Infanta María de la Paz of Spain

Infanta María de la Paz of Spain (23 June 1862 – 4 December 1946) was a Spanish infanta. A daughter of Queen Isabella II, she married her cousin Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria. She lived the rest of her life in Germany, dedicating her time to her family, charity work and writing poetry. She wrote a book of memoirs: Through Four Revolutions: 1862–1933.

Early life

Born at the Royal Palace of Madrid on 23 June 1862, Infanta Paz was the third surviving daughter of Queen Isabella II and King Francisco. At age sixteen, Isabella was forced to marry Francisco, her double first cousin. The Queen despised her effeminate husband, and found an outlet for her passionate nature with a string of lovers. The relationship between King Francisco and his reputed children was cold and formal. Isabella II, preoccupied with her turbulent reign and her private life, alternated between periods of great affection towards her children and the distant approach to childhood that was the custom of the time.

According to historians, the true biological father of Infanta Paz was the diplomat and politician Miguel Tenorio de Castilla (1818–1916), who was secretary of Queen Isabella II for several years.

Infanta Paz probably also suspected that Tenorio de Castilla was her natural father. In 1890, in his old age, Tenorio de Castilla settled in a suite on the south wing of Nymphenburg Palace, Paz’s residence. He lived there for twenty-six years until his death on 11 December 1916. He bequeathed all his belongings to Infanta Paz, who accepted them as his universal heir.

Infanta Paz was baptized by the archbishop of Toledo with the names María de la Paz Juana Amelia Adalberta Francisca de Paula Juana Bautista Isabel Francisca de Asís. Her godmother was her paternal aunt Infanta Amalia of Spain, Princess of Bavaria. In her first years, Infanta Paz was raised alongside her sisters Infantas Pilar and Eulalia in a wing of the Royal Palace of Madrid. In the formal atmosphere of the Spanish court, the little infantas had little contact with their parents.

In 1868, when she was only six years old, Paz and her family were forced to leave Spain by the revolution (the "Glorious Revolution") that cost Queen Isabella II her throne. The royal family was at that time in San Sebastián, and on 30 September 1868, they crossed the border and went to live in exile in France. Isabella II settled in Paris with her children, while King Francisco went to live separately in Épinay. Paz was educated with her sisters Pilar and Eulalia at the Sacré-Coeur, a Catholic school run by nuns. She received her first communion in Rome from Pope Pius IX.

In 1874, Paz’s brother King Alfonso XII was restored to the throne in place of their mother Queen Isabella II. Three years later, Paz returned to Spain with her sisters Pilar and Eulalia. She lived at first in El Escorial with her mother, but later moved to the Alcázar of Seville. When Isabella II returned to live permanently in Paris, Paz and her sisters moved to the Royal Palace of Madrid with their brother King Alfonso XII. The education and care of the three young infantas was placed under the supervision of their eldest sister Infanta Isabel. Paz was particularly close to her sister Pilar, who was only one year older. In 1879, Pilar, who was of delicate health, died suddenly while the sisters were in the small town of Eskoriatza. Paz, who was seventeen at the time, was deeply affected by the death of her sister.

Of Queen Isabella’s five children to survive infancy, Paz was the one who resembled their mother most closely. Paz was short and plain with a small upward nose and a mischievous look in her small eyes. Unlike her sisters Isabel and Eulalia, Paz did not have a strong personality. She was uncomplicated, friendly and accommodating. Romantic and artistic, she was very fond of writing poems and was also a skillful painter. As a child, she studied the history of Spain, and she always remained interested in this subject. In later years, she wrote articles published in the newspaper ABC. She was also musical; she played the harp, and enjoyed songs by Paolo Tosti, as well as the operas of Giuseppe Verdi and Charles Gounod. She was also a devoted Catholic.

Marriage

By the spring of 1880, plans were made to marry Infanta Paz to her first cousin Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria. Ludwig Ferdinand’s mother was Infanta Amalia of Spain, a sister of Paz’s father King Francisco, and she was also a first cousin of Queen Isabella. Infanta Amalia wanted to marry her son to Infanta Paz, her goddaughter, and with this in mind, she wrote to her brother and her sister-in-law, who agreed to the project.

