The Short Life and Tragic Death of Maria Isabel of Portugal

Maria Isabel of Portugal (Maria Isabel Francisca; Queluz, Portugal, 19th May 1797 – Madrid, Spain, 26th December 1818)

Maria Isabel of Portugal in front of the Prado by Bernardo López y Piquer in 1829 

It seems that not a day goes by without us meeting one of the many wives of King Ferdinand VII of Spain and today it is my pleasure to introduce you to the second of that illustrious group in as many days! Like two of the fellows, her life was short and her death tragic.

Born to John VI of Portugal and his wife, Carlota Joaquina of Spain, it was always intended that the young Infanta would one day make someone an excellent dynastic match. She was raised in preparation for that destiny, and developed an abiding passion for the arts.

Before she was too old, it was decided that the gentleman in question would be her maternal uncle, Ferdinand VII. Ten years a widower and with no heir, the king of Spain was in need of a wife and family and his niece fit the bill perfectly. The couple were married on 29th September 1816 when the bride was 19 years old, her groom thirteen years her senior.

The newlyweds got along nicely enough and before too much time had passed, news began to circulate that the queen was with child. She gave birth to a daughter in August 1817 but the little girl died before she was six months old. With the court still waiting for an heir, the young queen once again announced her pregnancy but once again the outcome was to be tragic.

The December birth of the second child was long and painful and the breeched baby was stillborn. Thinking the queen also dead, her physicians began to operate to remove the deceased infant. In fact, Maria Isabel was alive and she cried out in agony, bleeding profusely from her abdomen. The unfortunate young woman passed away that same evening, leaving Ferdinand a widow for the second time.

In 1819, the late queen's collection of art formed the basis of the newly opened Museo del Prado. Dedicated to her memory, Ferdinand later commissioned the portrait above showing his wife before the museum that was built in her honour.

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A Lady of Many Names: Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony

Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (Maria Josepha Amalia Beatrix Xaveria Vincentia Aloysia Franziska de Paula Franziska de Chantal Anna Apollonia Johanna Nepomucena Walburga Theresia Ambrosia; Dresden, Saxony, Germany, 6th December 1803 – Aranjuez, Spain, 18th May 1829)

Maria Josepha of Saxony by  Francesco Lacoma y Fontanet, 1820

Well, having taken the time to navigate her name, the tea is well and truly poured so let's meet Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony. Her life was as short as her name was long but it was certainly not uneventful.

When Maria Josepha Amalia was just a few months old her mother, Caroline of Parma, died and her father, Maximilian, Crown Prince of Saxony, sent the little girl off to be raised in a convent. Here she developed a piety and faith that never left her, even when she left the convent behind to enter the world.

Elsewhere, our old friend Ferdinand VII of Spain was on the hunt for a bride, having been left a widower with no heirs by the death of his second wife, Maria Isabel of Portugal. Prince Maximilian suggested that he might know of just the girl and the match was made, with 25 year old Ferdinand marrying 16 year old Maria Josepha Amalia on 20th October 1819 in Madrid.

The king was enraptured by his new wife's poised and demure demeanour, not to mention her considerable beauty but the young last found life as a bride something of a culture shock. As she struggled to adapt to this new existence the court waited on tenterhooks for an heir to arrive.

And waited.

With two childless marriages behind him, Ferdinand's latest match continued to be fruitless as the queen refused to grant her husband access to her bed, so devout was her faith. Finally Pope Pius VII himself prevailed upon her to at least try for an heir but it was not to be. Rarely seen in public, the young queen died of a fever at home in Aranjuez, leaving her husband bereft.

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A Scandalous Regent: Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (Maria Cristina Ferdinanda di Borbon; Palermo, Italy, 27th April 1806 - Le Havre, France, 22nd August 1878)

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies by Vicente López y Portaña, 1830

Hot on the heels of Maria Amalia's salon trip yesterday, I am pleased to welcome another lady of the  Two Sicilies today in the well-dressed shape of Maria Christina. She was born the daughter of Francis I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Isabella, his second spouse.

Like so many noble children the destiny of Maria Christina was shaped by family and when her mother's brother, King Ferdinand VII of Spain, found himself heirless and widowed for a third time in 1829, it was swiftly agreed that the young lady would make an excellent match for her uncle. The couple were wed on 11th December 1829 in Madrid; the thrice-widowed groom was 45 years old, his niece and bride just 23. In fact, the quest for a male heir was to remain unfulfilled and by the time Ferdinand died in 1833, the couple had two young daughters but no son. With the three year old Isabella next in line to the throne thanks to a change in the laws of succession, Maria Christina took on the role of Regent.

Maria Christina and Ferdinand VII by Luis de la Cruz y Rios, 1832

Whilst married to Ferdinand, Maria Christina encountered Agustín Fernando Muñoz; two years her junior and a Sergeant of the Royal Guard, Muñoz made quite an impact on the queen. Just three months after the death of her husband, Maria Christina and Muñoz were married in a secret ceremony. Together they had seven children, all of whom survived childhood. The couple knew that they must keep their marriage a secret if Maria Christina was to remain as Regent but their affair was public knowledge at court, even if their legal bond was not.

Maria Christina's regency was not without conflict and the late king's brother, Infante Carlos, Count of Molina, argued vociferously that the law naming Isabella as heir was actually illegal and that he was the rightful King of Spain. In addition, he claimed that Ferdinand had no wish to make his daughter queen and that Maria Christina had forged legal documents bearing her late husband's name in a quest to rob Carlos of his rightful claim to the throne.

Agustín Fernando Muñoz

This was a family and political dispute that was not going to die a quiet death and when the Carlist Wars broke out, Maria Christina stood against Carlos and his demands for an absolute monarchy with himself at the helm. Despite strong support for Carlos from the traditionalist members of the ruling classes and the Catholic Church, the army came out in favour of Maria Christina and she successfully defended her daughter's claim to the throne.

Eventually and inevitably, news of the secret marriage began to leak out and soon the scandal engulfed the court. Ministers and influential military leaders prevailed upon Maria Christina to step aside and in 1840 she and Muñoz went into exile in France, with the regency now assumed by General Baldomero Espartero, Count of Luchana. Here they remained until Queen Isabella II assumed the throne in 1844, at which point she swiftly gave her official blessing to her mother's marriage, granting permission for a public ceremony, as well as awarding Muñoz the title of Duke of Riánsares. He would go on to be highly decorated in both Spain and France, where he and Maria Christina made their home.

When the 1868 revolution swept Isabella from power, she joined her mother and stepfather in France. After the scandal of their early years, Maria Christina and Muñoz had settled into a devoted and happy retirement, living very well from the profits of the business interests of the well-liked Muñoz. Maria Christina became a widow in 1873 and lived on in quiet retirement for five further years before she too passed away, her turbulent life finally at an end.

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