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| Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait byVicente López y Portaña, 1830 | |||||
| Queen consort of Spain | |||||
| Tenure | 11 December 1829 – 29 September 1833 | ||||
| Queen regent of Spain | |||||
| Regency | 29 September 1833 - 12 October 1840 | ||||
| Successor | Baldomero Espartero | ||||
| Monarch | Isabella II | ||||
| Born | 27 April 1806 Palermo,Kingdom of Sicily | ||||
| Died | 22 August 1878(1878-08-22) (aged 72) Le Havre,French Third Republic | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouses | |||||
| Issue among others... | |||||
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| House | Bourbon-Two Sicilies | ||||
| Father | Francis I of the Two Sicilies | ||||
| Mother | María Isabella of Spain | ||||
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (Italian:Maria Cristina Ferdinanda di Borbone, Principessa delle Due Sicilie, Spanish:María Cristina de Borbón, Princesa de las Dos Sicilias; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878) was theQueen of Spain from 1829 to 1833 andQueen regent of the kingdom from 1833, when her daughter became queen at age two, to 1840. By virtue of her short marriage to KingFerdinand VII of Spain, she became a central character in Spanish history for nearly 50 years, thanks to introducing abicameral model of government based on theBourbon Restoration in France: theSpanish Royal Statute of 1834.
Born inPalermo,Sicily on April 27, 1806, she was the daughter ofKing Francis I of the Two Sicilies andMaria Isabella of Spain.
On 27 May 1829,Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony, the third wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, died. Ferdinand VII, old and ill, had not sired a male heir, sparking a succession duel between the InfantaMaria Francisca and the InfanteCarlos, and the InfantaLuisa Carlotta and the InfanteFrancisco de Paula. Ferdinand VII declared his intention to marry and assembled theCouncil of Castile, who tasked the King with remarriage. Following Luisa Carlotta's suggestion, Ferdinand VII sent for Maria Christina, his niece, who pleased the King's eyes. They were married on 12 December 1829 at theBasilica of Nuestra Señora de Atocha.[1]
With her betrothal and then marriage to Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina became embroiled in the conflict between theSpanish Liberals and theCarlists. The former faction, and the Spanish people, greatly revered Maria Christina, and made her their champion; when she first arrived inMadrid in 1829, the blue of the cloak she wore became their official color. The latter wereabsolutists and highly conservative, and derived their name from that of the Infante Carlos, who they favored for the throne. Using KingPhilip V's enactment ofSalic law, which banned women from taking the throne, Maria Francisca and Carlos pushed for the latter's claim. Ferdinand VII and Maria Christina produced two daughters,Isabella on 10 October 1830[2] andLuisa Fernanda a little over a year later on 30 January 1832. However, in a secret session of theCortes in 1789, KingCharles IV reversed this law with the Pragmatic Sanction. Seeking to secure the succession of an heir of his siring, no matter their gender, Ferdinand VII announced thePragmatic Sanction in March 1830.[3]
In July 1832, Maria Christina, Ferdinand VII, their daughters, Maria Francisca and Carlos, andMaria Teresa, Princess of Beira, set out for theRoyal Palace of La Granja. On the trip to La Granja, Ferdinand VII was badly injured by a coach accident. He became ill and increasingly sick over the summer. At one point, Ferdinand VII was found unconscious at the palace chapel. Seeking counsel in the event of Ferdinand VII's death, Maria approached the CarlistFrancisco Calomarde, who advised her that the Spanish people would rally behind Carlos. Acting on this, she coerced Ferdinand VII into signing a decree making her regent if he died, with Carlos as her chief adviser. Carlos refused, demanding total governance. Calomarde, with Maria Francisca and Maria Theresa, reissued his warning, coercing King and Queen into repealing the Pragmatic Sanction. When Ferdinand VII appeared to have died, the repealing was announced publicly, and Maria Christina deserted by her courtiers. Ferdinand VII was discovered to be alive, and news of this also spread. Luisa Carlotta, at that time inAndalusia, soon arrived at La Granja and speedily persuaded Ferdinand to re-enact the Pragmatic Sanction and orchestrated Calomarde's dismissal.[4]
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When Ferdinand died on 29 September 1833, Maria Christina becameregent for their daughter Isabella. Isabella's claim to the throne was disputed by Carlos, who claimed that his brother Ferdinand had unlawfully changed the succession law to permit females to inherit the crown again (seeCarlism). Some supporters of Don Carlos went so far as to claim that Ferdinand had actually bequeathed the crown to his brother but that Maria Christina had suppressed that fact. It was further alleged that the Queen had signed her dead husband's name to a decree recognizing Isabella as heir.
