Editing Alfonso XII

{{short description|King of Spain from 1874 to 1885}}
{{for|the ship|Spanish cruiser Alfonso XII}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox royalty
| succession   = [[King of Spain]]
| image        = Rei Afonso XII da Espanha.jpg
| caption      = 
| moretext     = ([[List of titles and honours of the Spanish Crown|more...]])
| reign        = 29 December 1874 – 25 November 1885
| reign-type   = [[Reign of Alfonso XII|Reign]]
| cor-type     = {{nowrap|[[Enthronement#Spain|Enthronement]]}}
| coronation   = 14 January 1875
| predecessor  = [[Amadeo I of Spain|Amadeo I]] (1873)
| successor    = [[Alfonso XIII]]
| spouses      = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[María de las Mercedes of Orléans]]|1878|1878|end=d}}
* {{marriage|[[Maria Christina of Austria]]|1879}}
}}
| issue        = {{Plainlist|
* [[María de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias]]
* [[Infanta María Teresa of Spain|María Teresa, Princess Ferdinand of Bavaria]]
* [[Alfonso XIII]]
}}
| full name    = Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón
| issue-link   = #Marriages
| house        = [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]]
| father       = [[Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz]]
| mother       = [[Isabella II]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1857|11|28|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Royal Palace of Madrid]], Madrid, Spain
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1885|11|25|1857|11|28|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Royal Palace of El Pardo]], Madrid, Spain
| burial_place = [[El Escorial]]
| religion     = [[Catholic Church in Spain|Catholicism]]
| signature    = Alfonso XII of Spain signature.svg
}}

'''Alfonso XII'''{{efn|In the [[languages of Spain]], his name was: 
*[[Aragonese language|Aragonese]]: ''Alifonso XII''
*[[Asturian language|Asturian]]: ''Alfonsu XII''
*[[Basque language|Basque]]: ''Alfontso XII''
*[[Catalan language|Catalan]]: ''Alfons XII''
*[[Occitan language|Occitan]]: ''Anfós XII'' 
*[[Galician language|Galician]]: ''Afonso XII''
*Spanish: ''Alfonso XII''}} (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 1857{{snd}}25 November 1885), also known as '''''El Pacificador''''' (Spanish: '''the Peacemaker'''), was [[King of Spain]] from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885.

After the [[Glorious Revolution (Spain)|Glorious Revolution]] of 1868 deposed his mother [[Isabella II]] from the throne, Alfonso studied in [[Austria]] and France. His mother abdicated in his favour in 1870, and he returned to Spain as king in 1874 following a military coup against the [[First Spanish Republic]]. Alfonso died aged 27 in 1885, leaving his pregnant widow, [[Maria Christina of Austria]], as regent of Spain. Their son, [[Alfonso XIII]], became king upon his birth the following year. Maria Christina continued as regent until Alfonso XIII came of age in 1902.

==Paternity, early life, and exile==
Alfonso was born in [[Madrid]] as the eldest son of the reigning Queen [[Isabella II of Spain|Isabella II]] on 28 November 1857. His official father, Isabella's husband [[Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz|Francisco de Asís]], has been generally viewed as effeminate, impotent or homosexual, leading writers to question his biological paternity. There is speculation that Alfonso's biological father may have been Enrique Puigmoltó y Mayans, a captain of the guard.<ref>Juan Sisinio Pérez Garzón, Isabel II: Los Espejos de la Reina (2004)</ref>{{page needed|date=January 2025}} Others have assigned the fatherhood to Federico Puig Romero, a [[colonel]] who was murdered under unclear circumstances in 1866.<ref>{{cite web |title=Maria Nieves Michavila presenta un libro sobre la paternidad del hijo de la reina Isabel II |date=11 February 2016|url=https://www.levante-emv.com/horta/2016/02/11/maria-nieves-michavila-presenta-libro-12458899.html}}</ref> The relationship of the queen with Puigmoltó was so much of a public hearsay at the time that Francisco de Asís initially refused to attend the baptism ceremony of Alfonso (the heir apparent), though he was eventually forced to do so.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://revistaaportes.com/index.php/aportes/article/viewFile/60/48|title=Influencias en la imagen pública y privada de una reina: Isabel II (1833–1868)|first=María Inmaculada|last=Bermúdez Ruíz-Cabello|journal=Aportes|issn=0213-5868|issue=83|volume=28|year=2013|pages=129}}</ref>

