Maria Isabelle of Braganza (Reign of Three Monarchies)

Marie Isabelle of Braganza (21 September 1846 – 23 April 1919) was Spanish princess, and was queen of France as the wife of Louis XVIII, and powerful regent of France during the minority of her son, Louis XIX from 1875 to 1887. She was queen regent during the vacancy of the throne between her husband's death in November 1874 and the birth of their son Louis XIX in May 1875, and subsequently also until the coming of age of the latter in May 1887.

During her regency, Émile Ollivier served as France's prime minister. Accounts of French court life of her era emphasize her difficult marital relations with her husband, her closeness to her son Louis XIX, and her disapproval of her son's marital infidelity to her daughter-in-law Queen Louise of Wales.

Princess
Born at the Palace of the Counts of Benavente in Valladolid, Spain, and baptised María Isabel Francisca de Asís Antonia. She was the eldest daughter of Queen Maria Isabella of Spain and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She held the titles of Infanta of Spain and of Portugal (since her mother was queen of Portugal as well as Spain) and Princess of Brazil and Duchess of Braganza. Despite her Spanish birth, she was referred to as Marie Isabelle of Braganza because the rulers of Spain belonged to the senior branch of the House of Braganza. Marie Isabelle was raised mainly at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid. Unusual for a royal princess, Marie Isabelle grew up close to her parents, who were very religious. She was raised to be religious too, and was often taken to visit monasteries during her childhood.

Queen of France
At age eleven, Marie Isabelle was betrothed to King Louis XVIII of France. Her father gave her a dowry of 500,000 crowns and many beautiful jewels. For fear that Louis XVIII would die early, the Spanish court stipulated that she would return to Spain with her dowry, jewels, and wardrobe if he did die. Prior to the marriage, Marie Isabelle renounced all succession rights she had for herself and her descendants by Louis, with a provision that she would resume her rights should she be left a childless widow.

On 18 October 1863, Louis and Marie Isabelle were married by proxy in Burgos while Louis's sister, Mercedes of France, and Marie Isabelle's brother, Alfonso XII of Spain, were married by proxy in Bordeaux. These marriages followed the tradition of cementing military and political alliances between France and Spain that began with the marriage of Philip II of Spain to Elisabeth of Valois in 1559 as part of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. Marie Isabelle and Elisabeth were exchanged on the Isle of Pheasants between Hendaye and Fuenterrabía.

Marie Isabelle and Louis, both fourteen years old, were pressured to consummate their marriage in order to forestall any possibility of future annulment, but Louis ignored his bride. Marie Isabelle, surrounded by her entourage of high-born Spanish ladies-in-waiting headed by Inés de la Torre, continued to live according to Spanish etiquette and failed to improve her French.

In 1865, Marshal Étienne Maurice Gérard became Prime Minister in a palace coup d'état. During the years he was in the ascendancy, the Duke of Luynes attempted to remedy the formal distance between Louis and his queen. He sent away Inés de la Torre and the other Spanish ladies and replaced them with French ones, notably the Anne Debelle, Princesse d'Essling, and the dame d'honneur, Pauline de Bassano. Marie Isabelle began to dress in the French manner, and in 1867 Gérard pressed the king to bed his queen. Some affection developed, to the point where it was noted that Louis was distracted during a serious illness of the queen.

After giving birth to two female children Princess Amélie d'Mercedes (born 1864) and Princess Helene Teresa (born 1867)—she ensured dynastic continuity, yet, with the threatening landmark for the ruling dynasty set by the previous Legitimists Wars, she was still pressured to undergo a new pregnancy and give birth to a male child in order to consolidate the political system, as it was considered at the time.

Public Life
Despite a climate of distrust, Marie Isabelle faithfully performed the duties of an queen, entertaining guests and accompanying the king to balls, opera, and theater. As Queen, Marie Isabelle was considered by some as extravagant, but far more for her many charitable works in aid of the French people. She was known by the French people as an "angel of charity" and "mother of the poor" for her compassion and work on social causes. At a masquerade ball in 1865, she changed her costume three times. When the French parliament discussed her expenses, she replied saying "if you want a Queen, you have to pay for her". As Queen, she was largely responsible for the interiors of the Hôtel du Palais and the Nouveau Palais.

In 1868, Queen Marie Isabelle visited the Dolmabahçe Palace in Constantinople, the home to Pertevniyal Sultan, mother of Abdülaziz, 32nd sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Pertevniyal became outraged by the forwardness of Marie Isabelle taking the arm of one of her sons while he gave a tour of the palace garden, and she gave the empress a slap on the stomach as a reminder that they were not in France. According to another account, Pertevniyal perceived the presence of a foreign woman within her quarters of the seraglio as an insult. She reportedly slapped Marie Isabelle across the face, almost resulting in an international incident.

She was a staunch defender of papal temporal powers in Italy and of ultramontanism. As part of her role as a member of French royalty, Marie Isabelle visited churches and convents across France, where she met Marguerite de Veny d'Arbouze at the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce de la-Ville-d'Evêque. As well as securing from the King the position of Abbess at the Benedictine Val-de-Grâce de Notre-Dame-de-la-Crèche for Marguerite in 1869.

Marie was the head of the social scene. She loved to dance at the balls of high society, and she became a popular socialite and hostess of the royal balls at Nouveau. Marie Isabelle had something of a social rivalry with the Russian Tsarevna, Maria Feodorovna, and the Princess of Wales, Alexandra. The three were sister-in-laws through the second marriage of her brother Alfonso XIII and Mariana Thérèse of Denmark (Princess Thyra of Denmark). This rivalry had echoed the one shared by their husbands, Edward, Alexander, and Louis and served to exacerbate the rift between the French, Spanish, British, and Russian Royal Families.

Despite this one of Louis's goals was to have one of his children marry into the british royal family. A sentiment shared with Queen Victoria and Edward, Prince of Wales.

Regent of France
Designated as regent upon the death of her husband in 1875, despite his attempts to prevent her from obtaining the position. When the King died on 25 November 1875, Marie Isabelle was pregnant, so the throne was vacant, depending on whether Maria Isabelle's unborn child was a male or a female; a male would make that child king, while a female would place the elder daughter and Madam Royale, Amélie d'Mercedes, on the throne. During this period, Maria Christina ruled as regent until her child Louis, a son, was born on 17 May 1876; he was King (Louis XIX) from birth. Marie Isabelle continued as regent until Louis XIX attained his majority in 1881.

Her chief adviser and head of government was Émile Ollivier. Her rule is described as well-balanced and in accordance with respect for constitutional rights, and many political reforms were instated during her regency to prevent political conflicts and chaos. Her role was mostly ceremonial, and her purpose was to preserve the crown for her son until he became an adult.

Her spell as regent saw the annexation of the Kingdoms of Madagascar, Tahiti, Raiatea, Huahine, and Bora Bora.

Queen Mother
to be added