Maria Isabella of Spain
Encyclopedia
María Isabella of Spain (6 July 1789 – 13 September 1848) was an Infanta of Spain and the Queen of the Two Sicilies
. She was the second wife of Francis I
and the youngest surviving daughter of the Spanish king Charles IV
and his consort Maria Luisa of Parma
. She had twelve children.
y Borbón-Parma
was the youngest surviving daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain (1748–1819) and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma
(1751–1819), a granddaughter of Louis XV of France
. Her paternal grandparents were Charles III of Spain
and Maria Amalia of Saxony
. Her maternal grandparents were Philip, Duke of Parma
and Princess Louise Élisabeth of France
. Her grandfathers were brothers, both sons of Philip V of Spain
and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese.
María Isabel's father had a great frame and immense physical strength, and a reputation for performing acts of kindness, but was considered by many to be intellectually sluggish and quite credulous. Even though he kept up the appearance of an absolute, powerful monarch, he never took more than a passive role in the direction of his own kingdom, instead leaving the affairs of government to his wife and prime minister. Her mother was often described by contemporaries as a vicious woman who thoroughly dominated the king.
María Isabel and her family members were painted by Francisco Goya
in his 1800–01 portrait Charles IV of Spain and His Family
. All four daughters of Charles IV (Carlota
, Maria Amalia, Maria Luisa and María Isabel) were short and plain.
In 1802, María Isabel married the Duke of Calabria
, Prince Francesco of Naples and Sicily
, while her eldest brother Infante Fernando, Prince of Asturias
, married Francesco's sister Maria Antonia. The prince royal was her first cousin, the eldest son of Ferdinand
, King of Sicily (as Ferdinand III) and Naples (as Ferdinand IV), her father's younger brother, and Maria Carolina of Austria
, a sister of Marie Antoinette
. On her thirteenth birthday (6 July 1802) in Barcelona
, María Isabel married Francesco by proxy
, as his second wife; he had previously been married to his double cousin Maria Clementina of Austria
, who had died in 1801. María Isabel, in Italian Maria Isabella, was sent to Naples
to meet her husband and a second marriage ceremony took place there on 19 August 1802. This time the thirteen-year-old bride and 25-year-old groom were married in person.
Upon her arrival at the court of Naples María Isabel did not cause a good impression. She looked even younger than her thirteen years and was described as " little, and round as a ball". Her mother-in-law, Queen Maria Carolina, had been close to her son's first wife, who was also her niece. She had an unfavorable first impression of the young María Isabella, about whom she wrote the following:
María Isabella, as she was then called, also became a stepmother. Francis' only surviving child from his first marriage, Princess Carolina of Naples and Sicily, would marry the French-born Duke of Berry (the second son of King Charles X of France
) and become famous as Madame de Berry.
Her brother and sister-in-law were married on 4 October 1802 in Barcelona. However, Maria Antonia was deeply disillusioned with her husband, who was ugly and bad-mannered. In a letter to one of her friends, Queen Maria Carolina wrote of the Prince of Asturias: "He is disagreeable, dull, as lazy as his sister..."
In 1806, her father-in-law Ferdinand was deposed as King of Naples by Napoleon Bonaparte. He and Maria Carolina retained their status and power in Sicily until 1812, when he essentially (but not officially) abdicated, appointing Francis regent, which deprived the queen of her influence. In 1813 Maria Carolina was exiled to her homeland Austria, where she died in 1814. On 4 January 1825, Ferdinand died and Francis succeeded to the throne with María Isabella serving as his Queen consort. Her husband reportedly took little part in the government, which he left in the hands of favourites and police officials, and lived with his mistresses, surrounded by soldiers, ever in dread of assassination. He died on 8 November 1830.
Francis and María Isabella were well match and he treated her with kindness. They had twelve children, six daughters and six sons.
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...