Alfonso XII, who had briefly studied in Munich with his cousin Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, invited him to Madrid in order to meet Paz. On June 5, 1880, Paz wrote on her diary: "Aunt Amalia of Bavaria (widow of Prince Adalbert) is in Paris with her sons Ludwig and Alphonso and her eldest daughter Isabella. Ludwig is eager to meet me, because he liked my portrait. My brother has invited them all to come to Madrid. The two brothers will arrive in the autumn. I have heard many good things about Ludwig. They say he is serious and polite. He probably believes that I am better looking that I really am because of the portrait. I leave everything in God's hands ... "

When Infanta Paz finally met Ludwig Ferdinand in the autumn of 1880, she found him unattractive and did not wish to marry him. Paz rebuffed the proposed marriage, but Ludwig Ferdinand did not abandon his intentions. In January 1883, Ludwig Ferdinand returned to Spain to ask for Paz's hand in marriage. While walking together in the gardens of La casa de campo on January 22, 1883, he proposed and Paz accepted. The marriage took place in the chapel of the Royal Palace of Madrid on 2 April 1883. Paz retained her rights to the Spanish crown and received an annuity of 150,000 pesetas. She was twenty years old. Among her gifts was the Bavarian sunburst tiara, which remained in the princely family until it was sold at auction in 2013.

Move to Bavaria

On their way to Munich, Paz and her husband stopped in Paris and visited King Francisco. who was living in retirement in Épinay. In Bavaria, the couple settled in Nymphenburg Palace outside Munich. Prince Ludwig Ferdinand was not only a cousin of King Ludwig II, but was well liked by him and placed in charge of some the king's financial affairs. In Munich, when Paz met King Ludwig II of Bavaria, they conversed in French, and he gave her a warm welcome. Tragically, Paz's close relationship with the Bavarian ruler ended quickly. King Ludwig II was deposed and died under mysterious circumstances in 1886. He was succeeded by his only brother, Otto, who never truly ruled as king, since he had been declared insane in 1875. Otto's uncle, Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, served as Prince Regent. During the festivities for her arrival at the Bavarian court, Paz met Prince Luitpold, who would serve as Regent of Bavaria until his death in 1912. In Spain, Paz had already met two of Luitpold’s sons: Arnulf and Leopold. The latter was married to Gisela, Archduchess of Austria, daughter of Emperor Francis Joseph; Paz and Gisela became good friends. As with all member of the Bavarian royal family, Paz was related to Luitpold's eldest son Ludwig, who became king of Bavaria in 1913 as Ludwig III. His wife Maria Theresia of Austria-Este was the half-sister of Queen Maria Christina of Spain. Paz also had friends among members of the ducal branch of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach.

Children

The marriage of Infanta Paz and Prince Ludwig Ferdinand was long and happy. They had three children. The eldest, Prince Ferdinand, followed the tradition of Bavarian-Spanish marriages and lived most of his life in Spain. Paz's youngest children inherited her artistic and literary interests. Prince Adalbert was a writer and historian; Princess Pilar was a painter and wrote a book about the reign of her cousin King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Since her eldest son settled in Spain, Paz made frequent trips to her native country to visit her Spanish grandchildren:

Infante Ferdinand of Spain, Prince of Bavaria (1884–1958); born in Madrid, he settled permanently in Spain in 1905. He married his cousin Maria Teresa, daughter of Alfonso XII of Spain.
Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1886–1970). He was a historian and diplomat. He married Countess Augusta of Seefried and had two sons. They lived in Germany.
Princess Pilar of Bavaria (1891–1987), unmarried. She worked as a painter.

Life in Bavaria

Paz's husband Prince Ludwig Ferdinand was a great music lover who played the violin with the Munich royal orchestra. Besides following a military career at the highest ranks, he practiced medicine, which he had studied at the University of Munich. He avoided palace intrigues, for he did not like court life; the couple preferred to live quietly with their three children in Nymphenburg Palace. They surrounded themselves with Spanish artists who visited Bavaria: the composer Tomás Bretón, the violist Pablo Sarasate and the painters Eduardo Rosales and José Moreno Carbonero.

In Munich, Paz dedicated a great deal of her time to charity work. She expanded an asylum for poor children in Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, called Marien-Ludwig-Ferdinand. In 1913, she founded a school in Munich within the grounds of Nymphenburg Palace that came to accommodate 38 students who came from different provinces of Spain. This institution was dissolved in 1918 at the time of the German Revolution of 1918-19 that ended the Bavarian monarchy. The Infanta was also in charge of the art exhibit held each year at the Munich Glaspalast until its destruction by fire in 1931. Besides the Spanish cultural figures mentioned above, her house was visited by writers and artist such as the composer Richard Strauss, the painter Franz von Lenbach and the Nobel prize winner Paul Heyse, among others.

