Blancs d'Espagne
Encyclopedia
Blancs d'Espagne was a term used to refer to those legitimists in France who, following the death of the Comte de Chambord in 1883, supported the Spanish Carlist
claimant rather than the Orleanist
candidate, who was supported by the vast majority of French royalists.
The term was generally used by supporters of the Comte de Paris
, the Orleanist candidate, as a term of derision for their ultra-legitimist opponents who so hated the House of Orléans that they would support a foreign prince over an Orleanist candidate.
It is a pun on the cosmetic and cleanser known as blanc d'Espagne, originally a white lead
pigment and later either basic bismuth nitrate or a preparation made from chalk
and clay.
Carlism
Carlism is a traditionalist and legitimist political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina , and was founded due to dispute over the succession laws and widespread...
claimant rather than the Orleanist
House of Orleans
Orléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king...
candidate, who was supported by the vast majority of French royalists.
The term was generally used by supporters of the Comte de Paris
Philippe, Comte de Paris
Philippe d'Orléans, Count of Paris was the grandson of Louis Philippe I, King of the French. He was a claimant to the French throne from 1848 until his death.-Early life:...
, the Orleanist candidate, as a term of derision for their ultra-legitimist opponents who so hated the House of Orléans that they would support a foreign prince over an Orleanist candidate.
It is a pun on the cosmetic and cleanser known as blanc d'Espagne, originally a white lead
White lead
White lead is the chemical compound 2·Pb2. It was formerly used as an ingredient for lead paint and a cosmetic called Venetian Ceruse, because its opaque quality made it a good pigment. However, it tended to cause lead poisoning, and its use has been banned in most countries.White lead has been...
pigment and later either basic bismuth nitrate or a preparation made from chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
and clay.