Amadeo I of Spain (30 May 1845-18 January 1890) was the King of Spain from 1870 to 1873, succeeding Isabella II of Spain and preceding Estanislao Figueiras, the President of the First Spanish Republic. He was also Duke of Aosta from 1845 until his death, succeeding Vittorio Emmanuele I of Sardinia and preceding Emanuele Filiberto I of Aosta. Amadeo's wedding and his reign over Spain were marred by bad luck, and he abdicated in 1873.
Biography[]
Amedeo of Savoy was the son of Vittorio Emmanuele II of Italy and his wife Adelaide of Austria, born to the House of Savoy. Amedeo was the Duke of Aosta from his birth, ruling over a series of mountains in northern Savoy in western Italy. He married Maria Vittoria dal Pazzo, a wealthy Italian aristocrat's daughter (although she was not of noble birth). Unfortunately, their wedding was marred by a series of bad events: the best man shot himself, the palace gatekeeper slit his throat, the King's aide died when he fell from his horse, the wardrobe mistress of the bride hung herself, the colonel leading the procession died of sunstroke, and the stationmaster was crushed under the honeymoon train.
In 1870, Spain went through La Gloriosa, a rebellion that overthrew Queen Isabella II of Spain, an ugly and weak ruler. The throne was first offered to Prussian prince Leopold von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, but France objected and France and Prussia fought a war from 1870 to 1871 over the insult. The Cortes then offered the throne to Duke Amedeo of Aosta, and he accepted. Amedeo of Aosta became Amadeo I de Savoia of Spain and his wife became Maria Victoria of Spain.
However, his reign was marred with tragedies like his wedding. In 1872 Catalan and Basque Carlists rose in revolt against the government. He proclaimed the Spanish people ungovernable in an appearance before the Cortes, and the First Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He returned to Italy as Duke of Aosta and he married Princess Maria Letizia Bonaparte, granddaughter of Jerome Bonaparte and grand-niece of Napoleon I of France. He died in 1890 in the royal palace of Turin; his son Umberto of Salemi died during World War I in 1918.