View source for Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Princess María de las Mercedes
| title        = Countess of Barcelona
| image        = Infanta María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona.jpg
| caption      = The Countess of Barcelona, 1951
| alt          =
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1910|12|23|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Palace of Villamejor]], [[Madrid]], [[Restoration (Spain)|Spain]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|2000|1|2|1910|12|23|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Royal Residence of La Mareta]], [[Lanzarote]], [[Spain]]
| burial_date  = 4 January 2000
| burial_place = [[El Escorial]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona]]|1935|1993|end=d}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz]]
* [[Juan Carlos I]]
* [[Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria]]
* [[Infante Alfonso of Spain|Infante Alfonso]]
}}
| full name    = María de las Mercedes Cristina Genara Isabel Luisa Carolina Victoria de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Orléans
| house        = [[Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]
| father       = [[Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]
| mother       = [[Princess Louise of Orléans]]
}}
[[File:Coat of arms of Maria Mercedes of Bourbon, Countess of Barcelona as consort of the Pretender to the Spanish Throne.svg|thumb|Coat of arms of Maria Mercedes of Bourbon, Countess of Barcelona as consort of the Pretender to the Spanish Throne]]
'''Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies''' ({{IPA|es|maˈɾi.a meɾˈθeðes|lang}}; María de las Mercedes Cristina Genara Isabel Luisa Carolina Victoria y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Orléans; 23 December 1910 – 2 January 2000) was a member of the [[Spanish royal family]] and the mother of [[Juan Carlos I|King Juan Carlos I]].

The daughter of [[Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]] and [[Princess Louise of Orléans]], she married [[Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona]], claimant to the [[Spanish throne]].

== Biography ==
María was born in [[Madrid]], daughter of [[Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]], [[Infante]] of Spain, a grandson of [[Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies|King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies]], and his second wife, [[Princess Louise of Orléans]], daughter of [[Prince Philippe, Count of Paris]], a pretender to the French throne. She was granted, at birth, the [[ranks of nobility and peerage|rank]] and [[order of precedence|precedence]] of an [[infanta of Spain]], although not the actual use of the title, her own being [[Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]. Her family moved to [[Seville]], when her father was made Captain General of that province. When the [[Second Spanish Republic]] forced them into exile, they lived in [[Cannes]] and later in Paris, where she studied art at the [[Louvre]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

On 14 January 1935, she attended the wedding, in Rome, of [[Infanta Beatriz of Spain]], daughter of [[King Alfonso XIII]], to [[Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince of Civitella-Cesi]]. There she met the brother of the bride, her [[third cousin]] and future husband, the [[Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona|Infante Juan]], fourth son and designated heir of Alfonso XIII. They married in Rome on 12 October 1935. When her husband took up [[Count of Barcelona]] as a [[pretender|title of pretence]] on 8 March 1941, María became the ''Countess of Barcelona''.<ref name=enache>Enache, Nicolas. ''La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg''. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 458, 532. (French). {{ISBN|2-908003-04-X}}</ref> They had four children.

;Issue
* [[Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz]] (30 July 1936 – 8 January 2020), who married [[Luis Gómez-Acebo, Duke of Badajoz|Luis Gomez-Acebo y de Estrada, Viscount de la Torre]], on 6 May 1967, and had five children
* [[Juan Carlos I of Spain]] (born 5 January 1938), who married [[Queen Sofía of Spain|Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark]] on 14 May 1962, and had three children
* [[Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria]] (born 6 March 1939), who married Don Carlos Zurita y Delgado on 12 October 1972, and had two children
* [[Infante Alfonso of Spain]] (3 October 1941 – 29 March 1956)

They lived in [[Cannes]] and Rome, and, with the outbreak of [[World War II]], they moved to [[Lausanne]] to live with [[Queen Victoria Eugenie]], the mother of Infante Juan. Afterwards, they resided at [[Estoril]], on the [[Portuguese Riviera]].

In 1953, the Countess represented the [[Spanish Royal Family]] at the [[coronation of Queen Elizabeth II]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In 1976, one year after the monarchy was restored in Spain in the person of her son, Juan Carlos, they returned to Spain. She mediated between her son and her husband, estranged since Juan Carlos had been designated heir by [[Francisco Franco|Franco]]. In 1977, Juan renounced his rights in favour of their son, who officially allowed him to retain the title of Count of Barcelona.<ref name=enache/>

She broke her [[hip]] in 1982 and the left [[femur]] in 1985, which forced her to use a [[wheelchair]] for the rest of her life. She became a widow in 1993.