From Bavaria, Infanta Paz followed the life of her Spanish family through letters from her sister Isabel. Paz's only brother King Alphonso XII died young in 1886. Paz maintained a warm relationship with her sister-in-law Queen Maria Christina, who was regent of Spain. Later, King Alphonso XIII also acquired great affection for his aunt Paz. Paz's links to her native country were reinforced with the marriage of her eldest son Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria to his first cousin Infanta Maria Teresa. In 1905, her nephew Alphonso XIII visited Paz during his European tour in search of a wife. The following year, Paz and her family went to Madrid and represented Bavaria in the wedding of King Alphonso XIII with Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg. As a wedding present, Paz gave Victoria Eugenia a crown made of gold found in the river Darro that had belonged to Isabella II.

In 1914, Infanta Paz made a journey by car to Salamanca, León, Oviedo, Covadonga and the Cantabrian coast, accompanied by the Marquis de la Vega de Anzo, her sister Infanta Isabel and her daughter Princess Pilar. At the outbreak of World War I in August that year, she stayed in Nymphenburg. Her son Adalbert, who was chief of artillery, joined the German forces. Her sister Eulalia was a frequent visitor, and she was a great help after the devastation caused by World War I

Last years

After the war and the fall of the Bavarian monarchy, Infanta Paz and her family were allowed to keep on living in Nymphenburg Palace. The family fortune was drastically reduced, but Paz still had income as a member of the Spanish royal family. She made sporadic visits to Spain. While in Madrid, she and her husband stayed at the royal palace. Paz also owned a rural property in Cuenca that she had inherited from her grandmother Queen Maria Cristina and the house of the Dukes of Riánsares in Tarancón, where she used to spend long sojourns enjoying the dry fields of La Mancha. Nearby, she bought a rural estate called Saelices that her husband transformed into a model of agricultural farming. It was bought years later by the bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. In October 1928, Paz went to the small town of Santillana del Mar, which she had visited previously in 1881, and the town council gave her a house to spend summers there.

Paz, whose name means "peace" in Spanish, honored her name in observance of pacifism. She took part in pacifist congresses of 1921 in Paris, 1923 in Friburg, 1924 in London, 1926 in Luxembourg and 1926 in Bierville, France.

Following the overthrow of her nephew Alphonso XIII in 1931, Paz lost her Spanish-derived income. Her life in Germany became more restricted with the arrival of Adolf Hitler to power in January 1933. Unlike the main branch of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach, members of the Albertine branch – to which Paz's family belonged – were not outspokenly opposed to the Nazi regime. Paz's son Adalbert and his two sons Konstantin and Alexander served in the army during World War II until they were forced out when Hitler turned against the German princes. Gestapo officers checked her house; her letters with her Spanish correspondents were opened and read before they were sent on.

In 1945, American troops entered Munich. Soldiers ransacked Paz's house and took with them some jewellery that Paz had inherited from her mother that turned out to be fake.

In 1946, Paz accidentally fell down some stairs and died some hours later. She was buried in the royal crypt in St. Michael's Church in Munich. Her husband survived her by three years.

Author

Infanta Paz wrote the following books:

Cuatro revoluciones e intermedios: Setenta años de mi vida. Memorias de la Infanta Paz. Espasa-Calpe, Madrid, 1935. Published in English as Through Four Revolutions: 1862–1933.
Aus meine Leben: Erinnereungen von Prinzessin Ludwig Ferdinand von Bayern (Munich, Georg Muller, 1917)
De mi vida. Impresiones (Madrid, 1909), De mi vida. Impresiones (Salamanca, 1911)
Buscando las huellas de Don Quijote (Freiburg, 1905).
Emmanuela Theresa von Orden St. Clara, tochter des Kurfürsten Max Emanuel von Bayern 1696–1750 (Munich, 1902, published in German and in French ).
Poesías (Freiburg,1904), Roma eterna (Munich, 1922).

She also translated the historical books written by her son Prince Adalbert from German to Spanish. Paz's personal diary was drawn upon by her son, who in taking some passages from it and adding extracts from her letters to members of her family, published a book with the title Through Four Revolutions: 1862–1933.

