Maria Isabella (Reign of Three Kingdoms)

Maria Isabella (10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Spain, Portugal, and the Algarves from 1833 until her death in 1904. known as the Isabelline era, her reign of 74 years and seven months was longer than that of any of her predecessors. Born in Rio de Janeiro, she was the first child of King Ferdinand VII, and Queen Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, and thus a member of the House of Braganza.

She came to the throne a month before her third birthday, and her reign of 74 years and seven months was longer than that of any of her predecessors. Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration. She died in the Royal Alcázar of Segovia in 1904. The last Spanish monarch of the House of la Cerda-Braganza, she was succeeded by her son Alfonso XII of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry.

Early Life
Maria Isabella was born in the Palace of São Cristóvão in Rio de Janeiro, Dominion of Brazil. She was the eldest daughter of the King Ferdinand VII of Spain, and of his fourth wife and niece, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies. Maria Isabella was christened at the nearby Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro shortly after she was born. She was named after her and her paternal grandmother Queen Maria, and ancestor Isabella of Castile. Born in Brazil, Maria Isabella was the only European monarch to have been born outside of Europe, though she was still born in Portuguese territory.

Queen Maria Christina became regent on 29 September 1833, when her three-year-old daughter Isabella was proclaimed sovereign on the death of the king. The Regent let her ministers take full charge of government affairs, playing a far lesser role than her husband. Her governments, with little help from the Regent, presided over Iberian policy. They formed a cabinet, presided over by Joaquín María López y López. This government induced the Cortes to declare Isabella of age at 13.

Her minority saw Spain sell Alta California and Texas to the United States.

Beginnings
At the time of Marie Isabella's accession, the government was led by the Progressive Sir Salustiano de Olózaga. The Chancellor at once became a powerful influence on the politically inexperienced Queen, who relied on him for advice. Her coronation took place on 10 November 1843, at the Cathedral of Madrid age thirteen. Over 300,000 visitors came to Madrid for the celebrations.

In 1846, she married the cultured and able Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. Leopold was given the title Prince Consort and In accordance with Portuguese law, Leopold received the title of king upon the birth of their first child and heir, Alfonso. Over the following seventeen years, she and Leopold had a further seven children: Marie Isabelle (b. 1848), Leopold Alfonso (b. 1851), Ferdinand (b. 1853), Joanna (b. 1854), Pedro (b. 1856), and Maria Theresa (b. 1857).

Moderate Decade
On 2 February 1852, Maria Isabella and the Royal Guard were caught by surprise while the Queen was leaving the Chapel of the Royal Palace intending to go with her parade to the church of Atocha: Martín Merino y Gómez [es], an ordained priest and radical activist approached the queen giving the impression of wanting to deliver her a message, and stabbed her. The impact was reduced by the gold embroidery of her dress and by the baleen stays of her corset, and what was intended to be a stab wound to the chest only resulted in a minor incision at the right side of the belly. Merino, quickly seized by the halberdiers of the Royal Guard (with help from the dukes of Osuna and Tamames, the Marquis of Alcañices and the Count of Pinohermoso), was removed from sacerdocy and before he could be executed, Maria Isabella commuted his sentence to seven years' transportation. Olózaga's support in the Chamber of Commons weakened through the 1850s, and in the 1856 general election the Progressives were defeat. The Queen commissioned a moderate Sir Pedro José Pidal to form a new ministry. By 1852, Pidal's ministry faced a crisis involving the repeal of the Sugar Laws. Many Moderates—by then known also as Conservatives—were opposed to the repeal, but Pidal, most Progressives and Maria Isabella supported it. Pidal resigned in 1852, after the repeal narrowly passed, and was replaced by Sir Luis González Bravo.

Death of Leopold
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Empress
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