These rumours were used as political propaganda against Alfonso by the [[Carlists]], and he came to be widely nicknamed "Puigmoltejo" in reference to his supposed father.<ref>[[Jaime Ignacio del Burgo|Burgo Tajadura, Jaime Ignacio del]] (2008). ''Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia'', p. 242: "A few months later, on the night of November 28 at 10:15, the queen gave birth to a child, who in time would be Alfonso XII, to whom the tongues, more or less deridingly, gave the name of Puigmoltejo". {{ISSN|0034-0626}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=El puñal del godo en la familia Borbón |date=30 June 2017|url=https://www.elespanol.com/opinion/tribunas/20170629/227597240_12.html}}</ref> His mother's accession had created a second cause of instability, the [[Carlist Wars]], where the supporters of [[Infante Carlos, Count of Molina|Don Carlos, Count of Molina]] as King of Spain rose to have him enthroned.

In addition, within the context of the post-Napoleonic restorations and revolutions which engulfed Europe and the Americas, both the Carlistas and the Isabelino conservatives were opposed to the new Napoleonic constitutional system. Much like in Britain, which subtracted itself from the liberal constitutional process, Spanish conservatives wanted to continue with the traditional Organic Laws, such as the [[Fuero Juzgo]], the Novísima Recopilación and the [[Siete Partidas|Partidas of Alfonso X]]. This led to a third cause of instability, the independence of most of the American possessions, recognized between 1823 and 1850.

When Queen Isabella II and her husband were forced to leave Spain by the [[Glorious Revolution (Spain)|Revolution of 1868]], Alfonso accompanied them to Paris. From there, he was sent to the [[Theresianum]] in Vienna to continue his studies. On 25 June 1870, he was recalled to Paris, where his mother abdicated in his favour, in the presence of a number of Spanish nobles who had tied their fortunes to those of the exiled queen. He assumed the name Alfonso XII, for although no king of united Spain had borne the name "Alfonso", the Spanish monarchy was regarded as continuous with the more ancient monarchy represented by the 11 kings of [[Kingdom of Asturias|Asturias]], [[Kingdom of León|León]] and [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]] also named [[Alfonso]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Alphonso|display=Alphonso s.v. Alphonso XII.|volume=1|page=736}}</ref>

==The Republic==
{{main|First Spanish Republic}}

[[File:Alfonso XII con el duque de Sesto.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A young Alfonso with his mentor, the [[José Osorio y Silva|Duke of Sesto]]]]

After the revolution, the ''Cortes'' decided to set up a new dynasty on the throne. [[Amadeo I of Spain|Prince Amadeo of Savoy]], the younger son of King [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy]] and a distant cousin of Alfonso by common descent from [[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]], was recognized as King of Spain in November 1870. During a tumultuous reign, Amadeo was targeted by assassination attempts and struggled with opposition from both [[Carlism|Carlists]] and [[republicanism in Spain|republicans]] while his own faction split. After the Carlists revolted and the [[Third Carlist War]] broke out, he [[abdication|abdicated]] and returned to Italy in early 1873.<ref>{{cite web |title=AMEDEO Ferdinando Maria di Savoia, duca di Aosta, re di Spagna |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/amedeo-ferdinando-maria-di-savoia-duca-di-aosta-re-di-spagna_%28Enciclopedia-Italiana%29/}}</ref>

Following Amadeo's abandonment, the [[First Spanish Republic]] was established, including the territories of [[Captaincy General of Cuba|Cuba]], [[Puerto Rico]] and the Pacific Archipelagos. The first act of President [[Estanislao Figueras]] was to extend the abolition of slavery to Puerto Rico; Cuban slaves would have to wait until 1889. The republicans were not in agreement either, and they had to contend with a [[Ten Years' War|war in Cuba]] and Muslim uprisings in [[Spanish Morocco]]. In the midst of these crises, the Carlist War continued and the Carlist party made itself strong in areas with claims over their national and institutional specificity such as [[Catalonia]] and the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]]. This unrest led to the creation of a group in favour of the [[Bourbon Restoration in Spain|Bourbon Restoration]], led by the moderate conservative [[Antonio Cánovas del Castillo]]. 

