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
House of Alba any issue and her titles were inherited by a relative, Carlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart, 14th Duke of Alba. Thus, the dukedom of Alba passed to the senior branch of the House of FitzJames, which took over the patrimony of the House of Alba. Until 20 November 2014, the head of the House of Alba was Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba. She held the Guinness Book of Records title for the largest number of noble titles, with 57 titles. The current head of the House of Alba is Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 19th Duke of Alba, who succeeded his mother