Her Imperial and Royal Highness Maria Christina, Princess Imperial,
Archduchess of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (Maria
Christina Désirée Henriette Felicitas Rainiera von Hapsburg, 21 July
1858-6 February 1929) was the second Queen consort of King Alfonso XII
of Spain and was Queen Regent of Spain during the minority of her son
Alfonso XIII, from 21 July 1886 - 7 May 1902.
Known to her family as Christa, she was born at Zidlochovice Castle
(Gross Seelowitz), near Brno, in Moravia, a daughter of Archduke Karl
Ferdinand and his wife, Archduchess Elisabeth.
Archduchess Maria Christina married King Alfonso XII of Spain on 29 November 1879
at the Royal Palace in Madrid, and became the mother of his only three
legitimate children: Infanta Maria de las Mercedes of Spain, Maria Theresa,
and Alfonso.
His previous wife was Infante Maria de las Mercedes of
Spain, who died four years after their marriage, leaving no issue.
This important stomacher of diamonds was a wedding gift to her, she
wore it together with a lots of diamond jewels and two revieres of large
diamonds as broderie on her corsage.
At least the owner of Queen Maria Christina´s big stomacher (slightly
altered) is well known - it is Tita Thyssen-Bornemisza - the step-mother
of Francesca Habsburg
Gifts for Queen Mercedes, first wife of King Alfonso XII 1878:
- A crown surrounded of brilliants - from the bridegroom
- A pearlnecklace of 8 strands of costly indian pearls (bought for 300.000 franc in Paris) - from King Alfonso XII,the bridegroom
- Earrings of real pearls and diamonds, the whole value of 700.000 franc - from King Alfonso XII, the bridegroom
- A admirable diadem of diamonds, which can be broken up for claps to a robe - from the father of the bridegroom, Francis d´Assisi.
- A pair of bracelets of diamonds - from Queen Victoria of England
The crown which the Queen was decorated with after the wedding ceremony was weight 21 ounce and made up of 5000 diamonds, some of them in the weight of 8 carat.
Another wedding gift from the bridegroom, a casket:
A casket of Lapis Lazuli, created in Paris. It rests on four lion feets and is 40cm high and 80cm wide. The casket is decorated with rosen festoons in gold, which are a masterpiece of fine metal work. The small key shows a rosen miniature with it´s knob. The inside of the casket is dressed with Lapis Lazuli and decorated with diamond pins. In this casket will the letter correspondences of the new couple from the period of engagement be keeping. In one of the sections of the casket the 8 strands of the costly indian pearls left to the bride by the king was kept.
Gifts for Maria Christine, second wife of King Alfonso XII 1879:
- A dimond jewel crown - from the bridegroom
- Two splendid rosettes of diamonds and emeralds - from Queen Isabella
- A brooch in brilliants in the form of a lily - from the father of bridegroom, Francis d´Assisi Alfonso XII of Spain (November 28, 1857-November 25, 1885), was king
of Spain, reigning from 1875 to 1885, after a coup d'état restored the
monarchy and ended the ephemeral First Spanish Republic. He was son
of Isabella II of Spain. His biological paternity is uncertain, though
his legal paternity is not: his mother was married to her homosexual
cousin Maria Fernando 'Francisco' de Asis, Infante, and king Consort
of Spain, eldest son of the duke of Cadiz, at the time of Alfonso's
conception and birth. Alfonso's biological father is said to have been
Enrique Puig y Moltó, a captain of the guard, or General Serrano. When
Queen Isabella and her husband were forced to leave Spain by the revolution
of 1868, Alfonso accompanied them to Paris, and from there he was sent
to the Theresianum at Vienna to continue his studies. On June 25, 1870
he was recalled to Paris, where his mother abdicated in his favour,
in the presence of a number of Spanish nobles who had followed the fortunes
of the exiled queen. He assumed the title of Alfonso XII; for although
no king of united Spain had previously borne the name, the Spanish monarchy
was regarded as continuous with the more ancient monarchy, represented
by the eleven kings of León and Castile also named Alfonso.
On January 23, 1878 Alphonso married his cousin, Princess Maria de las
Mercedes, daughter of the duc de Montpensier, but she died within six
months of her marriage. Towards the end of the same year a young workman
of Tarragona, Oliva Marcousi, fired at the king in Madrid. On November
29, 1879 he married a much more distant relative, Archduchess Maria
Christina of Austria, daughter of Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria.
She died at the Royal Palace in Madrid.