. She was the second wife of Francis I
Francis I of the Two Sicilies
-Biography:Francis was born in Naples, the son of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and his wife Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. He was also the nephew of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI the last King and Queen of France before the first French Republic....
and the youngest surviving daughter of the Spanish king Charles IV
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
and his consort Maria Luisa of Parma
Maria Luisa of Parma
Maria Luisa of Parma was Queen consort of Spain from 1788 to 1808 as the wife of King Charles IV of Spain. She was the youngest daughter of Duke Philip of Parma and his wife, Louise-Élisabeth of France, the eldest daughter of King Louis XV.She was christened Luisa Maria Teresa Ana, but was known...
. She had twelve children.
Family
María Isabel de BorbónHouse 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...
y Borbón-Parma
House of Bourbon-Parma
The House of Bourbon-Parma is an Italian cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. It is thus descended from the Capetian dynasty in male line. The name of Bourbon-Parma comes from the main name and the other from the title of Duke of Parma....
was the youngest surviving daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain (1748–1819) and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma
Maria Luisa of Parma
Maria Luisa of Parma was Queen consort of Spain from 1788 to 1808 as the wife of King Charles IV of Spain. She was the youngest daughter of Duke Philip of Parma and his wife, Louise-Élisabeth of France, the eldest daughter of King Louis XV.She was christened Luisa Maria Teresa Ana, but was known...
(1751–1819), a granddaughter of Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. Her paternal grandparents were Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
and Maria Amalia of Saxony
Maria Amalia of Saxony
Maria Amalia of Saxony was a German princess from the House of Wettin and was the wife of Charles III of Spain; she was the Queen consort of Naples and Sicily from 1738 till 1759 and then Queen consort of Spain from 1759 until her death in 1760...
. Her maternal grandparents were Philip, Duke of Parma
Philip, Duke of Parma
Philip of Spain was Duke of Parma from 1748 to 1765. He founded the House of Bourbon-Parma , a cadet line of the Spanish branch of the dynasty...
and Princess Louise Élisabeth of France
Princess Louise Élisabeth of France
Louise Élisabeth de France was the eldest daughter of King Louis XV of France and his Queen consort, Maria Leszczyńska, and the elder twin sister of Anne Henriette de France. As the daughter of the king, she was a Daughter of France...
. Her grandfathers were brothers, both sons of Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese.
María Isabel's father had a great frame and immense physical strength, and a reputation for performing acts of kindness, but was considered by many to be intellectually sluggish and quite credulous. Even though he kept up the appearance of an absolute, powerful monarch, he never took more than a passive role in the direction of his own kingdom, instead leaving the affairs of government to his wife and prime minister. Her mother was often described by contemporaries as a vicious woman who thoroughly dominated the king.
María Isabel and her family members were painted by Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
in his 1800–01 portrait Charles IV of Spain and His Family
Charles IV of Spain and His Family
Carlos IV of Spain and His Family is an oil on canvas painting by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya completed in the summer of 1800. It features life sized depictions of Charles IV of Spain and his family, ostentatiously dressed in fine costume and jewellery...
. All four daughters of Charles IV (Carlota
Charlotte of Spain
Doña Carlota Joaquina of Spain was a Queen consort of Portugal as wife of John VI...
, Maria Amalia, Maria Luisa and María Isabel) were short and plain.
Marriage
Duke of Calabria
Duke of Calabria was the traditional title of the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Naples after the accession of Robert of Naples. It was also adopted by the heads of certain Houses that had once claimed the Kingdom of Naples in lieu of the royal title....
, Prince Francesco of Naples and Sicily
Francis I of the Two Sicilies
-Biography:Francis was born in Naples, the son of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and his wife Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. He was also the nephew of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI the last King and Queen of France before the first French Republic....
, while her eldest brother Infante Fernando, Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias is the historical title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. It was also the title under the earlier Kingdom of Castile. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía...
