María de las Mercedes of Orléans (24 June 1860 – 26 June 1878) was
Queen of Spain
The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country.
The Spanish ...
as the first wife of
King Alfonso XII. She was born in Madrid, the daughter of
Prince Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, and
Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain.
Death
Shortly after their honeymoon, it became evident that Queen Mercedes suffered from
typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...
.
The marriage would last only five months and three days, during which she reportedly had a
miscarriage
Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...
.
She died due to the fever on 26 June 1878, at 18 years old.
Legacy
The news of her demise spawned many folk songs accounting for it,
most notably the famous
''copla'', with many variations in Spain and America, particularly popular among children delivered as a song accompanying a
skipping rope game.
According to
Benito Pérez Galdós
Benito María de los Dolores Pérez Galdós (; 10 May 1843 – 4 January 1920) was a Spanish Spanish Realist literature, realist novelist. He was a leading literary figure in 19th-century Spain, and some scholars consider him second only to Mi ...
, he had already heard about it a few days after the incident: “''¿Dónde vas Alfonso XII? ¿Dónde vas triste de ti? Voy en busca de Mercedes que ayer tarde no la vi…”'' ("Where are you going, Alfonso XII? Where are you going, sad man?—I'm going in search of Mercedes whom I did not see yesterday afternoon...").
A film about the romance between María de las Mercedes and Alfonso XII, ''
Where Are You Going, Alfonso XII?
''Where Are You Going, Alfonso XII?'' () is a 1959 Spanish historical drama film directed by Luis César Amadori and starring Paquita Rico and Vicente Parra. It portrays the romance between Alfonso XII of Spain and his wife Maria de las Merced ...
'', was released in 1958.
Queen Mercedes co-initiated the building of the
Cathedral of la Almudena in Madrid, opposite of the royal palace —the construction beginning in 1883. In May 2004
Felipe, Prince of Asturias, was wed there to
Letizia Ortiz. Queen Mercedes' remains were re-interred there on 8 November 2000, in accordance with her widower's wishes.
A town in the northern
Philippine
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
province of
Isabela was named
Reina Mercedes in her honor in 1886 when the
Spanish colonial government formally separated it from
Cauayan.
When the King's minister
Cánovas del Castillo suggested that he take a new wife, Alfonso acquiesced, choosing Mercedes' sister
María Cristina. She also contracted tuberculosis, and died during the engagement period. In late 1879, he married
Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria-Teschen; the eldest of their children, the
Princess of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias () is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent, or heir presumptive to the Spanish Crown. According to the Spanish Constitution of 1978:
The title originated in 1388, when King John I of Castile gr ...
, was named in honour of Queen Mercedes.
Ancestry
See also
*
Reign of Alfonso XII
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercedes of Orleans
1860 births
1878 deaths
19th-century Spanish people
Deaths from typhus
House of Bourbon (Spain)
House of Orléans-Galliera
Infectious disease deaths in Spain
Nobility from Madrid
Spanish infantas
Princesses of France (Orléans)
Spanish royal consorts
Alfonso XII
Royal reburials