Alfonso was well-educated and cultured, especially compared to his mother. His tutors took great care to have him educated in good schools and to familiarize him with different cultures, languages and government models throughout Europe. During the [[Franco-Prussian War]], Alfonso relocated from Paris to [[Geneva]] with his family, and then continued his studies at the [[Theresianum]] in Vienna in 1872. Cánovas began to take responsibility for Alfonso's education with the goal of shaping him into the ideal king for the planned Bourbon Restoration, and next sent him to the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], in England.<ref name="rah">{{cite web |title=Alfonso XII |url=http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/6413/alfonso-xii|publisher=[[Real Academia de la Historia]]}}</ref> The training he received there was severe but more cosmopolitan than it would have been in Spain, given its atmosphere at the time.

On 1 December 1874, Alfonso issued the [[Manifesto of Sandhurst|Sandhurst Manifesto]], where he set the ideological basis of the Bourbon Restoration. It was drafted in reply to a birthday greeting from his followers, a manifesto proclaiming himself the sole representative of the Spanish monarchy. At the end of 1874, Brigadier [[Arsenio Martínez Campos|Martínez Campos]], who had long been working more or less openly for the king, led some battalions of the central army to [[Sagunto]], rallied the troops sent against him to his own flag, and entered [[Valencia]] in the king's name. Thereupon the President resigned, and his power was transferred to the king's plenipotentiary and adviser, Cánovas.<ref name="EB1911"/> With Cánovas disapproval (he detested the intervention of the military in politics),<ref>{{cite book| last=Carr|first=Raymond|author-link=Raymond Carr|title=Modern Spain, 1875-1980|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1980|isbn=9780192158284|oclc=6555498|page=3}}</ref> the 29 December 1875 [[pronunciamento]] of Gen. Martínez Campos in Sagunto ended the failed republic and meant the rise of the young Prince Alfonso.

==Reign==
{{Main|Reign of Alfonso XII}}
[[File:5 pesetas Alfonso XII - 1875.png|thumb|5 Peseta of Alfonso XII]]

Within a few days after Cánovas del Castillo took power as Premier, the new king, proclaimed on 29 December 1874, arrived at [[Madrid]], passing through [[Barcelona]] and [[Valencia]] and was acclaimed everywhere (1875). In 1876, a vigorous campaign against the [[Carlism|Carlists]], in which the young king took part, resulted in the defeat of [[Carlos, Duke of Madrid|Don Carlos]] and the Duke's abandonment of the struggle.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Initially led by Cánovas del Castillo as moderate prime minister, what was thought at one time as a coup aimed at placing the military in the political-administrative positions of power, in reality ushered in a civilian regime that lasted until [[Miguel Primo de Rivera|Primo de Rivera]]'s 1923 coup d'état. Cánovas was the real architect of the new regime of the Restoration.

In 1881 Alfonso refused to sanction a law by which the ministers were to remain in office for a fixed term of 18 months. Upon the consequent resignation of Cánovas del Castillo, he summoned [[Práxedes Mateo Sagasta]], the Liberal leader, to form a new cabinet.<ref name="EB1911"/>

[[File:Homburg Castle Monarchs.jpg|thumb|left|Alfonso surrounded by his relative European monarchs and their spouses at [[Homburg Castle]] in 1883. [[Edward VII]], [[Wilhelm I]] and [[Carlos I of Portugal|Carlos I]] can be seen amongst others]]

In order to eliminate one of the problems of the reign of [[Isabella II of Spain|Isabel II]], the single party and its destabilizing consequences, the Liberal Party was allowed to incorporate and participate in national politics, and the '[[Turno|turnismo]]' or alternation was to become the new system. Turnismo would be endorsed in the [[Spanish Constitution of 1876|Constitution of 1876]] and the [[Pact of El Pardo]] (1885). It meant that liberal and conservative prime ministers would succeed each other ending thus the troubles.

This led to the end of the Carlist revolts and the victory over the New York-backed Cuban revolutionaries, and led to a huge backing both by insular and peninsular Spaniards of Alfonso.<ref>Ancede, M. (2020). The Spanish explorer who desecrated graves in the name of science. El Pais.</ref>

[[File:King Alfonso XII.jpg|thumb|right|Photograph of Alfonso XII, {{circa|1884}}]]

Alfonso's short reign established the foundations for the final socioeconomic recuperation of Spain, bringing an end to the political instability that had dominated Spain for the past two-thirds of a century (see [[History of Spain (1808–1874)]]). Both Europe (the coastal regions, such as the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Asturias) and the colonies in the Antilles and Pacific were able to grow steadily. Cuba and Puerto Rico prospered to the point that Spain's first train was not in Spain proper but between [[Havana]] and [[Güines]] in Cuba, and the first telegraph in Latin America was in Puerto Rico, established by [[Samuel Morse]], whose daughter and son-in-law lived there. Upon the [[Puerto Rico campaign|American invasion of Puerto Rico]], ten US dollars were needed to buy one Puerto Rican peso.

