Duke of Alba the House of Álvarez de Toledo (extinct in 1755), the House of Silva (extinct in 1802), and the House of FitzJames, which descends from an illegitimate son of King James II of England. Famous dukes include Don Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, governor of the Spanish Netherlands (references to "Alba" (Alva in Dutch), particularly in the context of Dutch history, are usually about him), and Doña María del Pilar de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba, a muse of the painter Francisco Goya. Various dukes have married into the families of Christopher Columbus and Cosimo de Medici, as
Palacio de los duques de Alba Palacio de los duques de Alba Palacio de Los Duques de Alba is a palace in Piedrahita, province of Ávila, Spain. The palace served as a summer residence for the Dukes of Alba, and currently houses a school. Where once was a medieval castle belonging to the Álvarez de Toledo family, the French architect Jaime Marquet constructed a palace for Fernando de Silva, 12th Duke of Alba between 1755 and 1766. The duke used the palace as a summer residence. His granddaughter María Cayetana de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba invited to the palace famous visitors such as the painter