Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain and Portugal (5 June 1833 – 19 January 1902) was a daughter of

Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain (10 March 1794 – 13 August 1865) was an Infante of Spain and the youngest son of Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. He was a brother of Ferdinand VII, and the uncle and father-in-law of Isabella I ...

and his wife Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies. She became an ''Infanta of Portugal'' by her marriage to

Infante Sebastian of Portugal and Spain Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...

Family

Maria Cristina was the tenth of eleven children born to

and Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies in Madrid. Her father was in turn a younger son of

Charles IV of Spain Charles IV (; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808. The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability, but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disa ...

. Her mother was a daughter of

Francis I of the Two Sicilies Francis I of the Two Sicilies (; 19 August 1777 – 8 November 1830) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1825 to 1830 and regent of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1806 to 1814. Early life Francis was born the son of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicili ...

. Maria Cristina was a sister of Francisco de Asís, the king-consort of

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 ...

, and of Amalia, Princess Adalbert of Bavaria.

Marriage and children

On 19 November 1860, Maria Cristina became the second wife of the much older

, who was a paternal great grandson of

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

and a maternal grandson of

John VI of Portugal '' Dom'' John VI (; 13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826), known as "the Clement" (), was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves from 1816 to 1825, and after the recognition of Brazil's independence, titular Emperor of Brazil ...

. Sebastian and his immediate family had been

in conflict ''In Conflict'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock artist Owen Pallett, released May 27, 2014 on Domino Records and Secret City Records. The album features English ambient musician Brian Eno, who plays guitar and synthesizers as wel ...

with the Queen Regent Maria Christina, losing all of his titles and claims to the Spanish throne in 1837. He was restored to his Spanish titles upon his second marriage to Maria Cristina, who was both a cousin and a sister-in-law of

Queen Isabella II 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 ...

. The nuptials took place in the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid () is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest royal palace in Eu ...

. In the spirit of reconciliation, the celebration was attended by

and her husband, among other members of the Spanish royal family. They had five children:

Later life

After the overthrow of the monarchy in 1868, Maria Cristina and her family had to leave Spain and take refuge in France. Sebastian died there in 1875. Maria Cristina later returned to Spain, and was able to live calmly until her 1902 death in Madrid. She is buried at the

San Lorenzo de El Escorial San Lorenzo de El Escorial, also known as El Escorial de Arriba, is a town and municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located to the northwest of the region in the southeastern side of the Sierra de Guadarrama, at the foot of Moun ...

Heraldry

File:Coat of Arms of Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain (1833–1902).svg, Coat of arms as a married woman
(1860-1875) File:Coat of arms of Isabella of Spain (1851–1931) as Infanta and widow.svg, Coat of arms as Infanta and widow
(1875-1902)

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Cristina Of Spain House of Bourbon (Spain) Spanish infantas Portuguese infantas 1833 births 1902 deaths Nobility from Madrid House of Bourbon-Braganza Burials in the Pantheon of Infantes at El Escorial