Maria Christina of Austria, Queen Regent of Spain

[Marc]

Something more about the life of this woman,born Archduchess of Austria-Tescen?Her pictures?Maybe portraits?  

[bluetoria]

Was Queen Maria Christina (ha! my baptismal name in reverse!) not a rather 'difficult' woman? Did she not look down on Ena because of her Battenberg blood & make her life unpleasant?

[Jim1026]

In an article I read concerning Queen Victoria Eugenia she stated when Queen Maria Cristina died something to the effect " 21 years I lived with that woman."  

[Eurohistory]

In an article I read concerning Queen Victoria Eugenia she stated when Queen Maria Cristina died something to the effect " 21 years I lived with that woman."  

Do you remember which article?

Arturo Beéche

[Jim1026]

I'll have to look, it was quite sometime ago. I want to say Royal Vendatta but I can't be sure and I lost my copy in a move. Sorry. I'll keep looking though.

[grandduchessella]

There was a story--perhaps in Grandmama of Europe?--of how Ena suffered when her MIL (who was Austrian) would cheer for the Germans during WW1 which was especially painful for Ena (British) when her brother Maurice was killed in battle.

[grandduchessella]

I wonder how she felt in her marriage? Alfonso XII had married his cousin the beautiful Maria de la Mercedes (Princess of Orleans) and was devoted to her. She died very young without ever having children. He then remarried to Maria Christina. Did he act ala Leopold I of Belgium--with indifference (at best) or with coldness or was he kind if not in love?  They did name one of their daughters Maria de las Mercedes (looking exactly like a female Alfonso XIII).

Mercedes


Maria Christina

[grandduchessella]

Maria Christina



Queen (Regent) Maria Christina with her 2 daughters and Alfonso XIII

[bluetoria]

They are wonderful pictures - all of them - thank you for posting them.
But how dramtically she changed from the first when she was young...when she is older she looks so much more severe. Perhaps it was, as you suggested, because she was not happy with her husband  :-/

[Svetabel]

But how dramtically she changed from the first when she was young...when she is older she looks so much more severe. Perhaps it was, as you suggested, because she was not happy with her husband  :-/

By the way, I read somewhere such a story that King Alfonso XII liked his mother-in-law (much more than his fiancee). She was Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria and a highly-respected and interesting woman.
Alfonso complaint that he had to marry her daughter Maria Cristina, not her. :-/

[bluetoria]

Alfonso complaint that he had to marry her daughter Maria Cristina, not her. :-/

Oh dear!!! How very bizarre!! No wonder she looked so unhappy! (It must have made family gatherings very difficult :-/)

[Svetabel]

Oh dear!!! How very bizarre!! No wonder she looked so unhappy!

In fact she always looked unhappy in the pictures. Even in her youth. I guess Maria Cristina was a severe and cold person, it's very hard to imagine her having fun...Moreover, she was the Regent - a  serious work!. Being a widow most of her life was also a heavy burden I think.

[Marc]

Any portraits of Maria de las Mercedes,Alfonso's first wife?

[grandduchessella]

In this detail of the previous portrait you can see Maria Mercedes wearing her wedding present from Alfonso XII. It was a diamond tiara with 7 pear-shaped pearls on top and was completed by a set of pearl earrings and necklace. The toal was 41 unique pearls of superb quality. I don't know as it was ever worn after her death or what's become of it.

[Eurohistory]

For those of you who can read Spanish I highly recommend Ana de Sagrera's wonderful biography of Queen María de las Mercedes, which came out about 2 years ago...simply wonderful reading!

Arturo Beéche