Jake

Alfonso XIII of Spain

• Reigned from May 17, 1886 to April 14, 1931.

• His father was Alfonso XII, the previous king who died in 1885, at age 27.

• His mother, Maria Christina of Austria served as his regent until he turned 16 and became king. In a period which saw Spain lose its Caribbean and Pacific colonies during the Spanish-American War.

• Once Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg converted to Catholicism, they married at the Royal monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid on 31 May 1906.

• In 1907, their first son, Alfonso, Prince of Asturias was born. He inherited hemophilia from his mother, a hereditary genetic disorder resulting in uncontrolled bleeding.

• In 1908 Jaime, Duke of Segovia their 2nd son was born, he was a deaf-mute due to a botched childhood operation.

• In 1909 Beatriz, their 1st daughter was born.

• In 1911 Maria Cristina, their 2nd daughter was born.

• In 1913 Juan, Count of Barcelona, their 3rd son was born.

• In 1914 Gonzalo, their 4th son was born, he was also a hemophiliac.

• At the start of World War 1, he decided to keep Spain neutral due to having family on both sides of the conflict.

• In 1918, he became gravely ill with the flu, since Spain was neutral in the war he was forced to report his illness to the public.

• Having the flu led to the common misconception that Spain was the most effected and gave the epidemic the name of The Spanish Flu.

• In 1920 he led Spain into the Rift War, to preserve control over northern Morocco. The war lasted roughly 6 years and ended in Spanish victory.

• By 1930, economic problems and his general unpopularity led him to flee Spain just as the second Spanish republic was created.