence consists of more than 50 love letters attributed to the couple, along with numerous photographs from the time that, according to the plaintiff, allow for the reconstruction of the story. The physical resemblance between the alleged father and the son has also been invoked, and witnesses of advanced age and descendants of people who knew the events are expected to testify.
One of the biggest obstacles has been the impossibility of obtaining conclusive genetic evidence. The judicial commission visited the cemetery several times and even exhumed the remains of the aristocrat, but the age of the bones, nearly a century old, prevented the extraction of valid DNA. The plaintiff argues that parentage can be established through other means of evidence and indications, which must be assessed by the court.
The claimant, who resides in Seville, has reported the delays experienced during the processing, which he considers a violation of the right to a trial without undue delays (Article 24.2 of the Constitution). He has submitted several procedural acceleration requests and cites Supreme Court ruling 485/2012 regarding the need to avoid unjustified suspensions.
The proceedings also have an important patrimonial aspect, as, according to the claimant, there is a substantial inheritance linked to the recognition of parentage, considering that the child would have had hereditary rights. This issue is contingent on the outcome of the trial and the legal consequences that arise from it.
The trial, which is finally being held in Seville after a decade of waiting, marks a milestone in a case that has required the reconstruction of a family history over a century old, with episodes in various Andalusian provinces, Madrid, France, and Italy. The judicial resolution will determine the evidential value of the letters, photographs, and testimonies to establish parentage.
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