Mercedes, Princess of Asturias
| Infanta Mercedes | |
|---|---|
| Princess of Asturias | |
 |
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| Spouse | Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies |
| Issue | |
| Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria Infante Fernando Infanta Isabel Alfonsa |
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| House | House of Bourbon House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies |
| Father | Alfonso XII of Spain |
| Mother | Maria Christina of Austria |
| Born | 11 September 1880 Madrid |
| Died | 17 October 1904 (aged 24) Madrid |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Infanta María de las Mercedes of Spain (María de las Mercedes Isabel Teresa Cristina Alfonsa Jacinta) (Madrid, 11 September 1880 – Madrid, 17 October 1904), Princess of the Asturias, for all 24 years of her life the heiress presumptive to the Crown of Spain, was the eldest daughter of King Alfonso XII of Spain and his second wife, Maria Christina of Austria.
For a period from 25 November 1885 to 17 May 1886, she was the extant Head of the State of Spain. Had her younger sibling, unborn at the death of Alfonso XII, been a daughter, María Mercedes would have become Queen regnant of Spain. The sibling proved to be a boy, Alfonso XIII of Spain, and on his birth in 1886, María Mercedes lost her latent Queenship. She returned to the position of heiress presumptive of Spain, which she held until her own death, and was succeeded in it by her own infant son Alfonso, Alfonso XIII having not yet fathered a child.
Infanta María Mercedes married, in Madrid on 14 February 1901, her second cousin, Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a nephew of the King of the then-defunct Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, who was elevated to the titles of Infante of Spain and Royal Prince. She died young, when her children were still infants, giving birth to her only daughter.
She had three children:
- Don Alfonso, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain (1901–1964).
- Fernando (1903–1905), died in San Sebastián one year after her death.
- Doña Isabella Alfonsa, Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infanta of Spain (1904–1985). Married Count Jan Zamoyski (1900–1961) and had issue.
Her husband remarried and one of his daughters became the mother of the present King Juan Carlos I.
She was the 816th Dame of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa.
[edit] Ancestry
[edit] External links
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Mercedes, Princess of Asturias
Born: 11 September 1880 Died: 17 October 1904 |
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| Spanish royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Infanta Isabella |
Princess of Asturias 11 September 1880 – 17 October 1904 |
Succeeded by Infante Alfonso |
| Heir to the Throne as heiress presumptive 11 September 1880 – 17 October 1904 |
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