by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Alfonso XII of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo was born as Prince of Asturias, the heir to the Spanish throne, at the Royal Palace in Madrid on November 28, 1857. He was the son of Queen Isabella II of Spain, and officially, Francisco, Duke of Cadiz and King Consort. Rumors circulated that Isabella’s children were not fathered by Francisco due to his suspected homosexuality and that Alfonso’s biological father was Enrique Puigmoltó y Mayans, a captain of the guard.

Alfonso had eight siblings, but only four survived childhood:

• Ferdinand (1850), died at birth
• Isabella (1851–1931), married Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti, her mother’s and father’s first cousin, no issue
• Maria Cristina (born and died 1854)
• Maria de la Concepcion (1859–1861), died young
• Maria del Pilar (1861–1879), unmarried
• María de la Paz (1862–1946), married her first cousin Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, had issue
• Francisco de Asis (born and died1863)
• Eulalia (1864–1958), married her first cousin Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera, had issue

Alfonso was first educated by tutors. He then attended the Collège Stanislas de Paris, the Theresianum in Vienna, Austria and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England.

Alfonso in 1870; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Isabella II’s authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military, and the chaos of her reign — sixty different governments — helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that exiled her to Paris, France. The new government replaced Isabella with Amadeo I, the second son of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.  During Amadeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings so he abdicated in 1873 and returned to Italy. The First Spanish Republic was declared but it lasted a little less than two years.  Isabella had officially abdicated in 1870 and after the First Spanish Republic collapsed, 17-year-old Alfonso became king on December 29, 1874.

During Alfonso XII’s reign, the monarchy was consolidated and government institutions were stabilized, repairing the damage that the recent internal struggles had left. For this Alfonso earned the nickname “The Peacemaker.” The new Constitution of 1876 was adopted and in the same year the Third Carlist War ended.

Wedding of King Alfonso XII and his first wife Princess Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 23, 1878, at the Royal Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha in Madrid, Alfonso married his first cousin Princess Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, daughter of Antoine, Duke of Montpensier and his maternal aunt Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain.  Less than five months later, Mercedes developed typhoid fever and died two days after her 18th birthday, on June 26, 1878. A year later, Alfonso agreed to marry Mercedes’ sister Maria Cristina, but she developed tuberculosis and died during their engagement.

Alfonso married for a second time on November 29, 1879, at the Royal Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha in Madrid. His bride was Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, daughter of Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria and Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria, and a second cousin of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria.

The couple had three children:

• María de las Mercedes (1880 – 1904), married Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, had issue, died after childbirth
• María Teresa, (1882 – 1912), married Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria, had issue
• King Alfonso XIII (1886 – 1941), born after his father’s death, married Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, had issue

King Alfonso XII and his second wife Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Alfonso was not faithful to Maria Christina and at the beginning of their marriage, she endured these infidelities. Alfonso had an affair with Italian opera singer Adela Borghi, but his affair with Spanish opera singer Elena Sanz, with whom Alfonso had two children, Alfonso Sanz (1880 – 1970) and Fernand Sanz (1881 – 1925), was the final straw. Maria Christina was finally able to prevail and Elena Sanz had to go into exile in Paris. Competing for the French Olympic Team, Fernand Sanz won a silver medal in cycling at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.

On November 25, 1885, three days before his 28th birthday, King Alfonso XII died from tuberculosis at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, leaving two daughters and his queen pregnant with her third child. It was decided that Alfonso’s widow Maria Christina would rule as regent until the child was born. If the child were a male, he would become king and if the child were a female, Alfonso and Maria Christina’s elder daughter María Mercedes would become queen. On May 17, 1886, a son was born who immediately became King Alfonso XIII.

“The Death of Alfonso XII” or “The Last Kiss” by Juan Antonio Benlliure, 1887; Credit – Wikipedia

King Alfonso XII was interred in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

Tomb of King Alfonso XII (top); Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1902, Alfonso’s widow Maria Christina held a national contest for a design to build a monument in memory of King Alfonso XII. Catalan architect José Grases Riera won the contest and his design was built in an artificial lake in Madrid’s Parque del Buen Retiro in 1922.

Monument to King Alfonso XII; Photo Credit – Carlos Delgado, Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Spain Index
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Spain
• Monarchs of a United Spain (since 1516)
• Profiles of the Spanish Royal Family
• Spanish Royal Burial Sites
• Spanish Royal Christenings
• Spanish Royal Dates
• Spanish Royal FAQs
• Spanish Royal Links
• Spanish Royal Weddings
• Spanish Royal Residences

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Ferdinand VII of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

King Ferdinand VII of Spain (Fernando Maria Francisco de Paula Domingo Vicente Ferrer Antonio Jose Joaquin Pascual Diego Juan Nepomuceno Januario Francisco Javier Rafael Miguel Gabriel Calixto Cayetano Faust) was born on October 14, 1784, at El Escorial, a royal palace in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain about 28 miles from Madrid. His parents, King Carlos IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma, had fourteen children and Ferdinand was the ninth child and eldest son of the six children who survived into adulthood.

