MARIA CHRISTINA, QUEEN REGENT OF SPAIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2318, 4 August 1898, Page 50

MARIA CHRISTINA, QUEEN REGENT OF SPAIN.

(St. Peter's Magazine.) The women of the Hapsburg family hav-i llways been famed for their mental powor md strength of mind, and again and again in modern times the descendants of Mam, Theresa have had occasion to prove their powers of endurance. The young girl who was destined to become the wife of Alphonso XII, and under whose sole rule Spain enjoj'ed a greater measure of peace and prosperity than had been the ease for the last two centuries, was the daughter of the Archduchess Elizabeth, by her second husband, the Archduke Charles Ferdinand. And it is a curious fact that, until the marriage of thp Princess who is now the Queen Regent of Spain, all the family marriages tor some generations had been contracted amon« cousins; for, although the Archduchess Elizabeth's first husband had been a Duke of Modena— in fact, a brother oi the Comtesse de Chambord— she had married, en seconde noces, her own cousin, the 'Archduke Charles Ferdinand. Althougu .he future Queen of Spain had a half-sister, she was herself an only girl among three brothers and her birth which occurred on July 31, 1858, was celebrated with great rejoicings. The Emperor of Austria was godfather to the future Queen, and she was given the name of Maria Christina Henrietta Desiree Felicitee Renicre ; she spent, together with her brothers, the Archdukes Frederick, Charles- Ktienne, and Eugene, a very happy childhood at her parents' splendid castle of

Gross beelowitz. . . . Christina, first made the acquaintance of her future husband when they wore boy and girl. Alphonso had been enleted as a fctudent sit the Theresa College in Vienna , and during his many holidays naturally spent most of his tune with the youuger members of the Imperial family. Even in those days there weiu vague thoughts of an Austrian-Spanish alliance ; but tiie young King, immediately after his return to Spain, fell violently in love with his beautiful Fiench cousin, Meicedes de. Montpensier. Their marriage took place aanid general rejoicing, which was turned into mourning in less than six months by tho Midden death of the Queen bride. A( <r ! 'Alphonso XII seemed inconsol-'ble those about him seriously feared iij ■would reject with horror any ptopo-al of a second marriage. It was, however, represented to him that for the sake of his country ifc was all-essential that the sovereign should not remain a childless widower ; and accordingly, after some hesitation, he himself, it is said, asked that the Spanish Ambassador at Vienna should approach the newly-widowed Archduchess Elizabeth with a view to ascertaining the possibility of a marriage between her young daughter and V If.

lmse 3'robably to the astonishment both of the envoy and of his royal master, the Archduchess marie answer that her daughter was ■unwilling to enter into any negotiations •without having first renewed' her acquaintance with her royal suitor. As Jt was clearly impossible for the Princess to go to ; Spain in order to realise this condition, it _ lor a while appeared as if King Alphonso would have to seek a "wife elsewhere, for he •was not able tn undertake so long an ,ib-cnco as would be necessitated by a Tourney to Vienna. However, it was said at the time that the difficulty had been .solved by a »*,i.se suggestion made by the J J ope, who even

then took a very great interest in the you \« Archduchess. The two royal ladies made a tour in Western France ; the King made lus way over the frontier, and the incids it , known as "La Granja accident" happened so opportunely that some declared the I King had designed the injury to himself in order to render himself interesting to the ri.njarvfc c princess. Be that as it may, the King had only to come and be seen in order to conquer. 'ihe royal engagement was notified to all the courts of Europe, and it was arranged that the marviage should, take place after a three months' engagement. . . . Although 19 years have olansec 1 since Christina came as a bride-ele :t to Madrid, her triumphal entry into '.he beautiful old i-pani&h city is still remembered there. . . On November 25, 1835, within four days of the sixth anniversary of his happy marriage, Alphonso Xll's death took place. . Although it was already known that the j Qmon hoped again to become a mother in . the following spring, the Princess of the ' Asturias was proclaimed Queen, and it was found that the King had appointed Maria Christina regent. Although great sympathy was expressed for the widowed Queen and her children, it was thought impossible that she could govern the turbulent and headstrong people, among whom she had come as an entire stranger and alien so short a , time before she was called upon to assume ; ' the reins of government. With great cm- j rage and tact she applied her&elf to Iho ! , difficult task before her ; and when, onMav j 17, the news went forth that Spain had once j more a King, it had become generally recog- ' nised that in Queen Christina the country j had found a wise and strong ruler. Oha- j r act or is shown in small matters The birth j of the baby King was the signal for a somewhat acrimonious discussion as to what he should be named, and the history of Spain J was ransacked with the view to finding some name which should recall ancient glory and ensure future fame. The Queen, however, declared that the only proper name for her son was that of his father, and this, in spite of the fact tha"; ho would, in that ca«e, be Alphonso XIII. She was upheld in her decision by the Pope, who himself offered to be godfather to the fatherless King ; and the fact that the greatest Pope of modern days was the thirteenth of his name was pointed out as being a good augury. Alphonso XIII was proclaimed King on the day of lth birth, and, as was to be expected, the bab" sovereign soon became the most popular figure in Spanish life. 45