Family Portrait : Spain

Queen Marie-Christine, widow of Ferdinand VII

Marie Christine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies married her uncle, King Ferdinand VII of Spain. She was his fourth wife. King Ferdinand died shortly after, and Marie Christine found herself the Regent of her young daughter, Isabella. Civil war soon broke out; coups were orchestrated constantly. The political situation was explosive. Fortunately, she found some consolation in the arms of a handsome guard named Muñoz. She gave him the title of duke and together they had many children.

 

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Don Carlos, Pretender to the Throne

When King Ferdinand VII died, he left the crown to his young daughter Isabella. His brother Carlos protested, a girl could not succeed the king, the crown should belong to himself. So began a long civil war between the liberal supporters of Isabella and the conservative partisan of Don Carlos. Fortunately, Isabella was victorious. Don Carlos has left a line of descendants and spiritual heirs who, without any right, continued and continue to claim, against all legitimacy, the Spanish Crown.

 

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Queen Isabella II and King Francis

Isabella II became queen upon adulthood, and married her cousin, the Infante Francis of Assisi. The marriage could not have been unhappier, and after the birth of their children, the queen and the king consort lived virtually separate lives. Queen Isabella was plump and stout while her husband was thin and small.

 

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King Alphonso XII

The Spanish Crown experienced a number of adventures during the 19th century. Isabella and her son were chased from the throne. A prince from the House of Savoy was brought in to reign. His rule lasted only a few years, after which Isabella II’s son mounted the throne as Alphonso XII. In Paris, he was taught at the same school where I studied, at Saint Louis de Monceau. During his reign, peace and order were reestablished after decades of agitation and anxiety.

 

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Queen Mercedes

The Infanta Mercedes of Orléans was the first cousin of Alphonso XII. Their mothers were sisters, sisters who got along like oil and vinegar. Yet, the two were in love, and so Alphonso decided to marry Mercedes. His mother, Isabella II, protested. It was out of the question that her son would marry the daughter of her despised sister. But the flames of love could not be extinguished. The young couple married and the sisters reconciled their differences. A few months after the marriage, the young queen died from tuberculosis.

 

 

 

 

 

 


by  Prince Michael of Greece