Isabella II

Isabella II
Formal portrait, 1860
Queen of Spain (more...)
Reign	29 September 1833 – 30 September 1868
Enthronement	10 November 1843
Predecessor	Ferdinand VII
Successor	Amadeo I (1870)
Regents	Queen María Cristina (1833–1840) Baldomero Espartero (1840–1843)
Born	(1830-10-10)10 October 1830 Royal Palace of Madrid Madrid, Spain
Died	9 April 1904(1904-04-09) (aged 73) Palacio Castilla Paris, France
Burial	El Escorial
Spouse	Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz ​ ​ (m. 1846; died 1902)​
Issue Among others	Infanta María Isabel, Countess of Girgenti Alfonso XII Infanta María del Pilar Infanta María de la Paz Infanta María Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera
Names María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias
House	Bourbon-Anjou
Father	Ferdinand VII
Mother	Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies
Religion	Catholicism
Signature

Isabella II (Spanish: Isabel II, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain.^{[1][n. 1]}

Isabella was the elder daughter of King Ferdinand VII and Queen Maria Christina. Shortly before Isabella's birth, her father issued the Pragmatic Sanction to revert the Salic Law and ensure the succession of his firstborn daughter, due to his lack of a son. She came to the throne a month before her third birthday, but her succession was disputed by her uncle Infante Carlos (founder of the Carlist movement), whose refusal to recognize a female sovereign led to the Carlist Wars. Under the regency of her mother, Spain transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, adopting the Royal Statute of 1834 and Constitution of 1837.

Isabella was declared of age and began her personal rule in 1843. Her effective reign was a period marked by palace intrigues, back-stairs and antechamber influences, barracks conspiracies, and military pronunciamientos. Her marriage to Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz was an unhappy one, and her personal conduct as well as rumours of affairs damaged her reputation. In September 1868, a naval mutiny began in Cadiz, marking the beginning of the Glorious Revolution. The defeat of her forces by Marshal Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre brought her reign to an end, and she went into exile in France. In 1870, she formally abdicated the Spanish throne in favour of her son, Alfonso. In 1874, the First Spanish Republic was overthrown in a coup. The Bourbon monarchy was restored, and Alfonso ascended the throne as King Alfonso XII. Isabella returned to Spain two years later but soon again left for France, where she resided until her death in 1904.

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