Francis, Duke of Cádiz

Francis of Spain (13 May 1822 – 17 April 1902) was King consort of Spain as spouse of Isabella II of Spain. He is commonly styled the Duke of Cádiz, the title he held before his marriage.

Family

Francis was born at Aranjuez, Spain, the second son of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, and of his wife (and niece), Princess Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily. He was named after Saint Francis of Assisi.

Francis' paternal grandparents were Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. His maternal grandparents were Francis I of the Two Sicilies and María Isabella of Spain. Maria Isabella was a daughter of Charles IV and Maria Luisa.

Marriage and children

Francis married Isabella, his double first cousin, on 10 October 1846. There is evidence that Isabella would rather have married his younger brother, Infante Enrique, Duke of Seville, and complained bitterly about her husband's effeminate habits after their first night together.

Twelve children were born during the marriage, of whom five reached adulthood:

• Isabella, Princess of Asturias (1851–1931): married her mother's and father's first cousin Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti.
• Alfonso XII of Spain (1857–1885).
• Maria de Pilar (1861–1879).
• Infanta María de la Paz (1862–1946): married her paternal first cousin Prince Louis Ferdinand of Bavaria.
• Infanta Eulalia (1864–1958): married her maternal first cousin Don Antonio de Orléans y Borbón, Infante of Spain, Duke of Montpensier.

There has been considerable speculation that some or all of Isabella's children were not fathered by Francis; this has been bolstered by rumours that Francis was either homosexual or physically unable to complete the sex act.

As Francis and Isabella were double first cousins (their fathers were brothers and their mothers were sisters—and both nieces of their respective husbands) nuclear DNA typing is problematic, as Francis and Isabella shared a significant number of genes, but it does not make it impossible; the main impediment is that nuclear DNA typing for this purpose is most accurate when DNA from both parents is compared with that of their children and not with that of more distant descendants (who also carry the genes of other family lines). In addition, testing would require exhumation of Francis, Isabella, and one or all of their children.

Y chromosome testing would show whether a putative male-line descendant (such as Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou or Juan Carlos of Spain) was descended from the same male line as Francis, but would not prove that Francisco himself (as opposed to Enrique or another male-line family member) was the father of Isabella's children.

Mitochondrial DNA testing, a common form of testing used in forensic identification, would not be useful in this case, as mitochondrial DNA is only passed on from the mother.

Later life

Starting in 1864, Francis acted as president of the Spanish Privy Council (Consejo del Reino). In 1868 he went into exile with his wife in France and adopted the incognito title of Count of Moratalla. In 1870 Francis and Isabella were amicably separated and, with time, became good friends, which they had certainly not been while she was Queen regnant. The 1874 restoration placed his son Alfonso XII on the throne.

In 1881 Francis took up residence at the château of Épinay-sur-Seine (currently the city hall). He died there in 1902. His wife Isabella and two of his daughters, Isabella and Eulalia, were present at his deathbed.^[1]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 13 May 1822 – 10 October 1846: His Royal Highness Infante Francis of Spain, Duke of Cádiz
• 10 October 1846 – 30 September 1868: His Majesty The King of Spain, Duke of Cádiz
• 30 September 1868 – 17 April 1902: His Majesty King Francis of Spain, Duke of Cádiz

Honours

• Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
• Knight of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III
• Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic

Foreign

• Knight of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

Bergamini, John D. The Spanish Bourbons: The History of a Tenacious Dynasty. New York: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-399-11365-7

See also