Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz (Francisco de Asís María Fernando de Borbón; 13 May 1822 – 17 April 1902), sometimes anglicised Francis of Assisi, was King consort of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

as the husband of

Queen Isabella II of Spain 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 ...

from their marriage on 10 October 1846 until Isabella was overthrown on 30 September 1868. He retained the style and title of king even after her abdication in favour of their son,

Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885 ...

. His son was a king regnant, while Francisco himself was a king-father during the reign of the son.

Family

Francis was born at

Aranjuez Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid. Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of Tagus, a bit upstream the discharge of the Jarama. , the municipality h ...

, the second son (first to survive infancy) of

Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = , birth_place = Aranjuez, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_place = El Escorial Infante ...

, and of his wife (and niece), Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies. He was named after Saint Francis of Assisi.

Marriage and children

Francis married Isabella, his

double first cousin Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

, on 10 October 1846. There is evidence that Isabella would rather have married his younger brother,

Infante Enrique, Duke of Seville , house = Bourbon , father =Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain , mother =Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies , birth_date = , birth_place =Seville, Spain , death_date = , death_place =Madrid, Kingdom of Spain , ...

, and complained bitterly about her husband's effeminate habits after their first night together. Twelve children were born during the marriage, of whom five reached adulthood: * Infanta María Isabel (1851–1931): married her mother's and father's first cousin Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti. *

Alfonso XII of Spain Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 188 ...

(1857–1885). * Infanta María del Pilar (1861–1879). * Infanta María de la Paz (1862–1946): married her paternal first cousin Prince Louis Ferdinand of Bavaria. * Infanta María Eulalia (1864–1958): married her maternal first cousin Don Antonio de Orléans y Borbón, Infante of Spain, Duke of Galliera.

Later life

Francis of Assisi of Bourbon king consort of Spain

Starting in 1864, Francisco de Asís acted as president of the Spanish Privy Council (''Consejo del Reino''). In 1868 he went into exile with his wife in France and adopted the incognito title of ''Count of

Moratalla Moratalla is a small town and the center of a large municipality of the same name in the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia in southeastern Spain. In 2018, the population of Moratalla was 7,944: some 5,600 in the town of Moratalla itsel ...

''. On 25 June 1870, Isabella abdicated in favour of their son,

—whom the 1874 restoration placed on the throne. By then, Francisco de Asís and Isabella had amicably separated and, with time, became good friends. In 1881 Francisco de Asís took up residence at the château of

Épinay-sur-Seine Épinay-sur-Seine (, literally ''Épinay on Seine'') is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The church of Notre-Dame-des-Missions-du-cygne d'Enghien, designed by Paul Tournon, may be fo ...

(currently the city hall). He died there in 1902. His wife Isabella and two of his daughters, Isabel and Eulalia, were present at his deathbed."Don Francisco d'Assisi", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' (18 April 1902): 9.

Honours

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

Bergamini, John D. ''The Spanish Bourbons: The History of a Tenacious Dynasty''. New York: Putnam, 1974. , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Duke Of Cadiz House of Bourbon (Spain) 1822 births 1902 deaths Kings consort Spanish royal consorts Dukes of Cádiz Spanish captain generals Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Burials in the Pantheon of Kings at El Escorial