Agustín Fernando Muñoz Sánchez, duque de Riánsares

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'' Agustín Fernando Muñoz y Sánchez (4 May 180811 September 1873), 1st Duke of Riánsares, 1st Marquis of San Agustín, 1st Duc de Montmorot, was the second and

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

husband of Maria Christina, Regent of Spain.

Early life

Muñoz was born at

Tarancón Tarancón is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Cuenca, Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2018, it has a population of 14,834, which makes it the second most populated municipality in the province. History The place's repopulation pre ...

in the Province of Cuenca, New Castile. He was the second son of Juan Antonio Muñoz y Funes (1779-1849), later created Count of Retamoso and his wife, Eusebia Maria Sánchez y Ortega (b. 1781). His paternal grandmother Eugenia Dorotea de Funes y Martinez (b. 1753) was a

nursemaid A nursemaid (or nursery maid) is a mostly historical term for a female domestic worker who cares for children within a large household. The term implies that she is an assistant to an older and more experienced employee, a role usually known as n ...

of Infanta Carlota Joaquina, while his father was the keeper of an ''estanco'' or office for the sale of the

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

of the government

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...

Marriage to the Regent of Spain

Muñoz enlisted in the royal bodyguard, and he attracted the attention of Maria Christina. According to one account, he distinguished himself by stopping the runaway horses of her carriage; according to another, he only picked up her handkerchief; a third and scandalous explanation of his fortune has been given. Maria Christina's husband, King

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died on 28 September 1833, and on 29 December 1833 she and Muñoz were privately married. Agust%C3%ADn_Mu%C3%B1oz_S%C3%A1nchez

If Maria Christina had officially made the marriage public, she would have forfeited the regency; but her relations with Muñoz were perfectly well known within the Spanish court. When on 13 August 1836 the soldiers on duty at the summer palace La Granja mutinied and forced the regent to grant a constitution, it was generally, though wrongly, believed that they overcame her reluctance by seizing Muñoz, whom they called her ''guapo'', or fancy man, and threatening to shoot him. In 1840 Maria Christina found her position intolerable; she renounced the regency and left Spain with Muñoz. In 1842 Maria Christina purchased the

Château de Malmaison The Château de Malmaison () is a French château situated near the left bank of the Seine, about west of the centre of Paris, in the commune of Rueil-Malmaison. Formerly the residence of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, along with the Tui ...

as their residence. In 1843, on the overthrow of General Baldomero Espartero they returned to Spain.

Public recognition of the marriage

In 1844, Muñoz's stepdaughter

Queen Isabella II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successio ...

was declared to be of age. On 23 June 1844 Isabella gave to Muñoz the title ''duque de Riánsares'', to which was attached a

Grandeza de España Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

;''Elenco de Grandezas y Títulos Nobilarios Españoles''. Madrid: Ediciones Hidalguia, 1996; . the title came from the river Ánsares, near Muñoz's birthplace in Tarancón. On 12 October 1844 Isabella gave official consent to the marriage between her mother and Muñoz, and it was publicly performed. In 1846 Isabella made Muñoz a

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. On 30 May 1846 she gave Muñoz a second title, ''marqués de San Agustín''. Muñoz was made a

Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Comma ...

, the highest rank in the Spanish Army. In 1847

Louis Philippe, King of the French Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...

, gave Muñoz the title ''duc de Montmorot''; he also invested Muñoz with the Grand Cross of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. Until driven from Spain with Maria Christina by the revolutionary movement of 1854, Muñoz is credibly reported to have applied himself to making a large fortune out of railway concessions and by judicious stock exchange speculations. Of political ambitions he had none. All authorities agree that he was not only good-looking, but kind and well-bred. Muñoz died in 1873, five years before his wife, at his home, Villa Mon Désir in

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

, near

Sainte-Adresse Sainte-Adresse () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the region of Normandy, France. Geography A coastal suburb situated some northwest of Le Havre city centre, at the junction of the D147 and the D940. The English Channel forms t ...

, in France. His remains are buried in the crypt of the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Riánsares, several kilometres outside Tarancón.

Children

Muñoz and Maria Christina had several children: * María Amparo Muñoz, 1st Countess of Vista Alegre (17 November 183419 August 1864) married Prince

Władysław Czartoryski Prince Władysław (Ladislaus) Czartoryski (3 July 1828 – 23 June 1894) was a Polish noble, political activist in exile, collector of art, and founder of the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków. Life Son of Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski and Pri ...

(1828–1894) * Maria de los Milagros Muñoz, 1st Marchioness of Castillejo (8 November 18359 July 1903) married to Filippo del Drago, Principe di Mazzano e d'Antuni (1824–1913). * Agustín Muñoz, 1st Duke of Tarancón (15 March 183715 July 1855) * Fernando Muñoz, 2nd Duke of Tarancón and Riansares (27 April 18387 December 1910) married to Eladia Bernaldo de Quirós y Gonzalez de Cienfuegos (1839–1909). * María Cristina Muñoz, Marchioness of La Isabella (19 April 184020 December 1921) married to Jose Maria Bernaldo de Quirós y Gonzalez de Cienfuegos, Marques de Campo Sagrado (1840–1911). * Juan Muñoz, Count of Recuerdo (29 August 18442 April 1863) * José Muñoz, Count of Gracia (21 December 184617 December 1863)

Early life

Marriage to the Regent of Spain

Public recognition of the marriage

Children

References

Further reading