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Infanta Amalia of Spain

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Amalia of Spain
Princess Adalbert of Bavaria
Born(1834-10-12)12 October 1834
Madrid
Died27 August 1905(1905-08-27) (aged 70)
Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, Bavaria
SpousePrince Adalbert of Bavaria
IssueLudwig Ferdinand
Alfons
Isabella, Duchess of Genoa
Elvira
Clara
Names
Amalia Filipina del Pilar Blasa Bonisa Vita Rita Lutgarda Romana Judas Tadea Alberta Josefa Ana Joaquina Los Doce Apostólicos Bonifacia Domenica Bibiana Verónica
HouseHouse of Bourbon (by birth)
House of Wittelsbach (by marriage)
FatherInfante Francisco de Paula of Spain
MotherPrincess Luisa Carlotta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Infanta Amalia of Spain (Template:Lang-es) (12 October 1834 – 27 August 1905) was the youngest daughter of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain. Her eldest brother, Francisco de Asís married Queen Isabella II of Spain who was Amalia's first cousin and sister in law. She was the only one of five sisters who made a royal marriage. In 1865 she married Prince Adalbert of Bavaria, a son of King Ludwig of Bavaria. Upon her marriage she moved to Munich where she spent he rest of her life. However she remained attach to her native country and was instrumental in arranging the marriage of her eldest son Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria with her niece Infanta Paz of Spain.

Childhood

She was born at the royal Palace of Madrid on 12 October 1834 as the eleventh child and sixth daughter of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, younger brother of King Fernando VII of Spain, and his wife, Princess Luisa Carlota of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Infanta Amalia's mother was the niece of her father since her maternal grandmother, Infanta Maria Isabella of Spain, was the elder sister of Infante Francisco de Paula.

Baptized with the names Amalia Filipina del Pilar Blasa Bonisa Vita, she was born during the early reign of her first cousin Queen Isabella II of Spain. Her maternal aunt, Queen Maria Christina was the regent of Spain. However Amalia's mother, Princess Luisa Carlota of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, quarreled with her sister, the Queen regent and as a consequence they were expelled from Spain in 1838. The family moved to France living under the protection of their uncle King Louis Philippe I. After Queen Maria Christine fell from power in October 1840, Infanta Amalia' s ambitious mother made the family returned to the court of Madrid. Infanta Amalia lost her mother in January 1844, when she was eight years old. She grew up at the Spanish court and her education, shared with her feeble minded sister, Infanta Christina was rudimentary.[1]

Marriage

German landscape painted by Infanta Amalia

By the age of twenty Infanta Amalia was a plain, short and pudgy young woman. The youngest of five unremarkable sisters, she had been almost forgotten at the Spanish court. However, she was the only one among the sisters to make a royal marriage. [1]

In 1856, Prince Adalbert of Bavaria, fourth son and ninth child of King Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen approached the Spanish court in search of a wife and Amalia was offered in marriage. When Prince Adalbert arrived in Madrid, Amalia was given a considerable dowry by her sister in law Queen Isabella. The marriage was celebrated on 25 August 1856 in Madrid, the festivity of Saint Louis IX of France, Amalia's ancestor, who was patron of both France and Bavaria. Upon her marriage Amalia became a Princess of Bavaria and hereditary Princess of Greece.[1]

At her arrival at the Bavarian court her father in law, King Ludwig I of Bavaria, a great admirer of female beauty, was disappointed when he met his new daughter in law, plum and plain.[1] Infanta Amalia also shocked the court with her smoking habit.[1] Her husband Prince Adalbert was as stout as she was, but very tall. [1]He loved drinking and had affairs, but their marriage was otherwise a happy one.[1] The couple had five children:[2]

Later life

Although Infanta Amalia lived for the rest of his life in Munich, she remained attach to her native country. She visited Spain often and her eldest son Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria was born at the royal palace of Madrid. [1] She spent the winters at the residenz of Munich and the summers at Nymphenburg Palace.[3] Her husband died in 1875, Amalia outlived him for thirty years.

Amalia maintained the proximity with Spain in the next generation. All of her five children spoke Spanish fluently and she encouraged her son Ludwig Ferdinand to marry her nice and goddaughter Infanta Maria de la Paz of Spain. The couple married in 1883.[3]

She died in Nymphenburg Palace at the age of 70 on 27 August 1905[2] and was interred at St. Michael's Church in Munich.

Honours

Ancestry

Family of Infanta Amalia of Spain
16. Philip V of Spain
8. Charles III of Spain
17. Elisabeth of Parma
4. Charles IV of Spain
18. Augustus III of Poland
9. Maria Amalia of Saxony
19. Maria Josepha of Austria
2. Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain
20. Philip V of Spain (= 16)
10. Philip, Duke of Parma
21. Elisabeth of Parma (= 17)
5. Maria Luisa of Parma
22. Louis XV of France
11. Louise-Élisabeth of France
23. Maria Leszczyńska
1. Amalia Felipina of Spain
24. Charles III of Spain (= 8)
12. Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
25. Maria Amalia of Saxony (= 9)
6. Francis I of the Two Sicilies
26. Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
13. Marie Caroline of Austria
27. Maria Theresa of Austria
3. Princess Luisa Carlotta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
28. Charles III of Spain (= 8)
14. Charles IV of Spain (= 4)
29. Maria Amalia of Saxony (= 9)
7. Maria Isabella of Spain
30. Philip, Duke of Parma (= 10)
15. Maria Luisa of Parma (= 5)
31. Louise-Élisabeth of France (= 11)

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Mateos Sainz de Medrano, Ricardo, The Unconventional Sisters of King Francisco de Asis of Spain , p. 18.
  2. ^ a b Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh, ed. (1977). Burke's Royal Families of the World, Volume 1: Europe & Latin America. London: Burke's Peerage. pp. 155–156, 498. ISBN 0-85011-023-8.
  3. ^ a b Mateos Sainz de Medrano, Ricardo, The Unconventional Sisters of King Francisco de Asis of Spain , p. 19.

References

  • Mateos Sainz de Medrano. Ricardo. The Unconventional Sisters of King Francisco de Asis of Spain. The European Royal History Journal. Issue XXII, April 2001.
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