ALPHONSO XII. (1857-1885), king of modern
Spain, son of
[Isabella II]
? and Maria Fernando Francisco de Assisi, eldest
son of the duke of Cadiz, was born on the
28th of November
1857. When Queen Isabella and her husband were forced to
leave Spain by the [revolution of 1868]
?, Alphonso accompanied them to
Paris, and from thence he was sent to the Theresianum
? at
Vienna to continue his studies. On the
25th of June 1870
he was recalled to Paris, where his mother abdicated in his
favour, in the presence of a number of Spanish nobles who
had followed the fortunes of the exiled queen. He assumed
the title of Alphonso XII.; for although no king of united
Spain had previously borne the name, the Spanish monarchy
was regarded as continuous with the more ancient monarchy,
represented by the eleven kings of
Leon and Castile
? already referred to (
see Alphonso).
Shortly afterwards he proceeded to Sandhurst
?
to continue his military studies, and while there he issued,
on the
1st of December 1874, in reply to a birthday greeting
from his followers, a manifesto proclaiming himself the sole
representative of the Spanish monarchy. At the end of the
year, when [Marshal Serrano]
? left
Madrid to take command of the
northern army, General [Martinez Campos]
?, who had long been working
more or less openly for the king, carried off some battalions
of the central army to Sagunto
?, rallied to his own flag the
troops sent against him, and entered Valencia
? in the king's
name. Thereupon the president of the council resigned, and
the power was transferred to the king's plenipotentiary and
adviser, [Canovas del Castillo]
?. In the course of a few days
the king arrived at Madrid, passing through
Barcelona and
Valencia, and was received everywhere with acclamation
(1875). In 1876 a vigorous campaign against the Carlists, in
which the young king took part, resulted in the defeat of
[Don Carlos]
? and his abandonment of the struggle. Early in 1878
Alphonso married his cousin, Princess [Maria de las Mercedes]
?,
daughter of the duc de Montpensier, but she died within six
months of her marriage. Towards the end of the same year a
young workman of Tarragona
?, [Oliva Marcousi]
?, fired at the king in
Madrid. On the
29th of November 1879 he married a princess of
Austria, [Maria Christina]
?, daughter of the Archduke [Charles Ferdinand]
?. During the honeymoon a pastrycook named Otero
fired at the young sovereigns as they were driving in
Madrid. The children of this marriage were [Maria de las Mercedes]
?, titular queen from the death of her father until
the birth of her brother, born on the
11th of September 1880,
married on the
14th of February 1901 to Prince Carlos of
Bourbon, died on the
17th of October 1904; Maria Teresa, born
on the 12th of November 1882, married to Prince Ferdinand
of Bavaria on the 12th of January 1906; and
Alphonso. In 1881 the king refused to sanction the law by which the
ministers were to remain in office for a fixed term of eighteen
months, and upon the consequent resignation of Canovas del
Castillo, he summoned Sagasta
?, the Liberal leader, to form a
cabinet. Alphonso died of phthisis
? on the
24th of November
1885. Coming to the throne at such an early age, he had served
no apprenticeship in the art of ruling, but he possessed great
natural tact and a sound judgment ripened by the trials of
exile. Benevolent and sympathetic in disposition, he won the
affection of his people by fearlessly visiting the districts
ravaged by cholera or devastated by
earthquake in 1885. His
capacity for dealing with men was considerable, and he never
allowed himself to become the instrument of any particular
party. In his short reign, peace was established both at
home and abroad, the finances were well regulated, and the
various administrative services were placed on a basis that
afterwards enabled
Spain to pass through the disastrous war
with the
United States without even the threat of a revolution.
Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed
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