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40-620: In the Middle Ages, representatives of the villages of Biscay would hold assemblies under local big trees. As time passed, the role of separate assemblies was superseded by the Guernica Assembly in 1512, and its oak would acquire a symbolic meaning, with actual assemblies being held in a purpose-built hermitage-house (the current building dates from 1833). It was the Spanish regent Maria Christina accompanied by her infant daughter Queen Isabella II

80-506: A decree recognizing Isabella as heir. Carlos' attempt to seize power resulted in the First Carlist War . Despite considerable support for Carlos from conservative elements in Spain, Cristina's side (also known as "Isabelinos") successfully retained the throne for her daughter. On 28 December 1833, shortly after the death of Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina secretly married an ex-sergeant from

120-490: A royal army and manage tax disputes, which would place nobles more securely under the control of the Crown. The new composition of the reformed Council was a president, a treasurer, a church prelate, three caballeros (often minor nobility), and between eight and ten letrados (lawyers or jurists ). These were Council's chief duties: In order to prevent it from falling under control of the great noble houses, as had happened with

160-413: A third, scandalous explanation of his fortune has been given. Maria Christina's husband, King Ferdinand VII of Spain died on 29 September 1833, and on 28 December 1833 she and Muñoz were privately married. If Maria Christina had officially made the marriage public, she would have forfeited the regency; but her relations with Muñoz were perfectly well known within the Spanish court. When on 13 August 1836

200-583: The Carlists . The former faction, and the Spanish people, greatly revered Maria Christina, and made her their champion; when she first arrived in Madrid in 1829, the blue of the cloak she wore became their official color. The latter were absolutists and highly conservative, and derived their name from the Carlos's, who they favored for the throne. Using King Philip V 's enactment of Salic law , which banned women from taking

240-611: The Catholic Monarchs , Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I, sought to change it in their drive to centralize the country and bring it more firmly in line with national interests rather than the nobles. In 1480, they passed the Act of Resumption at the Cortes of Toledo . This act would allow Ferdinand and Isabella to directly appoint bureaucrats, rather than letting the independent and erratic nobles rule. The Royal Council would control both

280-627: The Château de Malmaison as her residence. In 1843, on the overthrow of General Baldomero Espartero she returned to Spain with her husband. In 1844, Muñoz's stepdaughter Queen Isabella II was declared to be of age. On 23 June 1844 Isabella gave to Muñoz the title Duque de Riánsares , to which was attached a Grandeza de España ; the title came from the River Riánsares, near Muñoz's birthplace in Tarancón . On 12 October 1844 Isabella gave official consent to

320-613: The Cortes of Corunna that Castile was to be the empire's "treasury and sword." When Charles left Spain in 1520, the Revolt of the Comuneros broke out against royal government. Much of their complaints were against the Council. Representatives of Valladolid 's radical parishes were unanimous in a statement blaming the Council's "bad government" for the kingdom's troubles. The Royal Council would lead

360-611: The Council of Castile , who tasked the King with remarriage. Following Luisa Carlotta's suggestion, Ferdinand VII sent for Maria Christina, his niece, who pleased the King's eyes. The two were wed on 12 December 1829 at the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Atocha . With her betrothal and then marriage to Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina became embroiled in the conflict between the Spanish Liberals and

400-564: The Pragmatic Sanction in March 1830 . In July 1832, Maria Christina, Ferdinand VII, their daughters, Maria Francisca and Carlos, and Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira , set out for the Royal Palace of La Granja . On the trip to La Granja, Ferdinand VII was badly injured by a coach accident. He became ill and increasingly sick over the summer. At one point, Ferdinand VII was found unconscious at

440-531: The Council at first. Additionally, Charles' new government levied high taxes and demands on Castile, with its ambitions over all Europe. Charles was the king, becoming Charles V Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, of one of the largest empires, in European and world history - " The empire on which the sun never sets ." The Bishop of Badajoz, Pedro Ruiz de la Mota, was an influential member of the Royal Council and declared to