==Marriages==
On 23 January 1878 at the Basilica of [[Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Atocha|Atocha]] in Madrid, Alfonso married his first cousin, Princess [[Mercedes of Orléans|María de las Mercedes]], but she died, aged only 18, of typhoid fever, their marriage only lasting five months and three days.<ref name="EB1911"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Alfonso XII {{!}} Real Academia de la Historia |url=https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/6413/alfonso-xii |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=dbe.rah.es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=02 Nov 1878 - The Death of the Young Queen of Spain. - Trove |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3147553 |access-date=2025-04-12 |publisher=Nla.gov.au}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=MCNBiografias.com |title=María de las Mercedes. Reina de España (1860-1878) » MCNBiografias.com |url=http://www.mcnbiografias.com/app-bio/do/show?key=maria-de-las-mercedes-reina-de-espanna |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=mcnbiografias.com}}</ref>

[[File:FOTOGRAFIA DEL REY ALFONSO XII, LA REINA M. CRISTINA Y LA PRINCESA DE ASTURIAS (1880).jpg|thumb|right|King Alfonso XII and [[Maria Christina of Austria|Queen Maria Christina]] with their daughter [[Mercedes, Princess of Asturias|Mercedes]] in 1880]]
On 29 November 1879 at the Basilica of Atocha in [[Madrid]], Alfonso married his double third cousin, Archduchess [[Maria Christina of Austria]]. During the honeymoon, a pastry cook named Otero fired at the young sovereign and his wife as they were driving in Madrid.<ref name="EB1911"/>

The children of this marriage were:
* [[María de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias|María de las Mercedes]], Princess of Asturias, (11 September 1880{{snd}}17 October 1904), married on 14 February 1901 to [[Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]. She was titular heir to the throne of Spain from the death of her father until the posthumous birth of her brother.
* [[Infanta María Teresa of Spain|María Teresa]], (12 November 1882{{snd}}23 September 1912), married to [[Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria]] on 12 January 1906
* [[Alfonso XIII]] (17 May 1886{{snd}}28 February 1941). Born posthumously. He married [[Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg]]

Alfonso had two sons by [[Elena Sanz|Elena Armanda Nicolasa Sanz y Martínez de Arizala]] (15 December 1849, in [[Castellón de la Plana]] – 24 December 1898, in Paris):
* Alfonso Sanz y Martínez de Arizala (28 January 1880, in Madrid{{snd}}19 March 1970, in Paris), married in 1922 to María de Guadalupe de Limantour y Mariscal
* [[Fernando Sanz y Martínez de Arizala]] (28 February 1881, in Madrid{{snd}}8 January 1925, in [[Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques|Pau]], France), unmarried and without issue

==Death and impact==
[[File:Muerte de Alfonso XII o el Último Beso.jpg|thumb|right|''Death of Alfonso XII'' or ''The last kiss'', by {{ill|Juan Antonio Benlliure|es}}]]
In November 1885, Alfonso died aged 27 at the [[Royal Palace of El Pardo]] near Madrid. He had been suffering from [[tuberculosis]], but the immediate cause of his death was a recurrence of [[dysentery]].<ref>"Death of the King of Spain", ''[[The Times]]'' (26 November 1885): 7.</ref>

In 1902, his widow Maria Cristina initiated a national contest to build a [[Monument to Alfonso XII|monument in memory of Alfonso]]. The winning design, by [[José Grases Riera]], was constructed in an artificial lake in Madrid's [[Parque del Buen Retiro]] in 1922.

