Early Years and First Marriage
Born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy on 27 April 1806, she was the daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies by his second wife, Maria Isabella of Spain.
Maria Christina married King Ferdinand VII of Spain on 11 December 1829 in Madrid. Ferdinand was her uncle by birth and by marriage. Like her mother Maria Isabella, Ferdinand was a child of King Charles IV of Spain and his wife, Maria Luisa of Parma. With the death of the King's third wife on 27 May 1829, Ferdinand's desperation to father an heir for his crown resulted in his fourth marriage just seven months later.
The new queen, Maria Christina, rapidly gave birth to two daughters, Isabella (the future Queen Isabella II, 1830–1904) and the Infanta Luísa Fernanda (1832–1897).
Read more about this topic: Maria Christina Of The Two Sicilies
Famous quotes containing the words early, years and/or marriage:
“As I went forth early on a still and frosty morning, the trees looked like airy creatures of darkness caught napping; on this side huddled together, with their gray hairs streaming, in a secluded valley which the sun had not penetrated; on that, hurrying off in Indian file along some watercourse, while the shrubs and grasses, like elves and fairies of the night, sought to hide their diminished heads in the snow.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The child-rearing years are relatively short in our increased life span. It is hard for young women caught between diapers and formulas to believe, but there are years and years of freedom ahead. I regret my impatience to get on with my career. I wish I’d relaxed, allowed myself the luxury of watching the world through my little girl’s eyes.”
—Eda Le Shan (20th century)
“Who of us is mature enough for offspring before the offspring themselves arrive? The value of marriage is not that adults produce children but that children produce adults.”
—Peter De Vries (20th century)