Isabella II

Lore & Background

Isabella was born in the Royal Palace of Madrid in 1830, the elder daughter of King Ferdinand VII and Queen Maria Christina. Her father issued the Pragmatic Sanction to revert Salic Law, ensuring her succession. She became queen a month before her third birthday, but her uncle, Infante Carlos, disputed her title, leading to the Carlist Wars. Under her mother's regency, Spain transitioned from absolute to constitutional monarchy, adopting the Royal Statute of 1834 and Constitution of 1837. After the regency of Baldomero Espartero, Isabella was declared of age in 1843 at thirteen.

Reader's Guide

Isabella II's reign was a period of palace intrigues, barracks conspiracies, and military pronunciamientos. Her unhappy marriage to Francisco de Asís and rumors of extramarital affairs damaged her reputation. The Moderate decade under Marshal Narváez reinforced monarchical power, but progressive disaffection grew. A naval mutiny in Cádiz in September 1868 began the Glorious Revolution; her forces were defeated by Marshal Francisco Serrano, ending her reign. She went into exile in France, abdicated in 1870 in favor of her son Alfonso, and the Bourbon monarchy was restored in 1874. Her legacy is tied to the Carlist Wars, the establishment of constitutional monarchy, and the instability that led to the First Spanish Republic.

Did You Know?

• Isabella II was the first queen regnant of unified Spain (earlier queens regnant, like Isabella I of Castile, ruled the constituent kingdoms).
• Her succession was disputed by her uncle Infante Carlos, leading to the Carlist Wars.
• She was declared of age at 13 in 1843 after a military pronunciamiento.
• In 1852, she survived a stabbing by a priest, Martín Merino y Gómez.