Read the fun facts and answer the following questions.
Discussion:
(1) People call her “The Queen of Sad Mischance”. People also say that “her life is a tale of heartbreak, intrigue, and countless betrayals”. Do you agree or disagree? Please explain with evidence. (2) What are the bright sides of her life? Please explain with evidence. (3) What do you think about Isabella II? What kind of personality does she have?
1. She Had A Disastrous Start
Isabella II’s life didn’t exactly have the most amazing start. Born on October 10, 1830, Isabella’s father was the problematic King Ferdinand VII of Spain, who some historians describe as “incompetent, despotic, and short-sighted.” Her mom was Queen María Cristina, Ferdinand’s fourth wife (yikes!) and niece (double yikes!). Why did Isabella’s dad marry his own niece, you ask? The answer is simple, though incredibly messed-up.
2. She Was The Product Of Desperation
You see, Isabella’s dad desperately needed an heir—a male heir, to be exact—and none of his previous wives managed to produce one. Marrying María Cristina was the aging Ferdinand’s last chance at producing an heir, so you can imagine how incredibly disappointed Isabella II’s dad must’ve been when she popped into the world—a baby girl through and through. Isabella’s dear old dad wasn’t going to throw in the towel though. Instead, he did something that completely changed Isabella’s life.
3. Her Mother’s Secret Marriage
In 1840, Isabella suffered a shocking loss. News of her mother’s secret marriage to a low-ranking officer went public, making her deeply unpopular. This, combined with the political unrest sweeping through Spain, caused Isabella’s army to turn against her own mother. They demanded that she step aside as regent. Isabella’s mother agreed; she left Spain, leaving Isabella’s fate in the hands of a powerful man in court.
4. She Became A Child Queen
In 1843, two prominent Spanish generals (Leopoldo O’Donnell and Ramón María Narváez) deposed Espartero in a coup d’état, leaving Isabella without a powerful supporter. They formed their own government, and forced the parliament to declare Isabella of age to take the throne on November 10, 1843…at just 13 years old! This trapped her in a dangerous game of political treachery and manipulation.
5. Her husband was her 16 year-old cousin, Francisco de Asís and he was was either homosexual or impotent
Isabella found her marriage to Francisco disgusting and was utterly repulsed by her new husband. Her wedding night only made her feel worse; when a friend asked her about it, Isabella reportedly said, “What shall I tell you about a man whom I saw wearing more lace than I was wearing on our wedding night?” A year later, the disappointed queen took her love life into her own hands.
6. She fighted for her own love life
In 1847, Isabella made a reckless move that nearly ended her reign early. She publicly displayed her love for a man named General Francisco Serrano, and declared that she was more than willing to divorce her husband. The scandal rocked Spain’s political world and badly shook her supporters’ confidence in their queen, but Isabella had plenty of reasons to divorce her cousin.
7. She Was Outrageous
Although Isabella’s antics probably cost her political advisors many sleepless nights, the populace adored her for her apparent generosity. For example, on April 23, 1848, Isabella forgave a debt of over 100,000,000 reales owed to her by the state, declaring that, “The future doesn’t matter to me.” She even donated diamonds to the poor. In fact, she started giving away so much money that one of her ministers finally put his foot down in a very dramatic fashion. But… She Had No Self-Control. Isabella seemed to have no idea just how much money she was throwing away. One day, she offered a donation so outlandish, so outrageous, that one of her ministers insisted that she see for herself how many coins she was willing to donate. He brought the sum she wanted to donate and laid it out on the table; the resulting mountain of coins blew Isabella away. That didn’t stop her from spending money like there was no tomorrow, though.
8. She Suffered A Devastating Loss
Isabella named her son Fernando, but the boy only lived for a few moments before tragically dying. Despite this heavy loss, Narváez forced Isabella and her husband to act as if nothing was amiss. The next year, on December 20, 1851, Isabella gave birth to Maria Isabel Francisca, finally giving Spain an heir to the throne… But not everyone celebrated the birth of Isabella’s baby girl.
9. She Won Some Of Her Fights
The following decade saw major wins for Isabella II. Her forces defeated Morocco in 1860, resulting in an advantageous treaty for Isabella’s country. Her reign also resulted in the country’s retaking of Santo Domingo at the end of a four-year conflict. Although Isabella’s men lost in a conflict against Peru and Chile in 1866, things for Isabella II were relatively okay.
10. He Controlled Her With Blackmail
Isabella had a whopping twelve pregnancies throughout her life, but tragically, only five of her children lived into adulthood. Almost no one believed the children were Francisco’s, but he recognized all of them as his own. In a dark twist, Francisco actually blackmailed the Queen into keeping her mouth shut about their children’s true parentage, and the blackmail only intensified during their exile.
11. She Had Plenty Of Lovers
Isabella had numerous lovers throughout her life: politicians, engineers, actors, and more. She took on lovers during her marriage, and you can bet she took on another one after she left Francisco for good. In 1875, the exiled Queen, freed from the expectations of the Spanish elite, openly had a relationship with Ramiro de la Puente y González Nandín, her secretary and chief of staff.