Ferdinand’s siblings:

• Carlos Clemente (1771 – 1774), died young
• Carlota Joaquina (1775 – 1830), married King João VI of Portugal, had issue
• Maria Luisa (1777 – 1782), died young
• Maria Amalia (1779 – 1798), married her paternal uncle Infante Antonio Pascual of Spain; died after giving birth to a stillborn son
• Carlos Domingo (1780 – 1783), died young
• Maria Luisa (1782 – 1824), married Louis, King of Etruria, had issue
• Carlos Francisco de Paula and Felipe Francisco de Paula, twin boys (1783 – 1784), both died young
• Carlos, Count of Molina (1788 – 1855), married (1) his niece Maria Francisca of Portugal, had issue (2) Maria Teresa of Portugal, had one son
• Maria Isabel (1789 – 1848), married (1) King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies, had issue (2) Francesco, Count del Balzo dei Duchi di Presenzano, no issue
• Maria Teresa (1791 – 1794), died young from smallpox
• Felipe Maria (1792 – 1794), died young
• Francisco de Paula, Duke of Cadiz (1794 – 1865), married (1) his niece Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily, had issue (2) Teresa de Arredondo y Ramirez de Arellano, had one son

Family of King Carlos IV of Spain in 1802; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand was educated by a priest, Father Felipe Riaza Scío, a teacher and translator, who became Bishop of Segovia in 1895. While growing up, Ferdinand was denied any participation in government affairs by his parents and his mother’s favorite and possible lover, Manuel Godoy, Prime Minister. Ferdinand was encouraged by his teacher to conspire against his parents and a group of supporters of Ferdinand called fernandistas arose. King Carlos IV’s popularity declined due to economic issues, rumors about a sexual relationship between the Queen and Godoy, and the King’s incompetence. After riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV was forced to abdicate in favor of his son on March 19, 1808. However, in April 1808, Ferdinand and his father were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon I, Emperor of the French who forced them both to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain.  Napoleon kept Ferdinand under guard in France for six years at the Château de Valençay until the Treaty of Valençay on December 11, 1813, provided for the restoration of Ferdinand as King of Spain.

Ferdinand married four times:

Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily; Credit – Wikipedia

1) Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (1784 – 1806), Ferdinand’s cousin, married him in 1802. Maria Antonia had two miscarriages and died at age 21 of tuberculosis. There were rumors that Maria Antonia had been poisoned by Ferdinand’s mother and Manuel Godoy.

Maria Isabel of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

2) Maria Isabel of Portugal (1797 – 1818) was Ferdinand’s niece, the daughter of his older sister Carlota Joaquina and King João VI of Portugal. She married Ferdinand on September 29, 1816, had one short-lived daughter, and then died at age 21 after giving birth to a stillborn daughter.

• Infanta María Luisa Isabel of Spain (1817 – 1818)
• Infanta María Luisa Isabel of Spain (December 26, 1818), stillborn

Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

3) Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (1803–1829) and Ferdinand married in 1819. There were rumors that Maria Josepha Amalia’s devout Roman Catholicism caused her to believe that sexual relations between spouses were wrong and that it took Pope Pius VII to convince her that such relations were permissible. The marriage remained childless and Maria Josepha Amalia died in 1829 at the age of 25.

Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

4) Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1806–1878) was another niece of Ferdinand, the daughter of his sister Maria Isabella of Spain and Francesco I of the Two Sicilies. She had two daughters and survived her husband. Shortly after his death, Maria Christina secretly married an ex-sergeant from the royal guard Agustín Fernando Muñoz and the couple had several children.

Maria Christina and Ferdinand’s two daughters:

• Queen Isabella II of Spain (María Isabel Luisa) (1830 – 1904) Princess of Asturias: 1830–1833, Queen of Spain, 1833–1868, married Francisco, Duke of Cádiz, had issue, current Spanish Royal Family descends from this marriage
• Infanta Luisa Fernanda (1832 – 1897), married Antoine d’Orléans, Duke of Montpensier, had issue

Triumphal welcome of Ferdinand VII back to Spain in 1814; Credit – Wikipedia

When King Ferdinand VII was restored to the Spanish throne in 1813, the country had many problems and the citizens blamed the French, and at first, Ferdinand was welcomed. However, Spain was not the absolute monarchy it once was and Ferdinand was to reign under the liberal Constitution of 1812.  During the early days of Ferdinand’s restoration, he was encouraged by conservatives and leaders of the Spanish Catholic Church to reject the Constitution. On May 4, 1814, Ferdinand ordered the abolition of the Constitution of 1812 and arrested the liberal leaders responsible for the Constitution. Ferdinand ruled as an autocrat, guided by a group of his favorites. During this period, the free press disappeared, universities were closed, and confiscated properties were returned to the Catholic Church. Most of the Spanish territories in the Americas declared independence and only the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, along with the Philippines, the Marianas (including Guam), and the Carolinas in the Pacific, remained under the control of Spain.

