Alfonso XIII of Spain

Alfonso XIII
The King in 1901
King of Spain
Reign 17 May 1886 - 14 April 1931
(&1000000000000004400000044 years, &10000000000000332000000332 days)
Predecessor Alfonso XII
Successor Niceto Alcalá-Zamora (as President)
Juan Carlos I (as King of Spain)
Spouse Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg
Issue
Alfonso, Prince of Asturias
Jaime, Duke of Segovia
Beatriz, Princess of Civitella-Cesi
Infanta Maria Christina, Countess of Marone
Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona
Infante Gonzalo
Full name
Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Austria-Lorena
House House of Bourbon
Father Alfonso XII of Spain
Mother Maria Christina of Austria
Born 17 May 1886(1886-05-17)
Madrid, Spain
Died 28 February 1941(1941-02-28) (aged 54)
Rome, Italy
Burial El Escorial
Religion Roman Catholicism

Alfonso XIII (Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Austria-Lorena; 17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941) was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority. In 1902, on attaining his 16th year, the King assumed control of the state.

Contents

Reign

Alfonso was born in Madrid, posthumous son of Alfonso XII of Spain, and became King of Spain upon his birth. The French newspaper Le Figaro described the young king as "the happiest and best-loved of all the rulers of the earth".[1]

When he came of age in 1902, the week of his majority was marked by festivities, bullfights, balls and receptions throughout Spain.[2]

During his reign, Spain lost its last colonies in the Americas (Cuba and Puerto Rico) and the Philippines; fought and, after several setbacks, won a war in Morocco; witnessed the start of the Spanish Generation of 1927, and endured the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera, which ultimately cost him the throne.

During the First World War, because of his family connections with both sides and the division of popular opinion, Spain remained neutral. The King ran an office for captives from the Royal Palace, which leveraged the Spanish diplomatic and military network abroad to intercede for thousands of prisoners-of-war, receiving and answering letters from Europe. However, he became gravely ill during the 1918 flu pandemic and, since Spain was neutral and thus under no wartime censorship restrictions, his illness and subsequent recovery were covered worldwide, giving the false impression (in the absence of real news from anywhere else) that Spain was the most-affected area. This ultimately led to the pandemic getting the nickname "the Spanish Flu."[3]

Alfonso was a promoter of tourism in Spain. The problems with the lodging of his wedding guests prompted the construction of the luxury Hotel Palace in Madrid. He also supported the creation of a network of state-run lodges (Parador) in historic buildings of Spain. His fondness for the sport of football led to the patronage of several "Royal" ("Real" in Spanish) football clubs such as Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña and Real Unión.

When the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, he fled and left Spain, but did not abdicate the throne. He settled eventually in Rome where he lived in the Grand Hotel.

Once the Spanish Civil War broke out, Alfonso made it clear he favoured the military uprising against the Popular Front government, but General Francisco Franco in September 1936 declared that the Nationalists would never accept Alfonso as King (the supporters of the rival Carlist pretender made up an important part of the Franco Army). First, he went into exile in France. Nevertheless, he sent his son, Juan de Borbon, Count of Barcelona, to enter Spain in 1936 and participate in the uprising. However, near the French border, General Mola had him arrested and expelled from the country.

On 15 January 1941, Alfonso XIII abdicated his rights to the Spanish throne in favour of his third (of four), but second-surviving, son Juan, father of the current King, Juan Carlos. He died in Rome a month and a half later.

The Spanish Government ordered three days of national mourning.[4] His funeral was held in Rome in the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. He was buried in the Church of Santa Maria in Monserrato, the Spanish national church in Rome, immediately below the tombs of Pope Callixtus III and Pope Alexander VI.[5] In January 1980 his remains were transferred to El Escorial in Spain.[6]

Marriage and children

On 31 May 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Geronimo in Madrid, Alfonso married Scottish-born Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), a niece of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. A Serene Highness by birth, Ena, as she was known, was raised to Royal Highness status a month before her wedding to prevent the union from being viewed as unequal.

As Alfonso XIII and Ena were returning from the wedding, they narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by the anarchist Mateu Morral who threw a bomb from a high window; instead, the bomb explosion killed or injured many bystanders and members of the Royal procession.

Alfonso and Ena had seven children:

Illegitimate issue

The King also had four illegitimate children:

By French aristocrat Mélanie de Gaufridy de Dortan (1876 - 1937), he had Roger Marie Vincent Philippe Lévêque de Vilmorin (12 September 1905 - 20 July 1980)

By Spanish actress María del Carmen Ruíz y Moragas (1898 - 1936):

By Béatrice Noon he had Juana Alfonsa Milán y Quiñones de León (19 April 1916 - 16 May 2005)

Honours

Media

Alfonso XIII appears as "King Buby" in Luis Coloma's story of Ratoncito Pérez (1894), which was written for the King when he was 8 years old. The story of Ratoncito Pérez has been adapted into further literary works and movies since then, with the character of Alfonso XIII appearing in some. Alfonso XIII is also mentioned on the plaque to Ratoncito Pérez on the second floor of "la calle del Arenal".

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ "The Happiest Living Monarch", New York Times. 14 August 1889.
  2. ^ "Alfonso's Reign Begins on 17 May; He Will Take the Oath on That Day -- Festivities to Last a Week," New York Times, 29 March 1902.
  3. ^ Barry 171.
  4. ^ "Mourning in Spain", The Times (3 March 1941): 3.
  5. ^ "Italians to Mourn Death of Alfonso," The New York Times. 2 March 1931.
  6. ^ "21 Guns for Dead King's Homecoming", The Times (21 January 1980): 4.
  7. ^ Collier, William Miller. (1912). At the Court of His Catholic Majesty, pp.35-36; Order of the Golden Fleece.
  8. ^ Miller, pp. 37-38; Orden de Carlos III (in Spanish).
  9. ^ Miller, pp. 39-39; Order of Santiago.
  10. ^ Miller, pp. 39-39; Order of Calatrava.
  11. ^ Miller, pp. 39-39; Order of Alcántara.
  12. ^ Miller, pp. 39-39; Order of Montesa.
  13. ^ "Japan to Decorate King Alfonso Today; Emperor's Brother Nears Madrid With Collar of the Chrysanthemum for Spanish King," New York Times, 3 November 1930; see also Nutail, Zelia. (1906). The Earliest Historical Relations Between Mexico and Japan, p. 2.

Bibliography

External links

Alfonso XIII of Spain
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 17 May 1886 Died: 28 February 1941
Regnal titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Alfonso XII
King of Spain
17 May 1886 – 14 April 1931
with Maria Christina of Austria as regent (1886–1902)
Vacant
Title next held by
Juan Carlos I
Political offices
Preceded by
Maria Christina of Austria
as Queen regent of Spain
Head of State of Spain
as King
17 May 1886 –14 April 1931
Succeeded by
Niceto Alcalá-Zamora
as President of Spain
Titles in pretence
Loss of title — TITULAR —
King of Spain
14 April 1931 – 15 January 1941
Succeeded by
Juan III
Preceded by
Charles XII
— TITULAR —
King of France and Navarre
29 September 1936 – 28 February 1941
Reason for succession failure:
Bourbon monarchy deposed in 1830
Succeeded by
Henry VI
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Dwight F. Davis
Cover of Time Magazine
22 December 1924
Succeeded by
Charles Evans Hughes