Mercedes of Orléans
Encyclopedia
Maria de la Mercedes of Orléans (24 June 1860 – 26 June 1878) was Queen Consort
of Spain, the first wife of Alfonso XII. She was born in Madrid, Spain, the daughter of Antoine of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier and of Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain.
She was born at the Palacio Real in Madrid, the sixth of her parents' nine children, none of whom died in infancy but only four of whom would live to the age of 20. Her mother's elder sister, the Queen regnant Isabella II
and her King consort
, Francisco de Asis de Borbón, served as Mercedes' godparents at her christening, when she was given the names: María de las Mercedes Isabel Francisca de Asís Antonia Luisa Fernanda Felipa Amalia Cristina Francisca de Paula Ramona Rita Cayetana Manuela Juana Josefa Joaquina Ana Rafaela Filomena Teresa Santísima Trinidad Gaspara Melchora Baltasara et omni sancti.
Through her father, Mercedes was the granddaughter of Louis Philippe I, King of the French and of Princess Maria Amalia di Borbone, princess of the Two Sicilies. Through her mother, Mercedes was the granddaughter of King Fernando VII of Spain by his niece and fourth wife, María Cristina di Borbone, princess of the Two Sicilies. Thus, all four of Mercedes' grandparents belonged to the House of Bourbon
, since the descendants of Louis XIII reigned in Spain, France
(the Orleans branch 1830-1848), and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
).
Although Mercedes was patrilineally a French princess, she was also a Spanish infanta and spent the first eight years of her life in Spain. Her childhood was spent at the palace of San Telmo in Andalusia
, her father's rumoured aspirations to obtain his sister-in-law's crown periodically rendering him unwelcome at the royal court
in Madrid.
, also living in exile.
Upon restoration, King Alphonso married Maria de la Mercedes at the church of Atocha
, in Madrid on 23 January 1878, following a huge ball in December 1877. Allegedly the king's choice dashed the hopes of his still-exiled mother, Queen Isabella, for Alfonso's marriage to the Blanca de Borbón
, daughter of his Carlist rival, Carlos, Duke of Madrid
.
. The marriage would last only six months, during which she had a miscarriage
. Queen Mercedes succumbed to the illness in Madrid two days after her 18th birthday, on 26 June 1878, having been unconscious for several days.
Her corpse was arrayed in the black and white vestments of a nun and she was buried at the Escorial, although not in the royal crypt where, by tradition, only queens who had given birth to a royal heir were interred.
was wed there to Letizia Ortiz. Queen Mercedes' remains were re-interred there on 8 November 2000, in accordance with the wishes of her widower.
A town was named, in memoriam, Reina Mercedes
, in the province of Isabela, which is named for Queen Isabella II, and is located in the Philippines
, itself named (Las Filipinas) for King Felipe II
.
When the king's minister Cánovas del Castillo
suggested that he take a new wife, Alfonso acquiesced, choosing his late wife's sister, Infanta Maria Cristina de Orléans. But she, too, contracted tuberculosis, and died during the engagement period. In late 1879 he would marry Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria
-Teschen, who would give him three children, one of whom, Alfonso XIII
, was born after his own death and during whose minority Maria Christina would serve as queen regent
of the realm.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Spain, the first wife of Alfonso XII. She was born in Madrid, Spain, the daughter of Antoine of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier and of Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain.
Family and upbringing
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...
and her King consort
King consort
King consort is an alternative title to the more usual "prince consort" - which is a position given in some monarchies to the husband of a reigning queen. It is a symbolic title only, the sole constitutional function of the holder being similar to a prince consort, which is the male equivalent of a...
, Francisco de Asis de Borbón, served as Mercedes' godparents at her christening, when she was given the names: María de las Mercedes Isabel Francisca de Asís Antonia Luisa Fernanda Felipa Amalia Cristina Francisca de Paula Ramona Rita Cayetana Manuela Juana Josefa Joaquina Ana Rafaela Filomena Teresa Santísima Trinidad Gaspara Melchora Baltasara et omni sancti.