Carlos' attempt to seize power resulted in theFirst Carlist War. Despite considerable support for Carlos from conservative elements in Spain, Cristina's side (also known as "Isabelinos") successfully retained the throne for her daughter.
On 28 December 1833, shortly after the death of Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina secretly married an ex-sergeant from the royal guard,Agustín Fernando Muñoz (1808–1873). Maria Christina and Muñoz had several children together while trying to keep their marriage a secret.[5]
Muñoz enlisted in the royal bodyguard, and attracted the attention of Maria Christina. According to one account, he distinguished himself by stopping the runaway horses of her carriage; according to another, he only picked up her handkerchief; a third, scandalous explanation of his fortune has been given.[6] Maria Christina's husband, KingFerdinand VII of Spain died on 29 September 1833, and on 28 December 1833 she and Muñoz were privately married.
If Maria Christina had officially made the marriage public, she would have forfeited the regency; but her relations with Muñoz were perfectly well known within the Spanish court. When on 13 August 1836 the soldiers on duty at the La Granja summer palace mutinied and forced the regent to grant a constitution, it was generally, though wrongly, believed that they overcame her reluctance by seizing Muñoz, whom they called herguapo, or fancy man, and threatening to shoot him.
Eventually, news of Maria Christina's marriage to this low-ranking soldier became public. That news made Maria Christina deeply unpopular. Her position was undermined by news of her remarriage and concerns that she was not actually supportive of her liberal ministers and their policies. Eventually, the army, which was the backbone of Isabella II's support, and the liberal leadership in theCortes combined to demand that Maria Christina stand aside from the regency. In 1840 Maria Christina found her position intolerable; she renounced the regency and left Spain with Muñoz. The army commander, GeneralBaldomero Espartero, replaced her as regent.
In 1842 Maria Christina purchased theChâteau de Malmaison as her residence. In 1843, on the overthrow of General Baldomero Espartero she returned to Spain with her husband. In 1844, Muñoz's stepdaughterQueen Isabella II was declared to be of age. On 23 June 1844 Isabella gave to Muñoz the titleDuque de Riánsares, to which was attached aGrandeza de España;[9] the title came from the River Riánsares, near Muñoz's birthplace inTarancón. On 12 October 1844 Isabella gave official consent to the marriage between her mother and Muñoz, and it was publicly performed. In 1846 Isabella made Muñoz aKnight of the Golden Fleece. On 30 May 1846 she gave Muñoz a second title,Marqués de San Agustín.[9] Muñoz was made aCaptain General, the highest rank in theSpanish Army. In 1847Louis Philippe, King of the French, gave Muñoz the titleDuc de Montmorot; he also invested Muñoz with the Grand Cross of theLégion d'honneur. In 1854, Maria Christina left for France a second time. France remained her primary residence for the remainder of her life.
Maria Christina's illness returned and she suffered from serious coughing, fainting and fever. She died inLe Havre,France on 22 August 1878. As the mother of Isabella II and consort of Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina was buried in the royal crypt ofEl Escorial.
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Riansares, Augustin Fernandez Muñoz, Duke of".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 281.
Media related toMaria Christina of the Two Sicilies at Wikimedia Commons
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Cadet branch of theHouse of Bourbon Born: 27 April 1806 Died: 22 August 1878 | ||
| Spanish royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Maria JosephaAmalia of Saxony | Queen consort of Spain 11 December 1829 – 29 September 1833 | Vacant Title next held by Francisco de Asís,Duke of Cádiz as king consort |
