Boletín 120 - Transition, tradition and the evolution of the Spanish Monarchy.
Princess Leonor turns 18 + tier 2/3 vocabulary and La Casa de Bernarda Alba resources.
Uncover Juan Carlos I's pivotal role in the nation's transition to democracy after 40 years of dictatorship, King Felipe VI’s post-abdication steadying of the ship and Princess Leonor's oath that sets the stage for a future reign.
👋Welcome to Boletín, an English-language newsletter covering historical, cultural and topical stories related to the A Level Spanish course. This week:
Issue 120 of Boletín (download the student worksheet here).
Spain adores Princess Leonor.
Tier 2 & 3 vocabulary + LCDBA resource links.
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📌Edition 120.
In issue #120 you’ll learn about the past, present and future of the Spanish Monarchy which is a topic I’ve never broached before apart from the Reyes Católicos (issue 59). If you’re still looking for an IRP research area, this could be a candidate option!
This week’s is a fairly short newsletter as last week’s really took it out of me. When I get my teeth into a topic which interests me, I basically let it take over my life until I’m done with it and it’s out there in the universe. That’s what happened with Garbo. I read three books in a week, on top of teaching and adulting, just for the newsletter.
👑Spain adores Princess Leonor.
How trustworthy were you at 18 years of age?
For my part, I don’t think I was even entrusted with the house keys until about Sixth Form. I certainly wasn’t trusted to make food and my dad still doesn’t completely trust me to make him a cup of tea the way he likes it. I was, however, trusted to walk the dog, pop to the shops and do a small shop (although I’d throw in a bag of McCoys and hope Mum never noticed she was short-changed) and walk my sisters to Brownies.
Edit 1: I’ve just asked my wife what she doesn’t trust me to do properly. Answers include:
To put the washing on the horse properly.
To get the washing off the line when it rains.
To not eat the last chocolate digestive.
Why am I telling you this?
Well, this week Leonor, Princess of Asturias, the daughter of the current King of Spain and heiress to the throne, turned 18 in style. The Princess is a very impressive woman and Spaniards seem to really like her, her approval ratings are higher than her Dad’s (King Felipe VI) and far far exceed those of her Grandad (King Emeritus Juan Carlos I), no surprise there. So far, so good.
Turning 18 when you’re the heiress is a huge milestone and Madrid put on a spectacular show for the adored young Princess’ oath swearing ceremony (including free cake that people still felt the need to complain about). The aforementioned ceremony entails swearing to uphold the Constitution and loyalty to the King and is very important as it means that she will certainly become the Queen of Spain in the event of her father’s passi, abdication or incapacity to lead.
She had this to say:
Me debo desde hoy a todos los españoles a quienes serviré en todo momento con respeto y lealtad. No hay mayor orgullo. En este día tan importante que voy a recordar siempre con emoción les pido que confíen en mí como yo tengo puesta toda mi confianza en el futuro de nuestra nación, el futuro de España.
She asked the Spanish people to trust in her as she is confident for the future of the nation. Watching her speech it’s easy to see why she is thought so highly of.
📜The three texts.
Juan Carlos I.1
Juan Carlos I fue proclamado Rey en noviembre de 1975, cuando habían pasado sólo dos días de la muerte del dictador Franco, iniciándose así la transición a una monarquía parlamentaria. Juan Carlos I será recordado por su crucial intervención en febrero de 1981, cuando su condena del golpe de Estado que se estaba desarrollando en el Congreso de los Diputados supuso el inicio del fracaso de la sublevación de los militares contrarios a los rápidos cambios que se estaban produciendo en España. Su defensa de la joven democracia le ayudó a convertirse en uno de los reyes más populares de Europa.
Felipe VI.2
Al cumplir los dieciocho años, el hijo de Juan Carlos I, juró ante las Cortes Generales fidelidad al Rey, desempeñar fielmente sus funciones, guardar y hacer guardar la Constitución y las Leyes y respetar los derechos de los ciudadanos y de las Comunidades Autónomas. Tras 39 años de reinado, en 2014 Juan Carlos I comunicó oficialmente su decisión de abdicar la Corona de España. Al día siguiente, su hijo Felipe de Borbón se convirtió en el nuevo monarca. Después de los dos primeros años de reinado, el sistema de partidos políticos se convulsionó con el fortalecimiento del independentismo catalán.
Leonor I.3
La Princesa Leonor ha pronunciado el juramento que la legitima como la futura reina de España. La ceremonia, que tuvo lugar en el Congreso de los Diputados, marcó un hito en la historia de la monarquía y representó la continuidad de la monarquía parlamentaria en el país. Con este acto, Leonor de Borbón está legitimada para suplir a su padre en caso de fallecimiento, abdicación o incapacidad. Sin embargo, es importante destacar que tres ministros del gobierno y tres partidos políticos independentistas se ausentaron de los actos expresando su oposición al sistema monárquico y a la Constitución de 1978.
🗝️Tier 2/3 vocabulary.
Ausentarse (vb) - to be away, to be absent or to be not turn up.
Jurar (vb) - to swear (an oathe).
Proclamar (vb) - to proclaim.
Recordar (vb) - to remember.
Suponer (vb) - to suppose.
Abdicar (vb) - to abdicate.
Desempeñar (vb) - to carry out or undertake.
Destacar (vb) - to highlight, underline or emphasise.
Cumplir (vb) - to turn or reach (an age).
Convulsionarse (vb) - to disrupt or throw into turmoil.
Suplir (vb) - to take the place of.
Un golpe de Estado (nms) - a coup d’etat or coup.
El fracaso (nms) - the failure.
El fallecimiento (nms) - the passing (nice way of saying ‘la muerte’).
Un hito (nms) - a milestone.
🆓La Casa de Bernarda Alba resources.
People are beginning to teach La Casa de Bernarda now, myself included. I wanted to share a few resource links from my TES shop that may be helpful, all of which are free. If you’re a teacher, then I highly recommend joining the Facebook discussion group as well.
La Casa de Bernarda Alba printer friendly parallel text with index link.
Public opinion of Lorca (reading comprehension) link.
Pre-read compiled interview covering his politics, La Barraca and his theatre link.
Lorquian key words (used with great success last year to embed vocabulary) link.
El machismo en La Casa de Bernarda Alba (Pepe el Romano) link.
Avoiding the passive voice via La Casa de Bernarda Alba link.
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🖼️ High-quality digital downloads of the covers from print run 1 and 2.
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🆕A copy of my 100+ page GCSE Spanish grammar workbook with answers.
Thanks as ever for reading,
Ollie
❤️
https://www.reuters.com/article/oestp-perfil-rey-idESKBN0ET22H20140618
https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portales/reyes_y_reinas_espana_contemporanea/felipe_vi_biografia/
https://www.elimparcial.com/mundo/La-Princesa-Leonor-jura-lealtad-a-la-Constitucion-Espanola-un-paso-hacia-su-futuro-como-Reina-de-Espana-20231031-0120.html