Honours and arms

Orders and decorations

Spain:
- Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa, 26 June 1862
- Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso XII, 16 January 1914

Arms

Heraldry of María de la Paz of Spain
Coat of arms of Infanta Paz, Princess in Bavaria (Bavaria)
Coat of Arms of Infanta Paz (as Infanta of Spain)

Ancestry

Ancestors of Infanta María de la Paz of Spain

8. Charles IV of Spain

4. Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain

9. Maria Luisa of Parma

2. Infante Francisco de Asís of Spain

10. Francis I of the Two Sicilies

5. Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies

11. Maria Isabella of Spain

1. Infanta María de la Paz of Spain

12. Charles IV of Spain (= 8)

6. Ferdinand VII of Spain

13. Maria Luisa of Parma (= 9)

3. Isabella II of Spain

14. Francis I of the Two Sicilies (= 10)

7. Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies

15. Maria Isabella of Spain (= 11)

References

Puga, 20 infantas de España, p. 133
Cierva, Alfonso y Victoria , p. 261
Vidal Sales, Francisco de Asís de Borbón y Borbón, p. 168
^ Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 15
Vidal Sales, Francisco de Asís de Borbón y Borbón , p. 169
Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 16
^ Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 18
Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 17
Infanta Paz, Cuatro revoluciones e intemedios , p. 88
Infanta Paz, Cuatro revoluciones e intemedios , p. 103
"The Bavarian Sunburst Tiara". A Tiara a Day.
"MAGNIFICENT JEWELS AND NOBLE JEWELS". Sothebys.
Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 20
^ Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 21
^ Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 24
Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 25
^ Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 22
^ Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 28
^ Rey y Cabieses, Wittelsbach y Borbón, p. 29
"Real Orden de la Reina Maria Luisa", Guóa Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1929, p. 861, retrieved 3 April 2021
"Orden Civil de alfonso XII", Guóa Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1929, p. 861, retrieved 3 April 2021

Bibliography

Aronson, Theo. Venganza real: la Corona de España, 1829–1965. Ed.Grijalbo, 1968.
Infanta Paz; Cuatro revoluciones e intemedios: Setenta años de mi vida. Espasa-Calpe, Madrid, 1935.
Infanta Eulalia; Memorias de Doña Eulalia de Borbón, Infanta de España (1864–1931). Ed. Juventud, 1954.
Baviera, S.A.R. Princesa Pilar de; Chapman-Huston, Comandante Desmond. Alfonso XIII. Col. "Z"
Puga, Maria Teresa; 20 infantas de España: Sus vidas, entre las ilusiones y el destino. Ed. Juventud, Barcelona, 1998.
Rey y Cabieses, Amadeo-Martín, Wittelsbach y Borbón: Relaciones y Enlaces Entre las Casas Reales de Baviera y de España, Siglos XIX Al XXI, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 2005
Vidal Sales, José Antonio; Francisco de Asís de Borbón y Borbón: la peripecia íntima, secreta y sentimental del esposo de Isabel II, un rey consorte afeminado y blando. Ed. Planeta, 1995

External links

Media related to Infanta María de la Paz of Spain at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Infantas of Spain
Generations indicate descent from Carlos I, under whom the crowns of Castile and Aragon were united, forming the Kingdom of Spain.
1st generation	María, Holy Roman Empress Joanna, Princess of Portugal
2nd generation	Isabel Clara Eugenia, Duchess of Brabant Catalina Micaela, Duchess of Savoy
3rd generation	Ana, Queen of France Infanta María María Ana, Holy Roman Empress Infanta Margarita
4th generation	María Teresa, Queen of France Margarita Teresa, Holy Roman Empress
5th generation	None
6th generation	None
7th generation	Mariana Victoria, Queen of Portugal María Teresa Rafaela, Dauphine of France María Antonia Fernanda, Queen of Sardinia
8th generation	Infanta María Josefa María Luisa, Holy Roman Empress Isabella, Archduchess Joseph of Austria
9th generation	Carlota Joaquina, Queen of Portugal María Amalia, Infanta Antonio Pascual of Spain María Luisa, Queen of Etruria and Duchess of Lucca María Isabel, Queen of the Two Sicilies
10th generation	Queen Isabel II Infanta Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier Isabel Fernanda, Countess Ignaz Gurowski* Infanta Luisa Teresa, Duchess of Sessa* Infanta Josefa Fernanda, Mrs. José Guëll* María Cristina, Infanta Sebastian of Portugal and Spain* Amalia, Princess Adalbert of Bavaria* María Luisa Carlota, Hereditary Princess of Saxony*
11th generation	Infanta Isabel, Countess of Girgenti Infanta María del Pilar María de la Paz, Princess Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria Infanta Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera Infanta María Isabel, Countess of Paris* Infanta Maria Amelia* Infanta María Cristina* Maria de las Mercedes, Queen of Spain*
12th generation	Maria de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias and Princess Carlos of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies María Teresa, Princess Ferdinand of Bavaria
13th generation	Infanta Beatriz, Princess of Citivella-Cesi Infanta María Cristina, Countess Marone Isabel Alfonsa, Countess Jan Kanty Zamoyski* Maria de las Mercedes, Princess Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani *
14th generation	Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz and Viscountess of La Torre Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria and Hernani
15th generation	Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo Infanta Cristina
16th generation	Leonor, Princess of Asturias Infanta Sofía
*title granted by Royal Decree

