Doña The terms Don (in Spanish and Italian), Dom (in Portuguese), and Domn (in Romanian), are honorific prefixes derived from the Latin ''Dominus'', meaning "lord" or "owner". The honorific is commonly used in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as well ...

'' María Manuela Enriqueta Kirkpatrick de Closeburn y Grivegnée, Countess of Montijo (24 February 179422 November 1879), was a Spanish noble and courtier, the mother of Eugénie, Empress of the French. She served as

Camarera mayor de Palacio {{Short description, Spanish court official The Camarera mayor de Palacio (First Lady of the Bedchamber) was a court official of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain, who was in charge of the person and the rooms of the Queen of ...

to queen

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 ...

in 1847-1848.

Early life

She was born in

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, the daughter of an

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

Scotsman, William Kirkpatrick, a wine merchant and

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

of the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, and his

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

-born wife, Marie Françoise de Grevignée, whose sister Catherine married the French diplomat

Mathieu de Lesseps Mathieu Maximilien Prosper de Lesseps (4 March 1771—28 December 1832) was a French diplomat and high ranking public official who served, from 1797 until his death, in numerous foreign and domestic posts. One of his sons, Ferdinand de Lesseps, ...

.Carlin, Colin. ''William Kirkpatrick of Málaga''. The Grimsay Press, 2011.

Personal life

María was brilliant, vivacious and talented. On 15 December 1817, she married Don

Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero, 8th Count of Montijo, GE, LH (15 September 178415 March 1839), was a Spanish nobleman, politician and army officer. He was the father-in-law of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. Life and career Pro-Frenc ...

, Count de Teba (1785–1839), afterwards Count de Montijo, Marquis de Algava, and Duke of Granada, Duke of Peñaranda, a

grandee Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, 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 ...

of Spain,

Bonapartist Bonapartism () is the political ideology supervening from Napoleon Bonaparte and his followers and successors. The term was used in the narrow sense to refer to people who hoped to restore the House of Bonaparte and its style of government. In ...

and veteran of the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. They had a son, Francisco "Paco", who died young, and two daughters: * María Francisca de Sales "Paca" de Palafox Portocarrero y Kirkpatrick (1825–1860), who inherited most of the family honours; she became

Duchess of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes (), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo, wa ...

by marriage to

Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 15th Duke of Alba Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Ventimiglia, 15th Duke of Alba, GE (3 June 1821, Palermo, Sicily – 10 July 1881, Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish nobleman. He was a brother-in-law of Napoleon III through his wife, sister of Empress Eugenie. ...

. * María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox Portocarrero y Kirkpatrick (1826–1920), who married

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

in 1853 and became

Empress consort of the French This is a list of the women who were queens or empresses as wives of French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the French Third Republic was declared. Living wives of reigning monarchs te ...

. In the 1830s, Manuela and the girls moved to Paris for their education. There she renewed her association with George William Frederick Villiers, later

Earl of Clarendon Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776. The family seat is Holywell House, near Swanmore, Hampshire. First creation of the title The title was created for the first time in the Peer ...

, who is rumoured to have been her lover. Manuela also continued her friendship with

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, an import ...

, whom she had met in Spain and who took great interest in the education of the girls. Manuela was Mérimée's source for the story of ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

''. In 1837 Manuela briefly moved to England to further her daughters' education, but soon returned to Paris. After the death of her husband, and perhaps the disappointment of Villiers' marriage to an English lady, Manuela engaged in an extensive social life and pursued her ambition to find suitable husbands for her daughters. In 1844 Paca became the wife of one of the richest men in Europe: Jacobo Luis Fitz-James Stuart y Ventimiglia (1821–1881), 8th

Duke of Berwick Duke of Berwick () ''()'' is a title that was created in the Peerage of England on 19 March 1687 for James FitzJames, the illegitimate son of James II and VII, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland and Arabella Churchill. The title's name ...

, 8th Earl of Tinmouth, 8th Baron Bosworth, 8th Duke of Liria and Xérica, and 15th

Duke of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes (), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo, wa ...

de Tormes. Eugénie did even better; guided by her mother and Mérimée, she married Napoleon III, Emperor of the French.Bierman, John. ''Napoleon III and His Carnival Empire''.

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...

, 1988. . Manuela lived long enough to see the rise and fall of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

, and died in

Carabanchel Carabanchel is a district of Madrid, Spain. It lies on the southern (right) bank of the Manzanares, spanning southward down to the M-40 ring road. The district is made up of the neighbourhoods of Abrantes, Comillas, Opañel, Puerta Bonita, S ...

several months after the death of her grandson Napoléon, Prince Imperial. Her great-great-granddaughter

Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba GE (28 March 1926 – 20 November 2014) was one of the most senior aristocrats in Spain, as well as the most titled aristocrat in the world, a record now held by Princ ...

was the most titled noble in the world.Baguley, David. ''Napoleon III and His Regime: An Extravaganza''.

Louisiana State University Press The Louisiana State University Press (LSU Press) is a university press at Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, it publishes works of scholarship as well as general interest books. LSU Press is a member of the Association of University Pres ...

, 2000. .

References

External links

Biography (''French'') with Pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkpatrick, Maria Manuela 1794 births 1879 deaths People from Málaga People of the Second French Empire Spanish countesses Spanish duchesses Spanish people of Belgian descent Spanish people of Scottish descent Spanish ladies-in-waiting