Coming to the throne at such an early age, Alfonso had served no apprenticeship in the art of ruling. Benevolent and sympathetic in disposition, he won the affection of his people by fearlessly visiting districts ravaged by [[cholera]] or devastated by the [[1884 Andalusian earthquake]]. His capacity for dealing with men was considerable, and he never allowed himself to become the instrument of any particular party. During his short reign, peace was established both at home and abroad, finances were well regulated, and the various administrative services were placed on a basis that afterwards enabled Spain to pass through the disastrous [[Spanish–American War|war with the United States]] without the threat of a revolution.<ref name="EB1911"/>

==Honours==
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Spain (1785–1873, 1875–1931).svg}} [[History of Spain (1810–1873)|Spain]]: [[Order of the Golden Fleece|Knight of the Golden Fleece]], ''1857''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antiquesatoz.com/sgfleece/knights6.htm |title=Chevaliers de la Toisón d'Or – Knights of the Golden Fleece |last= Boettger|first=T. F.|website=La Confrérie Amicale|access-date=25 June 2019}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kingdom of Portugal}}: [[Order of the Tower and Sword|Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword]], ''1861''<ref name = "TowerAndSword">{{cite web|url=https://geneall.net/en/title/25080/grand-crosses-of-the-order-of-the-tower-and-sword/|title=Grand Crosses of the Order of the Tower and Sword|website=geneall.net}} Retrieved 22 September 2018.</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} [[Second French Empire|French Empire]]: Grand Cross of the [[Legion of Honour]], ''March 1863''<ref>{{cite book| author = M. Wattel, B. Wattel. | title = Les Grand'Croix de la Légion d'honneur de 1805 à nos jours. Titulaires français et étrangers |location= Paris |date = 2009 |publisher= Archives & Culture | page = 448 | isbn = 978-2-35077-135-9| ref = M. et B. Wattel}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kingdom of Bavaria}}: [[Order of St. Hubert|Knight of St. Hubert]], ''1865''<ref>{{cite book|title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern: 1877|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UPMxe-rjK0oC&pg=PA8|year=1877|publisher=Landesamt|page=8}}</ref>
* {{flag|Monaco}}: [[Order of Saint-Charles|Grand Cross of St. Charles]], ''7 September 1865''<ref>[http://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/Journaux/1865/Journal-0379 Journal de Monaco]</ref>
* {{flag|Belgium}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]] (civil), ''20 February 1866''<ref>{{cite book|title=Almanach royal officiel de Belgique|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kqBCAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA53|year=1867|publisher=Librairie polytechnique De Decq|page=53}}</ref>
* {{flag|Austria-Hungary}}: [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary|Grand Cross of St. Stephen]], ''1875''<ref>[http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm "A Szent István Rend tagjai"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222022855/http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|date=22 December 2010}}</ref>
* {{flag|Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach}}: [[Order of the White Falcon|Grand Cross of the White Falcon]], ''1875''<ref>''[https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00183988/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_15_0021.tif Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007030638/https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00183988/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_15_0021.tif |date=7 October 2019 }}'' (1885), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 14</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1803-1892).svg}} [[Kingdom of Prussia]]: [[Order of the Black Eagle|Knight of the Black Eagle]], ''13 June 1875''<ref name="prus">{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste|volume=1|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878864&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878864&view=1up&seq=18&skin=2021 14]|chapter=Schwarzer Adler-orden|lang=German|location=Berlin|year=1877}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Sweden|1844}} {{flagicon|Norway|1844}} [[Sweden-Norway]]: [[Order of the Seraphim|Knight of the Seraphim]], ''23 October 1877''<ref>{{citation|title=Sveriges statskalender|year=1881|page=378|url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1881/0404.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=6 January 2018|language=sv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611181811/http://runeberg.org/statskal/1881/0404.html|archive-date=11 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flag|Denmark}}: [[Order of the Elephant|Knight of the Elephant]], ''8 January 1878''<ref>{{cite book|author=Jørgen Pedersen|title=Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glw-AQAAIAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Syddansk Universitetsforlag|language=da|isbn=978-87-7674-434-2|page=470}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}: [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation|Knight of the Annunciation]], ''4 February 1878''<ref name="dell'interno1884">{{cite book|author=Italia : Ministero dell'interno|title=Calendario generale del Regno d'Italia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nI42-d6rlRQC&pg=PR1|year=1884|publisher=Unione tipografico-editrice|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nI42-d6rlRQC&pg=PA48 48]}}</ref>
* {{flag|Empire of Japan}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]], ''11 September 1879''<ref>{{cite book|author=刑部芳則|title=明治時代の勲章外交儀礼|url=http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|year=2017|publisher=明治聖徳記念学会紀要|language=ja|page=143}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}: [[Order of the Garter|Stranger Knight Companion of the Garter]], ''24 October 1881''<ref name=p62>Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) ''The Knights of England'', '''I''', London, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n155/mode/2up p. 62]</ref>
* {{flag|Kingdom of Saxony}}: [[Order of the Rue Crown|Knight of the Rue Crown]], ''1883''<ref>{{cite book|author=Sachsen|title=Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1886/87|year=1886–1887|publisher=Heinrich|chapter=Königlich Orden|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924012426437&view=1up&seq=27 5]|location=Dresden|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
| boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc;
| boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9;
| boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc;
| boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc;
| boxstyle_5 = background-color: #9fe;
| 1 = 1. '''Alfonso XII of Spain'''
| 2 = 2. [[Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz|Infante Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz]]
| 3 = 3. [[Isabella II of Spain]]
| 4 = 4. [[Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain]]
| 5 = 5. [[Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies|Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies]]
| 6 = 6. [[Ferdinand VII|Ferdinand VII of Spain]]
| 7 = 7. [[Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies|Princess Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies]]
| 8 = 8. [[Charles IV of Spain]]
| 9 = 9. [[Maria Luisa of Parma|Princess Maria Luisa of Parma]]
| 10 = 10. [[Francis I of the Two Sicilies]]
| 11 = 11. [[Maria Isabella of Spain|Infanta Maria Isabella of Spain]]
| 12 = 12. [[Charles IV of Spain]] (= 8)
| 13 = 13. [[Maria Luisa of Parma|Princess Maria Luisa of Parma]] (= 9)
| 14 = 14. [[Francis I of the Two Sicilies]] (= 10)
| 15 = 15. [[Maria Isabella of Spain|Infanta Maria Isabella of Spain]] (= 11)
}}