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480-581: The Council of Castile, to reflect that the Council's power extended only over Castile and not the whole empire. With the growth of Spain's overseas conquests, and the prodding of Charles' grand-counselor and close friend Mercurino di Gattinara , the Council of Castile expanded and split. Between the years 1522–1524, the Council of Castile reorganized the government of the Kingdom of Navarre , dismissing its viceroy, Antonio Manrique de Lara, 2nd Duke of Nájera . A Council of Finance ( Spanish : Consejo de Hacienda )

520-405: The Council retained responsibility only over Castile. During periods in which there was no monarch, an absent monarch, or an incompetent monarch, the Royal Council would rule as a regency council in his place. The Council weakened in the 19th century, where it was abolished and re-established several times before being dissolved permanently. The earliest form of the Royal Council was created at

560-419: The Council's functions. The Royal Council would no longer deal with the vast majority of civil law disputes and cases, allowing them to focus on administration instead. Judicial complaints and appeals would now be dealt with by a new and expanded judiciary, the audiencias . With the reputation of the Council restored, the quality of its appointees rose. During this period, the Royal Council became known as

600-796: The First Carlist War, swore the Basque charters under the Oak in 1839. The tree's significance is illustrated by an event which occurred shortly after the Guernica bombings. When the Francoist troops took the town, the Tercio of Begoña , formed by Carlist volunteers from Biscay, put an armed guard around the tree to protect it against their Falangist allies, who had wanted to fell this symbol of Basque nationalism. On 26 June 1950, Xavier of Bourbon-Parma , Carlist claimant to

640-557: The Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur . In 1854, Maria Christina left for France a second time. France remained her primary residence for the remainder of her life. Maria Christina's illness returned and she suffered from serious coughing, fainting and fever. She died in Le Havre , France on 22 August 1878. As the mother of Isabella II and consort of Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina was buried in

680-639: The Pragmatic Sanction. When Ferdinand VII appeared to have died, the repealing was announced publicly, and Maria Christina deserted by her courtiers. Ferdinand VII was discovered to be alive, and news of this also spread. Luisa Carlotta, at that time in Andalusia , soon arrived at La Granja and speedily persuaded Ferdinand to re-enact the Pragmatic Sanction and orchestrated Calomarde's dismissal. When Ferdinand died on 29 September 1833, Maria Christina became regent for their daughter Isabella. Isabella's claim to

720-430: The Spanish throne during Franco's dictatorial regime, swore the Basque charters in the Oak of Guernica. An oak tree is depicted on the heraldic arms of Biscay and subsequently on the arms of many of the towns of Biscay. An oak leaf logo is used by the local government of Biscay. The logo of the Basque nationalist party Eusko Alkartasuna has one half red and the other green, the colors of the Basque flag. An old version of

760-451: The end of the fourteenth century in 1385 by John I of Castile after the disaster at the Battle of Aljubarrota . It consisted of 12 members, four from each of the clergy, the cities, and the nobility. In 1442 the nobility increased its influence on the council, adding many nobles as titular members of the council. Sixty became the new number of members. This council was rather ineffective and

800-522: The government. Cisneros was then replaced by Joanna's father King Ferdinand II, whose claim to rule Castile with his wife's death was rather weak, but no other plausible choice than his being regent existed. Ferdinand was often an absent ruler of Castile, living in Aragon, and the Royal Council managed his affairs. During this period, it became even more corrupt and ineffectual. Nobles illegally expanded their domains by force, sending soldiers to "claim" land that

840-613: The last Spanish monarch to swear an oath to the charters under the iconic oak in 1839. The known specimens form a dynasty: The Tree of Gernika came to prominence during the First and Third Carlist Wars as a symbol of Basque liberties, whose renown and appreciation spread among the Basque diaspora world over during the late 19th century and mid-20th century thanks to the popularity of Jose Maria Iparragirre's namesake anthem . Maria Cristina of Savoy , regent during her daughter Isabel's minority in