, married Francesco's sister Maria Antonia. The prince royal was her first cousin, the eldest son of Ferdinand
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I reigned variously over Naples, Sicily, and the Two Sicilies from 1759 until his death. He was the third son of King Charles III of Spain by his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759, Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain...
, King of Sicily (as Ferdinand III) and Naples (as Ferdinand IV), her father's younger brother, and Maria Carolina of Austria
Maria Carolina of Austria
Maria Carolina of Austria was Queen of Naples and Sicily as the wife of King Ferdinand IV & III. As de facto ruler of her husband's kingdoms, Maria Carolina oversaw the promulgation of many reforms, including the revocation of the ban on Freemasonry, the enlargement of the navy under her...
, a sister of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
. On her thirteenth birthday (6 July 1802) in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, María Isabel married Francesco by proxy
Proxy marriage
A proxy wedding or is a wedding in which the bride or groom is not physically present, usually being represented instead by another person...
, as his second wife; he had previously been married to his double cousin Maria Clementina of Austria
Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria
Maria Clementina of Austria was an Austrian archduchess and the tenth child and third daughter of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Luisa of Spain. In 1797 she married her first cousin Francis I of the Two Sicilies, then Duke of Calabria, heir of Naples and Sicily...
, who had died in 1801. María Isabel, in Italian Maria Isabella, was sent to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
to meet her husband and a second marriage ceremony took place there on 19 August 1802. This time the thirteen-year-old bride and 25-year-old groom were married in person.
Upon her arrival at the court of Naples María Isabel did not cause a good impression. She looked even younger than her thirteen years and was described as " little, and round as a ball". Her mother-in-law, Queen Maria Carolina, had been close to her son's first wife, who was also her niece. She had an unfavorable first impression of the young María Isabella, about whom she wrote the following:
María Isabella, as she was then called, also became a stepmother. Francis' only surviving child from his first marriage, Princess Carolina of Naples and Sicily, would marry the French-born Duke of Berry (the second son of King Charles X of France
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
) and become famous as Madame de Berry.
Her brother and sister-in-law were married on 4 October 1802 in Barcelona. However, Maria Antonia was deeply disillusioned with her husband, who was ugly and bad-mannered. In a letter to one of her friends, Queen Maria Carolina wrote of the Prince of Asturias: "He is disagreeable, dull, as lazy as his sister..."
In 1806, her father-in-law Ferdinand was deposed as King of Naples by Napoleon Bonaparte. He and Maria Carolina retained their status and power in Sicily until 1812, when he essentially (but not officially) abdicated, appointing Francis regent, which deprived the queen of her influence. In 1813 Maria Carolina was exiled to her homeland Austria, where she died in 1814. On 4 January 1825, Ferdinand died and Francis succeeded to the throne with María Isabella serving as his Queen consort. Her husband reportedly took little part in the government, which he left in the hands of favourites and police officials, and lived with his mistresses, surrounded by soldiers, ever in dread of assassination. He died on 8 November 1830.
Issue
- Princess Luisa CarlottaPrincess Luisa Carlotta of the Two SiciliesLuisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily , Princess the Two Sicilies, Infanta of Spain, was a daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies.-Family:...
(1804–1844), married her mother's younger brother Francis of PaolaInfante Francisco de Paula of SpainInfante Francisco de Paula of Spain was the youngest son of Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma.-Marriage and children:...
, Infante of Spain. - Princess María Cristina FerdinandaMaria Christina of the Two SiciliesMaria Christina of the Two Sicilies was Queen consort of Spain and Regent of Spain .-Early years and first marriage:...
(1806–1878), married firstly her mother's older brother Ferdinand VII of Spain, and secondly Ferdinand Muñoz, Duke of Rianzares. - Ferdinand II of the Two SiciliesFerdinand II of the Two SiciliesFerdinand II was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death.-Family:Ferdinand was born in Palermo, the son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife and first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain.His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Marie...