==See also==
* [[Monument to Alfonso XII]]
* [[Reign of Alfonso XII]]
* [[Regency of Maria Christina of Austria]]
== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Alfonso XII of Spain}}
* [http://historiaantiqua.byethost8.com/paginas/liberalismo.htm#AlfonsoXII Historiaantiqua.] ''Alfonso XII; (Spanish)'' (2008)

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{{S-hou|[[House of Bourbon]]|28 November|1857|25 November|1885|[[Capetian dynasty]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Spain]]|years= 1874–1885}}
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{{S-roy|es}}
{{s-break}}
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{{Monarchs of Spain}}
{{Infantes of Spain}}
{{Princes of Asturias}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfonso 12}}
[[Category:Alfonso XII| ]]
[[Category:1857 births]]
[[Category:1870s in Spain]]
[[Category:1880s in Spain]]
[[Category:1885 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century deaths from tuberculosis]]
[[Category:19th-century Spanish monarchs]]
[[Category:Burials in the Pantheon of Kings at El Escorial]]
[[Category:Captain generals of the Navy]]
[[Category:Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic]]
[[Category:Collège Stanislas de Paris alumni]]
[[Category:Crosses of Military Merit]]
[[Category:Crosses of Naval Merit]]
[[Category:Deaths from dysentery]]
[[Category:Extra Knights Companion of the Garter]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of Military Merit]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of Naval Merit]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegild]]
[[Category:Grand masters of the Order of Alcántara]]
[[Category:Grand masters of the Order of Calatrava]]
[[Category:Grand Masters of the Order of Isabella the Catholic]]
[[Category:Grand masters of the Order of Montesa]]
[[Category:Grand masters of the Order of Santiago]]
[[Category:Grand masters of the Order of the Golden Fleece]]
[[Category:Grand Masters of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegild]]
[[Category:House of Bourbon (Spain)]]
[[Category:Infectious disease deaths in Spain]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic]]
[[Category:Knights of Calatrava]]
[[Category:Knights of Santiago]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of Alcántara]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of Montesa]]
[[Category:Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand]]
[[Category:Navarrese titular monarchs]]
[[Category:Nobility from Madrid]]
[[Category:People of the Third Carlist War]]
[[Category:Princes of Asturias]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild]]
[[Category:Restoration (Spain)]]
[[Category:Sons of queens regnant]]
[[Category:Spanish captain generals]]
[[Category:Spanish infantes]]
[[Category:Tuberculosis deaths in Spain]]