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880-723: The logo of the Basque nationalist youth organisation Jarrai also display oak leaves. The Basque authorities present descendants of the tree as a symbol of friendship to Basque diaspora groups and related cities. 43°18′53″N 2°40′47″W  /  43.31472°N 2.67972°W  / 43.31472; -2.67972 Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies ( Italian : Maria Cristina Ferdinanda di Borbone, Principessa delle Due Sicilie , Spanish: María Cristina de Borbón, Princesa de las Dos Sicilias ; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878)

920-608: The marriage between her mother and Muñoz, and it was publicly performed. In 1846 Isabella made Muñoz a Knight of the Golden Fleece . On 30 May 1846 she gave Muñoz a second title, Marqués de San Agustín . Muñoz was made a Captain General , the highest rank in the Spanish Army . In 1847 Louis Philippe, King of the French , gave Muñoz the title Duc de Montmorot ; he also invested Muñoz with

960-568: The minority of Charles II of Spain from 1665 to 1675–1677 in which his mother, Mariana of Austria , acted as regent . In 1697, Andrés de Medrano, 2nd Count of Torrubia , was appointed Dean of the Royal Council of Castile. After Philip V of Spain became the first Bourbon king in 1700, the Nueva Planta decrees approved between 1707 and 1716 abolished the autonomy of the former Crown of Aragon and centralised power in Madrid. The council also played

1000-461: The monarch himself. It was established under Isabella I in 1480 as the chief body dealing with administrative and judicial matters of the realm. With the 1516 ascension of Charles I (later Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ) to the throne of both Castile and Aragon , the Royal Council came to be known as the Council of Castile because Charles was king of many dominions other than Castile, while

1040-401: The original royal council, non-appointed nobles were allowed to attend Council meetings but were given no vote. The result of this meant that the council, and its bureaucracy , was composed chiefly of "new men": the minor nobility, townsmen, and civilian magistrates. After Queen Isabella's death in 1504, the Royal Council began to grow corrupt and influenced by the nobility once more. Philip I

1080-546: The palace chapel. Seeking counsel in the event of Ferdinand VII's death, Maria approached the Carlist Francisco Calomarde , who advised her that the Spanish people would rally behind Carlos. Acting on this, she coerced Ferdinand VII into signing a decree making her regent if he died, with Carlos as her chief adviser. Carlos refused, demanding total governance. Calomarde, with Maria Francisca and Maria Theresa, reissued his warning, coercing King and Queen into repealing

1120-602: The rebels were defeated, but Charles (who had also matured and distanced himself from his earlier advisers) realized that the Council direly needed reform. Charles embarked upon a vigorous program to change the nature of the council, dismissing the unpopular Antonio de Rojas and replacing him with Juan Pardo de Tavera , the Archbishop of Santiago . He also added three new councilors, Juan Manuel, Pedro de Medina, and Martín Vázquez, and generally sought to replace nobles with gentry and educated lawyers. More importantly, Charles changed

1160-454: The royal crypt of El Escorial . [REDACTED] Media related to Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies at Wikimedia Commons Council of Castile The Council of Castile ( Spanish : Real y Supremo Consejo de Castilla ), known earlier as the Royal Council ( Spanish : Consejo Real ), was a ruling body and key part of the domestic government of the Crown of Castile , second only to

1200-403: The royal guard, Agustín Fernando Muñoz (1808–1873). Maria Christina and Muñoz had several children together while trying to keep their marriage a secret. Muñoz enlisted in the royal bodyguard, and attracted the attention of Maria Christina. According to one account, he distinguished himself by stopping the runaway horses of her carriage; according to another, he only picked up her handkerchief;

