During the dukedome of Duke II tithes were abolished in Spain, and nobles who formerly received those tithes were compensated by the Crown.
Duke III served on a diplomatic mission to Saint Petersburg (December 1856 - June 1857) and was accompanied by a young Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano, who "poke[d] gentle fun at the duke" in his Cartas desde Rusia [REF].