Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain

Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, born on March tenth, seventeen ninety-four, was the youngest son of Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. He was not only the brother of Ferdinand VII but also the uncle and father-in-law of Queen Isabella II. His early education at the Spanish court was disrupted by the Napoleonic intervention, leading to his exile in May eighteen oh eight, which sparked a popular uprising that was brutally quelled by French forces.

For a decade, Francisco lived in exile alongside his parents, initially in Marseille and later in Rome. In eighteen eighteen, he returned to Spain at the behest of his brother, King Ferdinand VII, who honored him with various privileges. A man of artistic inclinations, Francisco was an amateur singer and painter. The following year, he married his niece, Princess Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily, the eldest daughter of his sister Maria Isabella. Together, they had eleven children and were deeply involved in political matters.

During the regency of Isabella II, Francisco found himself sidelined by his sister-in-law, Queen Maria Christina. Aligning with the liberals, he and Luisa Carlotta became active in opposition politics, which forced them to flee to France in eighteen thirty-eight. They returned to Spain under the regency of General Baldomero Espartero but were soon exiled again due to their conspiratorial activities against him.

The proclamation of Queen Isabella II's majority allowed the couple to return to Spain, where they hoped to marry their eldest son, Infante Francisco de Asis, to the Queen. After Luisa Carlotta's death in eighteen forty-four, Queen Isabella II married Francisco de Asis in October eighteen forty-six, elevating Francisco de Paula's status at court. However, his attempts to influence politics led to a brief exile in eighteen forty-nine. In eighteen fifty-two, with the Queen's consent, he entered into a morganatic marriage, living until his death in eighteen sixty-five.