She was a fervid fan of [[bull fighting]] and of the Andalusian culture.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} In 1995, her granddaughter [[Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo|Infanta Elena]] married in Seville in part because the Countess' love for the city.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

She was the 1,171st [[Dame (title)|Dame]] of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa on 4 March 1929.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

She died of a heart attack in the [[Royal Residence of La Mareta]], in [[Lanzarote]], where the royal family had gathered to [[Millennium celebrations|celebrate the New Millennium]].<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5DE1E38F930A35752C0A9669C8B63 Maria de Borbon, 89, Mother of Spain's King]</ref> She was buried with the honors of a queen at the Royal Crypt of the monastery of [[San Lorenzo de El Escorial]], near [[Madrid]].<ref>{{cite news | language = es | url = https://elpais.com/diario/2000/01/05/espana/947026806_850215.html | date = 4 January 2000 | title = Honores de reina para la madre de don Juan Carlos | access-date = 2 March 2022 | first = Juan | last = González Ibañez }}</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;
|1= 1. '''Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies'''
|2= 2. [[Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]
|3= 3. [[Princess Louise of Orléans]]
|4= 4. [[Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta]]
|5= 5. [[Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies|Princess Maria Antonietta of the Two Sicilies]]
|6= 6. [[Prince Philippe, Count of Paris]]
|7= 7. [[Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans]]
|8= 8. King [[Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies]]
|9= 9. [[Maria Theresa of Austria (1816–1867)|Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria]]
|10= 10. [[Prince Francis, Count of Trapani]]
|11= 11. [[Archduchess Maria Isabella of Austria]]
|12= 12. Prince [[Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans]]
|13= 13. [[Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|14= 14. Prince [[Antoine, Duke of Montpensier]]
|15= 15. [[Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain]]
}}

==Honours==
;National
* {{flag|Spain}}: Dame Grand Cross of the [[Order of Charles III]]<ref name=CIIIR>[http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1988/10/15/pdfs/A29811-29811.pdf Royal Decree 1189/1988, of 14 October]. BOE, no.248, 15 October 1988, p 29811.</ref>
* {{flag|Spain}}: 9th Titular Grand Mistress and 1,171st Dame Grand Cross of the [[Order of Queen Maria Luisa]]
* {{flag|Spain}}: Dame of the [[Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla|Decoration of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville]]
* {{flag|Spain}}: Dame of the [[Real Maestranza de Caballería de Granada|Decoration of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Granada]]
* {{flag|Spain}}: Dame of the [[Real Maestranza de Caballería de Valencia|Decoration of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Valencia]]
* {{flag|Spain}}: Dame of the [[Maestranza de caballería|Decoration of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Zaragoza]]
;Foreign
* {{flagicon|Two Sicilies}} [[House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies|Calabrian House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the [[Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George|Two-Sicilian Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.constantinianorder.org/history/the-activities-of-the-order-since-1960.html |title=The activities of the Order since 1960 |access-date=14 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210304/http://www.constantinianorder.org/history/the-activities-of-the-order-since-1960.html |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Greece|royal}} [[Greek Royal Family]]: Dame Grand Cross of the [[Order of Saints Olga and Sophia]]
* {{flag|Sovereign Military Order of Malta}}: Bailiff Dame Grand Cross of the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]]
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: Recipient of the [[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]]

=== Heraldry ===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"  style="min-width:50em; margin:auto; text-align:center;"
! colspan=5 |Heraldry of María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona
|-
|[[File:Coat of arms of Maria Mercedes of Bourbon (1935-1941).svg|230px|center]]
|[[File:Coat of arms of Maria Mercedes of Bourbon, Countess of Barcelona as consort of the Pretender to the Spanish Throne.svg|230px|center]]
|[[File:Coat of arms of Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona after her husband renounce as Pretender to the Spanish Throne (1977-1988).svg|170px]]
|[[File:Coat of arms of Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona after her husband renounce as Pretender to the Spanish Throne.svg|170px]]
|[[File:Coat of arms of Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess Dowager of Barcelona.svg|170px]]
|-
|Coat of Arms as Infanta of Spain by marriage<br /> (1935–1941)
|Coat of Arms as Consort of the Pretender<br />to the throne of Spain<br /> (1941–1977)
|Coat of Arms after her husband<br />renounced being Pretender<br /> (1977–1988)
|Coat of Arms after her husband<br />renounced being Pretender (1988–1993)<br /><small>(Dame of the [[Order of Charles III]])</small>
|Coat of Arms as a widow (1993–2000)
|}

==See also==
* [[Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]
* ''[[Joyas de pasar]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline|Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Bourbon|House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]|23 December |1910|2 January|2000|[[House of Bourbon]]}}
{{s-pre|[[House of Bourbon|Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[List of Spanish consorts|Queen consort of Spain]]|years=15 January 1941 – 14 May 1977|reason=[[Second Spanish Republic|Monarchy abolished in 1931]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Queen Sofía of Spain|Sophia of Greece and Denmark]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Princesses of the Two Sicilies}}
{{Infantas of Spain by marriage}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Princess}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:Nobility from Madrid]]
[[Category:Princesses of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]]
[[Category:House of Bourbon (Spain)]]
[[Category:Spanish infantas by marriage]]
[[Category:Burials in the Pantheon of Kings at El Escorial]]
[[Category:Spanish Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Mothers of Spanish monarchs]]