Through her father, Mercedes was the granddaughter of Louis Philippe I, King of the French and of Princess Maria Amalia di Borbone, princess of the Two Sicilies. Through her mother, Mercedes was the granddaughter of King Fernando VII of Spain by his niece and fourth wife, María Cristina di Borbone, princess of the Two Sicilies. Thus, all four of Mercedes' grandparents belonged to the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, since the descendants of Louis XIII reigned in Spain, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(the Orleans branch 1830-1848), and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
).
Although Mercedes was patrilineally a French princess, she was also a Spanish infanta and spent the first eight years of her life in Spain. Her childhood was spent at the palace of San Telmo in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, her father's rumoured aspirations to obtain his sister-in-law's crown periodically rendering him unwelcome at the royal court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
in Madrid.
Marriage
When Queen Isabella II was deposed in 1868, Mercedes' family left Spain for exile. It was reportedly during that banishment, in 1872, that she met her first cousin, Alfonso, Prince of AsturiasAlfonso XII of Spain
Alfonso XII was king of Spain, reigning from 1874 to 1885, after a coup d'état restored the monarchy and ended the ephemeral First Spanish Republic.-Early life and paternity:Alfonso was the son of Queen Isabella II of Spain, and...
, also living in exile.
Upon restoration, King Alphonso married Maria de la Mercedes at the church of Atocha
Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Atocha
The Royal Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha or Real Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Atocha is a church in central Madrid on the avenue of the Ciudad de Barcelona, #3....
, in Madrid on 23 January 1878, following a huge ball in December 1877. Allegedly the king's choice dashed the hopes of his still-exiled mother, Queen Isabella, for Alfonso's marriage to the Blanca de Borbón
Infanta Blanca of Spain
Infanta Blanca of Spain . She was the eldest child of Carlos, Duke of Madrid, Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain under the name Carlos VII and his wife Princess Margherita of Bourbon-Parma. Blanca was a member of the House of Bourbon and an Infanta of Spain by birth...
, daughter of his Carlist rival, Carlos, Duke of Madrid
Carlos, Duke of Madrid
Infante Carlos María de los Dolores Juan Isidro José Francisco Quirin Antonio Miguel Gabriel Rafael de Borbón y Austria-Este, Duke of Madrid was the senior member of the House of Bourbon from 1887 until his death...
.
Death
However, shortly after their honeymoon, it became evident that the bride had tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. The marriage would last only six months, during which she had a miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
. Queen Mercedes succumbed to the illness in Madrid two days after her 18th birthday, on 26 June 1878, having been unconscious for several days.
Her corpse was arrayed in the black and white vestments of a nun and she was buried at the Escorial, although not in the royal crypt where, by tradition, only queens who had given birth to a royal heir were interred.
Legacy
Queen Mercedes co-initiated the building of the Cathedral of la Almudena in Madrid, opposite the royal palace, construction beginning in 1883. In May 2004 Felipe, Prince of AsturiasFelipe, Prince of Asturias
Felipe, Prince of Asturias de Borbón y de Grecia; born 30 January 1968), is the third child and only son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain....
was wed there to Letizia Ortiz. Queen Mercedes' remains were re-interred there on 8 November 2000, in accordance with the wishes of her widower.
A town was named, in memoriam, Reina Mercedes
Reina Mercedes, Isabela
Reina Mercedes is a 5th class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 21,874 people in 3,759 households.-External links:*****...
, in the province of Isabela, which is named for Queen Isabella II, and is located in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, itself named (Las Filipinas) for King Felipe II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
.
When the king's minister Cánovas del Castillo
Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was a Spanish politician and historian known principally for his role in supporting the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy to the Spanish throne and for his death at the hands of an anarchist assassin, Michele Angiolillo.-Early career:Born in Málaga as the son of...
suggested that he take a new wife, Alfonso acquiesced, choosing his late wife's sister, Infanta Maria Cristina de Orléans. But she, too, contracted tuberculosis, and died during the engagement period. In late 1879 he would marry Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria
Maria Christina of Austria
Maria Christina of Austria was Queen consort of Spain as the second wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain...
-Teschen, who would give him three children, one of whom, Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
, was born after his own death and during whose minority Maria Christina would serve as queen regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the realm.
Titles and styles
- 24 June 1860 - 23 January 1878 Her Royal Highness Infanta Doña Mercedes of Spain, Princess of Orléans
- 23 January 1878 - 26 June 1878 Her Majesty The Queen of Spain