Infanta Maria Christina de Orléans

Marie-Christine d’Orléans was born on 29 October 1852 at the Palacio de San Telmo in Seville and died there on 28 April 1879 at the age of 26. She was the daughter of Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, son of the French King Louis-Philippe, and the Spanish Infanta Luisa Fernande, youngest daughter of King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Because of her father’s close ties to the Spanish royal family, Marie-Christine and her siblings held the titles of Infante or Infanta of Spain. Marie-Christine spent her childhood and youth in Seville. Her parents were required to live there to remain apart from the intrigues at the court of her aunt Isabella II, her mother’s sister. She was the third daughter among her parents’ ten children. Many of her siblings died in childhood; besides Marie-Christine, only Marie-Isabelle, Marie-Amélie, Mercedes, and Antoine survived early childhood. At her baptism, she received the name María Cristina Francisca de Paula Antonieta, commemorating her godfather, Francis of Paula, Duke of Cádiz, and her maternal grandmother, Queen Marie-Christine of the Two Sicilies. Marie-Christine belonged to an extensive European princely family whose connections were closely tied to the French and Spanish monarchies. She was especially close to her younger sister Mercedes, who was born eight years after her. On 23 January 1878, Mercedes married her cousin, Alfonso XII of Spain. Their marriage was based on personal affection rather than political considerations and helped improve relations between Isabella II and her sister, the Duchess of Montpensier. The family’s happiness lasted only a short time. Just a few months after the wedding, Queen Mercedes fell ill with typhus and died on 26 June 1878. Her death plunged the royal family into deep mourning. Alfonso XII was particularly devastated, having become a widower at only 20 years of age. At the same time, he had no heir and therefore soon had to seek a new wife. In the months that followed, he turned to Marie-Christine. She was willing to take the place of her deceased sister and marry the king. It soon became clear, however, that she herself was seriously ill. She was suffering from tuberculosis, and the planned marriage could not take place. Marie-Christine died in her birthplace, Seville, on 28 April 1879. She was buried in the Pantheon of the Infantes at the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. On 28 November of the same year, Alfonso XII married Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria. Their marriage produced three children: Mercedes, named after the deceased queen, Maria Teresa, and Alfonso, who later ascended the Spanish throne as king. Marie-Christine’s family thus remained closely connected to the Spanish monarchy even after her early death. From 29 October 1852 until her death, Marie-Christine held the title Her Royal Highness Princess Marie-Christine of Orléans and Infanta of Spain. She was also honored with several high-ranking European distinctions. On her birthday in 1852, she was appointed a Noble Lady of the Spanish Order of Queen Maria Luisa. She was also a member of the Austro-Hungarian Order of the Starry Cross and the Bavarian Order of Theresa.