The secret history of the court of Spain during the last century

by Rachel Challice

NEW YORK
D. APPLETON & COMPANY
MCMIX

AUTHOR’S NOTE

In presenting this history to the British public, I must draw attention to the fact that the material is gathered solely from Spanish sources, so that where the statements do not tally with the reports of English historians it must be remembered that the book, as the mouthpiece of Spanish writers, may lay claim to a special interest of its own, particularly as some of these books are not known in our country.

Thus, the account of the character of Ferdinand VII., the story of the Second of May, 1808, the relations between England and Spain during the reign of Isabella II., and the account of the recent Regency of Maria Cristina, may open points of view not generally entertained in England, but the fact of their sources may entitle them to some attention.

The history of the Regency ending in 1902, by Ortega Rubio, was only published last year, and it was as a privileged reader of the library of the Royal Palace at Madrid that I studied it. The book referred to by Galdos has also only recently seen the light. I owe much of the information to the celebrated bibliophile, Don Fernando Bremon, who garnered it for me from many histories now out of print and from manuscripts which came into his hand from his connection with celebrities of the Spanish Court. Other sources of information were open to me at the valuable library of the Athenæum at Madrid, of which I was made an honorary member during my stay in the capital; and I have also to render tribute to those whose personal recollections have added to the interest of my survey of Court life during the last century.

RACHEL CHALLICE.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER		PAGE
I.	Intrigues of Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, against his Parents and Godoy	[1]
II.	The Overthrow of Godoy	[24]
III.	How Napoleon I. checkmated the Spanish Royal Family	[53]
IV.	King Ferdinand VII. and his Home Life	[79]
V.	Maria Cristina, Ferdinand’s Fourth Wife—Intrigues at Court	[105]
VI.	Maria Cristina as Regent and as Wife of Muñoz	[122]
VII.	Queen Isabella’s Girlhood and the Dangers which beset it	[142]
VIII.	Ministerial Difficulties in the Palace	[149]
IX.	Royal Matrimonial Schemes—How Queen Isabella’s Sister fled from Paris in 1848	[161]
X.	A Royal Quarrel and the Reconciliation	[173]
XI.	Attempt on the Life of Queen Isabella—The Overthrow of the Queen-Mother, Maria Cristina	[180]
XII.	Court Intrigues	[193]
XIII.	The Court of Spain under Italian Sway	[224]
XIV.	Some Truths about the Republic of 1873–1874	[242]
XV.	The Revival of Court Life in Spain under Alfonso XII.	[252]
XVI.	The Palace and Politics during the Regency of Queen Maria Cristina	[281]
XVII.	Alfonso XIII.	[305]
XVIII.	Princess Victoria Eugénie of Battenberg as Queen of Spain	[314]
	Index	[345]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Alfonso XIII. and Queen Victoria of Spain	[frontispiece]
From a photograph by Franzen, Madrid.
	TO FACE PAGE
Maria Luisa, Queen of Charles IV.	[8]
From the painting by Goya in the Museo del Prado.
Maria Antonia, Princess of Asturias, First Wife of Ferdinand VII.	[34]
From an engraving.
Maria Isabel Francisca of Braganza, Second Wife of Ferdinand VII.	[84]
From an engraving.
Maria Josefa Amalia, Third Wife of Ferdinand VII.	[92]
From an engraving.
Maria Cristina, Fourth Wife of Ferdinand VII. and Mother of Isabella II.	[106]
From an original painting.
Don Carlos de Bourbon, Duke of Madrid	[112]
From a photograph.
Marshal Prim	[122]
From an engraving.
General Espartero, Prince of Vergara	[128]
From a painting by Casado del Alisal.
Marshal Leopoldo O’Donnell, Duke of Tetuan	[138]
From an engraving.
Reception of Isabella II. at the Escorial	[150]
From a painting by Benjumea.
Isabella II., Queen of Spain	[162]
From a painting by Madrazo.
The Council of Ministers of Isabella II. declares War against Morocco	[184]
From a painting by Benjumea.
General Narvaez	[214]
From a photograph.
Emilio Castelar	[224]
From a photograph.
Amadeus of Savoy, Duke of Aosta, afterwards King of Spain	[226]
From a photograph by J. Laurent, Madrid.
Lieutenant-Colonel Luis de Figuerola Ferretti	[242]
From a painting by Miss A. J. Challice, exhibited at the Royal Academy, London.
King Alfonso XII. visiting Cholera Patients at Aranjuez	[252]
From a painting by J. Bermudo y Mateos.
Don Carlos, Prince of Asturias, and his late Wife, the Infanta Mercedes	[266]
From a photograph by Franzen, Madrid.
Praxedes Mateo Sagasta, Liberal Prime Minister	[274]
From a photograph.
Death of Alfonso XII.	[276]
From a painting by J. A. Benlliure y Gil.
Antonio Canovas del Castillo, Conservative Prime Minister	[292]
From a photograph.
The Infanta Maria Teresa and King Alfonso XIII.	[294]
From a photograph by Debas, Madrid.
Alfonso XIII., King of Spain	[306]
From a photograph by Franzen, Madrid.
The Queen-Mother Maria Cristina of Spain	[310]
From a photograph by Debas, Madrid.
Victoria Eugénie, Queen of Spain	[314]
From a photograph by J. Beagles and Co.
Queen Victoria of Spain and the Queen-Mother at a Bull-fight	[316]
From a photograph.
Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria, Brother-in-law of Alfonso XIII.	[318]
From a photograph by Baumann, Münich.
The Infanta Maria Teresa, afterwards Wife of Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria	[320]
From a photograph by Franzen, Madrid.
Christening of the Prince of Asturias, Son of Alfonso XIII.	[338]