(1810–1859), became Francis I's successor and married twice. - Carlo FerdinandoCharles Ferdinand, Prince of CapuaCharles Ferdinand of the Two Sicilies, Prince of Capua was a member of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.-Family:Charles Ferdinand was second-eldest son of Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria...
, Prince of Capua (1811–1862), married morganatically to Penelope Smyth and had issue. - LeopoldoLeopold of the Two Sicilies (1813-1860)Prince Leopoldo Beniamino Giuseppe of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Syracuse was a member of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.-Family:...
, Count di Siracusa (1813–1860), married Princess Maria of SavoyPrincess Maria of Savoy-CarignanMaria Vittoria of Savoy, was a member of the House of Savoy-Carignan and a Princess of Savoy by birth and a member of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Countess consort of Syracuse through her marriage to Prince Leopold of...
, had no issue. - Princess Maria Antonia Giuseppa AnnaPrincess Maria Antonia of the Two SiciliesPrincess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies was Grand Duchess of Tuscany from 1833 to 1859 as the consort of Leopold II...
(1814–1898), married Leopold II, Grand Duke of TuscanyLeopold II, Grand Duke of TuscanyLeopold II of Tuscany was the last reigning grand duke of Tuscany ....
. - Prince Antonio, Count of Lecce (1816–1843).
- Princess Maria Amalia (1818–1857), married Infante Sebastian of Portugal and SpainInfante Sebastian of Portugal and SpainSebastian Gabriel de Borbon y de Braganza, Infante of Portugal and Spain, was a royal of the 19th century, progenitor of the ducal lines of Hernani, Ansola, Durcal and Marchena, and Carlist army commander in the First Carlist War.- Family :He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1811 as the only child of...
. - Princess Maria Carolina Ferdinanda (1820–1861), married Infante Carlos of SpainInfante Carlos, Count of MontemolinInfante Carlos, Conde de Montemolín was the Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain under the name Carlos VI after his father's abdication in 1845, when he took the title of Count of Montemolín.-Biography:...
, Count of Montemolin and CarlistCarlismCarlism is a traditionalist and legitimist political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina , and was founded due to dispute over the succession laws and widespread...
pretender to the throne of Spain, had no issue. - Princess Teresa Cristina Maria Giuseppa Gaspare Baltassare Melchiore Gennara Francesca de Padova Donata Bonosa Andrea d'Avelino Rita Luitgarda Geltruda Venancia Taddea Spiridione Rocca Matilde (1822–1889), married Emperor Pedro II of BrazilPedro II of BrazilDom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...
, had issue. - Prince Luigi Carlo Maria GiuseppePrince Louis, Count of AquilaPrince Luigi Carlo Maria Giuseppe of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Aquila was a member of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.-Family:...
, Count of Aquila (1824–1897), married Januária Maria, Princess Imperial of Brazil (sister of Pedro II and Maria II of Portugal), had issue. - Prince Francesco di PaolaPrince Francis, Count of TrapaniFrancis of the Two Sicilies, Count of Trapani was a member of the House of the Two Sicilies.-Family:...
, Count of Trapani (1827–1892), married Archduchess Maria Isabella of Austria, Princess of Tuscany and had issue.
Late years
María Isabella remained a widow for nine years. On 15 January 1839, María Isabella married her second husband Francis, Count of Balzo (1805–1882); she was 50 years old and the groom, 34.Ancestors
Titles and styles
- 6 July 1789 – 6 July 1802 Her Royal Highness the Infanta Doña María Isabella
- 6 July 1802 – 4 January 1825 Her Royal Highness the Duchess of CalabriaDuchess of CalabriaDuchess of Calabria was the traditional title of the wife of the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Naples after the accession of Robert of Naples. It was also adopted by the heads of certain Houses that had once claimed the Kingdom of Naples in lieu of the royal title.There are at present two...
- 4 January 1825 – 8 November 1830 Her Majesty the Queen of the Two Sicilies
- 8 November 1830 – 13 September 1848 Her Majesty the Dowager Queen of the Two Sicilies