In 1820, a revolt broke out in favor of the Constitution of 1812, and Ferdinand was taken prisoner. In 1823, France invaded Spain intending to restore the throne of Spain to a descendant of King Henri IV of France, namely Ferdinand. After the Battle of Trocadero, Ferdinand was freed and once again took the reins of government. Rule by absolutism was restored and any opposition was suppressed.

Ferdinand VII and María Christina, 1823; Credit – Wikipedia

As Ferdinand had no sons, he persuaded the Spanish legislature to set aside the Salic Law, which allowed for only male succession. María Isabel Luisa, Ferdinand’s elder daughter by his fourth wife (and niece), was Princess of Asturias, the title of the heir to the Spanish throne, from birth. In Spain, even if there is no heir apparent, the title can be (but is not necessarily) given to the heir presumptive – a daughter, sibling, or matrilineal descendant of the monarch. King Ferdinand VII died on September 29, 1833, and his daughter, not quite three years old, succeeded to the throne as Queen Isabella II. This precipitated a series of wars known as the Carlist Wars in which Ferdinand’s brother Carlos, and later his descendants, fought over the succession. Even today, there are Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne. Isabella’s mother, and then Baldomero Espartero, Prince of Vergara served as regents during her minority.

Queen Isabella II of Spain as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

King Ferdinand VII was interred in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Tomb of King Ferdinand VII; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Spain Index
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Spain
• Monarchs of a United Spain (since 1516)
• Profiles of the Spanish Royal Family
• Spanish Royal Burial Sites
• Spanish Royal Christenings
• Spanish Royal Dates
• Spanish Royal FAQs
• Spanish Royal Links
• Spanish Royal Weddings
• Spanish Royal Residences

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Galliera – source: Wikipedia

Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Galliera, was the husband of Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. He was born Alfonso María Francisco Antonio Diego de Orleans y Borbón on November 12, 1886, in Madrid, to Infante Antonio of Spain, Duke of Galliera (a grandson of King Ferdinand VII of Spain) and Infanta Eulalia of Spain (a daughter of Queen Isabella II of Spain). He had one younger brother.

• Luis Fernando de Orleans y Borbón, Infante of Spain (1888 – 1945), married Marie Constance Charlotte Say, no children, in 1924 he was deprived of his privileges as an Infante of Spain

Along with his brother, he attended Beaumont College in England from 1899-1904, and then attended the Military Academy of Toledo in preparation for a lifetime career in the Spanish military. Several years later, he trained as a pilot and would become one of the most distinguished aviators in the Spanish forces.

Alfonso and Beatrice at the 1906 wedding of King Alfonso XIII. source: Wikipedia

In 1906, at the wedding of his first cousin King Alfonso XIII of Spain to Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Alfonso met the bride’s first cousin Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was the youngest daughter of the late Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia.

Alfonso and Beatrice married in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany, on July 15, 1909. The civil ceremony was followed by both a Catholic and a Protestant ceremony, as the bride chose not to convert to Catholicism. The couple had three sons:

• Infante Alvaro, Duke of Galliera (1910-1997) – married, had issue
• Infante Alfonso (1912-1936) – unmarried, no issue
• Infante Ataúlfo (1913-1974) – unmarried, no issue

Alfonso with his eldest son, Alvaro, 1910. source: Wikipedia

For the first three years of their marriage, Alfonso and Beatrice lived in Coburg. Because Beatrice remained Lutheran, the Spanish government would not permit King Alfonso XIII to give consent to the marriage, and Alfonso was stripped of his Spanish honors and titles. However, in 1911, the King restored Alfonso to his rank in the military, and the following year, the family was able to return to Spain, with all of his honors and titles restored.

Alfonso served in several positions within the Spanish military, and in 1916, was sent on a ‘special mission’ to Switzerland. The reasoning for this may have been an excuse to get him and his wife out of the country. Rumors abounded that Beatrice had rebuffed the romantic advances of the King, and in retaliation, he exiled them from Spain. After some time in Switzerland, they moved to England where their sons were educated, before returning to Spain eight years later. In 1930, he succeeded his father as Duke of Galliera.

Alfonso was named Chief of Staff of the Spanish Air Force in early 1931, but less than two months later, the Second Spanish Republic was declared, and he was exiled to London. Upon his return in 1932, he was taken prisoner and held in Western Sahara. At the beginning of 1933, Alfonso and thirty other prisoners escaped by boat and traveled to Lisbon, Portugal.

In 1937, Alfonso returned to Spain and was made head of the aerial forces of General Franco. He was created General at the end of World War II, and later Brigadier General. In 1945, in support of demands to restore the monarchy, Alfonso resigned from the Spanish military.

Having lost their former properties, Alfonso and Beatrice settled at a new home El Botánico in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain. Unlike King Alfonso and Queen Victoria Eugenie, The Duke and Duchess of Galliera were able to remain in Spain for the rest of their lives.

Alfonso died on August 6, 1975 at El Botánico in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain. He is buried with his wife at the Convent of the Capuchin Fathers in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.