v t e Bavarian princesses by marriage
1st generation	Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
2nd generation	Princess Marie of Prussia Duchess Amalia of Oldenburg Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria Infanta Amalia of Spain
3rd generation	Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este Archduchess Gisela of Austria Princess Theresa of Liechtenstein Infanta María de la Paz of Spain Princess Louise d'Orléans
4th generation	Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria Princess Antonia of Luxembourg Archduchess Isabella of Austria Princess Maria Bona of Savoy-Genoa Infanta María Teresa of Spain Maria Luisa de Silva y Fernández de Henestrosa
5th generation	Princess Irmingard of Bavaria*
7th generation	Princess Anna of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
*also a Bavarian princess by birth

Bourbons of Spain

Philip V

Spouse(s)	Princess Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy Elisabeth Farnese
Children	Louis I* Felipe of Spain* Ferdinand VI* Charles III* Mariana Víctoria, Queen of Portugal* Philip, Duke of Parma* Maria Teresa Rafaela, Dauphine of France* Luis, Count of Chinchón* Maria Antonietta, Queen of Sardinia*
Siblings	Louis, Duke of Burgundy Charles, Duke of Berry
Grandchildren	Isabella Maria, Archduchess of Austria Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma Maria Luisa, Queen of Spain Luis, Count of Chinchón Maria Teresa, Countess of Chinchón

Louis I

Spouse(s)	Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans

Ferdinand VI

Spouse(s)	Infanta Maria Bárbara of Portugal

Charles III

Spouse(s)	Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony
Children	María Josefa Carmela Maria Luisa, Holy Roman Empress Felipe, Duke of Calabria Charles IV Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies* Gabriel Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier
Grandchildren	Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress* Luisa, Grand Duchess of Tuscany* Carlo* Maria Ana* Francis I of the Two Sicilies* Maria Christina, Queen of Sardinia* Carlo* Giuseppe* Maria Amalia, Queen of the French* Maria Antonia, Princess of Asturias* Maria Clothilde* Maria Enrichetta* Leopold, Prince of Salerno* Alberto* Maria Isabella*

Charles IV

Spouse(s)	Princess Maria Luisa of Parma
Children	Charlotte, Queen of Portugal Maria Amalia Maria Louisa, Duchess of Lucca Ferdinand VII Carlos, Count of Molina Maria Isabella, Queen of the Two Sicilies Francisco de Paula
Grandchildren	Carlos, Count of Montemolin Juan, Count of Montizón Fernando Isabel Francis, Duke of Cádiz Henry, Duke of Seville Luisa, Duchess of Moscoso Josefina Maria Cristina, Infanta of Portugal Amelia Philippina, Princess Adalbert of Bavaria

Ferdinand VII

Spouse(s)	Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily* Infanta Maria Isabel of Portugal Princess Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony Princess Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies*
Children	Isabella II of Spain Maria Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier

Isabella II

Spouse(s)	Infante Francis, Duke of Cadiz
Children	Isabella, Princess of Asturias Alfonso XII of Spain Maria de Pilar María de la Paz, Princess Ludwig of Bavaria Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera

Alfonso XII

Spouse(s)	Princess Mercedes d'Orléans Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria
Children	Mercedes, Princess of Asturias Maria Teresa, Princess and Duchess of Bavaria Alfonso XIII of Spain
Grandchildren	Alfonso, Duke of Calabria Isabella Alfonsa, Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Great grandchildren	Carlos, Duke of Calabria Inés Maria, Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Alfonso XIII

Spouse(s)	Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg
Children	Alfonso, Prince of Asturias Jaime, Duke of Segovia Beatriz, Princess of Civitella-Cesi Maria Cristina, Countess of Marone Juan, Count of Barcelona Gonzalo
Grandchildren	Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz Gonzalo, Duke of Aquitaine Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz Juan Carlos I Margarita, 2nd Duchess of Hernani Alfonso

Juan Carlos I

Spouse(s)	Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark
Children	Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca Felipe, Prince of Asturias
Grandchildren	Infanta Leonor of Spain Infanta Sofía of Spain

*also a Prince or Princess of the Two Sicilies
**also an Archduchess of Austria
***both

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