Alfonso XII, king of Spain

Alfonso XII, 1857–85, king of Spain (1874–85), son of Isabella II Isabella II, 1830–1904, queen of Spain (1833–68), daughter of Ferdinand VII and of Maria Christina . Her uncle, Don Carlos , contested her succession under the Salic law , and thus the Carlist Wars began (see Carlists ).
..... Click the link for more information. . He went into exile with his parents at the time of the revolt of the Carlists Carlists, partisans of Don Carlos (1788–1855) and his successors, who claimed the Spanish throne under the Salic law of succession, introduced (1713) by Philip V.
..... Click the link for more information. in 1868 and was educated in Austria and England. In 1870 his mother abdicated her rights in his favor, and in 1874 he was proclaimed king. Supported by Martínez de Campos Martínez de Campos, Arsenio (ärsā`nyō märtē`nĕth dā käm`pōs)
..... Click the link for more information. and Cánovas del Castillo Cánovas del Castillo, Antonio (äntô`nyō kä`nōväs dĕl kästē`lyō)
..... Click the link for more information. , he consolidated the monarchy, winning greater popularity for it than it had enjoyed under his mother or grandfather, Fernando VII. He was a victim of the cholera epidemic of 1885. His widow, Maria Christina Maria Christina (märē`ä krēstē`nä), 1858–1929, queen of Spain, consort of Alfonso XII.
..... Click the link for more information. (1858–1929), was regent during the minority of his posthumous son, Alfonso XIII.

Alfonso XII

(born Nov. 28, 1857, Madrid, Spain—died Nov. 25, 1885, Madrid) Spanish king whose reign (1874–85) inspired hopes for a stable constitutional monarchy. Alfonso followed his mother, Isabella II, into exile following her deposition by the revolution of 1868. He was proclaimed king in 1874 and returned to Spain the next year. His reign was marked by unaccustomed tranquillity. The most urgent problems—ending the civil war with the Carlists (see Carlism) and drafting a constitution—were settled in 1876. Alfonso was popular, and his early death from tuberculosis disappointed those who desired a constitutional monarchy.