1240-534: The royalist forces against the rebels in Charles' absence. Charles left as regent the Dutch Cardinal Adrian of Utrecht , by most accounts a decent ruler saddled with a difficult situation. Much of the Royal Council agitated for vigorous punishment against the rebels, such as its hated president, Antonio de Rojas Manrique . These early reprisals would backfire, and intensified the revolt's spread. Eventually,

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1280-482: The soldiers on duty at the La Granja summer palace mutinied and forced the regent to grant a constitution, it was generally, though wrongly, believed that they overcame her reluctance by seizing Muñoz, whom they called her guapo , or fancy man, and threatening to shoot him. Eventually, news of Maria Christina's marriage to this low-ranking soldier became public. That news made Maria Christina deeply unpopular. Her position

1320-470: The throne was disputed by Carlos, who claimed that his brother Ferdinand had unlawfully changed the succession law to permit females to inherit the crown again (see Carlism ). Some supporters of Don Carlos went so far as to claim that Ferdinand had actually bequeathed the crown to his brother but that Maria Christina had suppressed that fact. It was further alleged that the Queen had signed her dead husband's name to

1360-454: The throne, Maria Francisca and Carlos pushed for the latter's claim. Ferdinand VII and Maria Christina produced two daughters, Isabella on 10 October 1830 and Luisa Fernanda a little over a year later on 30 January 1832. However, in a secret session of the Cortes in 1789, King Charles IV reversed this law with the Pragmatic Sanction. Seeking to secure the succession of an heir of his siring, no matter their gender, Ferdinand VII announced

1400-454: Was an ineffective ruler who only reigned two years; after him, the government theoretically fell to Ferdinand and Isabella's daughter, Queen Joanna of Castile , and her six-year-old son Charles of Ghent, the future Emperor Charles V. Joanna was considered incompetent, and Charles too young. Archbishop Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros ruled briefly as regent, but was undercut by noble schemes and spent much of his time simply trying to hold together

1440-610: Was created, and, on 1 August, the Council of the Indies ( Spanish : Consejo Real y Supremo de las Indias ) was split from the Council of Castile. Thirty years later, in 1555, the Council of Italy was formed, yet another offspring of the Council of Castile. Guttinara also saw the establishment of the Consejo de la Cámara de Castilla , composed of three or four trusted members of the Council who had power to deal with unpopular or secret issues. The Royal Council came to prominence again during

1480-523: Was owned by the royal government or free peasants. The Council, corrupt and bribed, usually ignored these incidents, allowing nobles to freely enrich themselves at the cost of justice and the government. After Ferdinand's death in 1516, Cisneros served as regent again briefly, and then Charles I was crowned king now that he was of age. However, the young king was at the time almost completely controlled by Flemish advisors such as William de Croÿ , sieur de Chièvres, and he did not undertake any efforts to change

1520-736: Was the Queen of Spain from 1829 to 1833 and Queen regent of the kingdom from 1833, when her daughter became queen at age two, to 1840. By virtue of her short marriage to King Ferdinand VII of Spain , she became a central character in Spanish history for nearly 50 years, thanks to introducing a bicameral model of government based on the Bourbon Restoration in France : the Spanish Royal Statute of 1834 . Born in Palermo , Sicily on 27 April 1806, she

1560-790: Was the daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies by his second wife, Maria Isabella of Spain . On 27 May 1829, Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony , the third wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, died. Ferdinand VII, old and ill, had not sired a male heir, sparking a succession duel between the Infanta Maria Francisca and the Infante Carlos , and the Infanta Luisa Carlotta and the Infante Francisco de Paula . Ferdinand VII declared his intention to marry and assembled

1600-539: Was undermined by news of her remarriage and concerns that she was not actually supportive of her liberal ministers and their policies. Eventually, the army, which was the backbone of Isabella II's support, and the liberal leadership in the Cortes combined to demand that Maria Christina stand aside from the regency. In 1840 Maria Christina found her position intolerable; she renounced the regency and left Spain with Muñoz. The army commander, General Baldomero Espartero , replaced her as regent. In 1842 Maria Christina purchased

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