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). Isabella was under the regency of her mother until 1840, when Espartero seized power. After his regency (1841–43) was overthrown, Isabella was declared of age. In 1846 the queen married her cousin, Francisco de Asís, and her sister, Luisa Fernanda, married a son of Louis Philippe of France, the duc de Montpensier. These Spanish marriages, which contravened earlier Anglo-French agreements about the choice of husbands for the two sisters, aroused the anger of England, who feared a Franco-Spanish rapprochement, and caused a temporary severance of the entente between England and France. Isabella's rule was one of party conflicts among moderates, progressives, and liberal unionists and of continuous cabinet changes. Narváez, Espartero, and O'Donnell were among her premiers. Frequent rebellions culminated in 1868 in the insurrection led by Serrano and Juan Prim, and Isabella was deposed (see Spain). She spent the rest of her life in France. In 1870 she abdicated her rights in favor of her son, Alfonso XII.

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Isabella II

 Spanish Isabel

(born Oct. 10, 1830, Madrid, Spain—died April 9, 1904, Paris, France) Queen of Spain (1833–68). She was the daughter of Ferdinand VII, and the issue of her succession to the throne precipitated the First Carlist War (see Carlism). During her minority (1833–43), her mother and Baldomero Espartero acted as regents; in 1843 Espartero was deposed by military officers, and Isabella was declared of age. Liberal opposition to the regime's authoritarianism, scandalous reports about her private life, and her arbitrary political interference led to the Revolution of 1868, which drove her into exile. She abdicated in favour of her son, Alfonso XII.

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Isabella II

1830--1904, queen of Spain (1833--68), whose accession precipitated the first Carlist war (1833--39). She was deposed in a revolution

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Isabella II 

Born Oct. 10, 1830, in Madrid; died Apr. 9, 1904, in Paris. Queen of Spain from 1833 to 1868. Daughter of Ferdinand VII.

Until Isabella II was proclaimed to be of age in 1843, Spain was ruled by regents. (Isabella IPs mother, María Cristina, ruled from 1833 to 1840, and General Espartero ruled from 1840 to 1843.) The period after 1843 was one of rule by a court clique, or camarilla. Isabella II fled to France on Sept. 30, 1868, with the beginning of the Spanish Revolution of 1868–74.