Infanta Luisa Fernanda, Duchess Of Montpensier
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Infanta María Luisa Fernanda of Spain, Duchess of Montpensier (; 30 January 1832 – 2 February 1897) was the younger daughter of King
Ferdinand VII of Spain Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was Monarchy of Spain, King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (t ...
and his fourth wife and niece,
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (, ; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878) was the queen consort of Spain, Queen of Spain from 1829 to 1833 and Queen regent of the kingdom from 1833, when her daughter became queen at age two, to 1840. By virtue ...
. She became
Duchess of Montpensier Countess of Montpensier House of Valois, 1362?–1434 House of Bourbon-Montpensier, 1434–1523 Duchess of Montpensier House of Bourbon-Vendôme, 1561–1627 House of Bourbon-Orléans House of Bourbon-Orléans (in pretence) ...
by marriage to her first cousin once removed, Antoine, Duke of Montpensier.


Biography


Heiress-presumptive

When her elder sister
Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...
succeeded to the throne, Infanta Luisa Fernanda was
heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...
to the crown between 1833 and 1851, when Isabella's oldest surviving daughter was born.


Marriage

Luisa Fernanda was engaged to the Duke of Montpensier, the youngest son of King Louis Philippe, who also was Luisa's mother's first cousin. Luisa Fernanda, only 14 years old, and Antoine, 22, had their nuptials on 10 October 1846 as a double wedding with Isabella and Francis, and young Antoine was elevated to the rank of an
Infante of Spain Infante of Spain (feminine infanta; Spanish language, Spanish: ''infante de España''; grammatical gender, f. ''infanta'') is a royal title normally granted at birth to the children of reigning and past Monarchy of Spain, Spanish monarchs, and to ...
. The couple moved to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and later to
Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
. The relationship between Isabella and her sister was tense, due to Antoine's conspiracies against the queen.
Antoine's father was deposed in 1848. The same year, the then 16-year-old Luisa Fernanda gave birth to their first child, Maria Isabel. After Isabella was deposed, the family went into exile. Luisa returned to Seville years later, already widowed, where she died. She is buried at Escorial. The Parque de María Luisa was named after her.


Issue

Luisa Fernanda and Antoine had ten children, but only five of them reached adulthood. * Infanta Maria Isabel (1848–1919); married her first cousin
Prince Philippe, Count of Paris Prince Philippe of Orléans, Count of Paris (Louis Philippe Albert; 24 August 1838 – 8 September 1894), was disputedly King of the French from 24 to 26 February 1848 as Louis Philippe II, although he was never officially proclaimed as such. ...
(1838–1894), the French claimant, and became known as Madame the comtesse de Paris. She had several children, including Princess Louise of Orléans, the maternal grandmother of King Juan Carlos I. * Infanta Maria Amelia (1851–1870) * Infanta Maria Cristina (1852–1879); after her younger sister Mercedes died, she was engaged to King
Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...
(1857–1885), five years her junior, but she died before the wedding. * Infanta Maria de la Regla (1856–1861) * Stillborn child (1857–1857) * Infante Fernando (1859–1873) * Infanta Maria de las Mercedes (1860–1878), otherwise Princess ''Marie des Graces d'Orleans-Montpensier'', who married her first cousin
Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...
and is historically known as Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain. Without issue. * Infante Felipe Raimundo Maria (1862–1864) * Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera (1866–1930); became Duke of Galliera in Italy. He married his first cousin Infanta Eulalia of Spain (1864–1958), daughter of Isabella II, and had two sons: Infante Alfonso and Infante Luís. * Infante Luis Maria Felipe Antonio (1867–1874)


Descendants

Of all her children, only Marie Isabelle and
Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top ...
survived to adulthood. Through Antonio, the now non-royal line of dukes of Galliera continues. Alfonso's grandchildren lost royal status due to non-dynastic marriages. The current Duke of Galliera is Alfonso's great-grandson, Don Alfonso Francesco de Orléans-Borbón y Ferarra-Pignatelli. Through Maria Isabel, she became great-grandmother of king
Manuel II of Portugal Dom (title), Dom Manuel II (Manuel Maria Filipe Carlos Amélio Luís Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Francisco de Assis Eugénio de Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha e Bragança; 15 November 1889 – 2 July 1932), sometimes known as Manuel the Unfortunate () or ...
, Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, Aimone, Duke of Spoleto, and Luis Filipe, Duke of Braganza; great-great-grandmother of
Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...
and Henri, Count of Paris.


Arms

File:Coat of Arms of Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain, Duchess of Montpensier.svg, Coat of arms of Infanta Luisa Fernanda File:Coat of Arms of Antoine and Luisa Fernanda of Spain, Duke and Duchess of Montpensier.svg, Arms of alliance of Infanta Luisa Fernanda and her husband File:Coat of arms of Isabella of Spain (1851–1931) as Infanta and widow.svg, Arms as Duchess Dowager


Ancestry


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montpensier, Infanta Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Spanish infantas Luisa Fernanda 1832 births 1897 deaths Luisa Fernanda Burials in the Pantheon of Infantes at El Escorial Luisa Fernanda French princesses French duchesses 19th-century French people 19th-century Spanish people Daughters of kings