Amadeus
, (born May 30, 1845,
Turin
,
Piedmont
[now in Italy]?died Jan. 18, 1890, Turin),
king
of
Spain
from Nov. 16, 1870, until his
abdication
on Feb. 11, 1873, after which the first Spanish republic was proclaimed.
The second son of the future King
Victor Emmanuel II
of Sardinia-Piedmont (later, of Italy), he was originally called Amadeus I, duke of Aosta. His candidacy for the Spanish throne (vacant after the
deposition
of Isabella II in September 1868) was supported by
Juan Prim
, the Spanish
prime minister
, and Francisco Serrano, the regent. It was opposed by adherents of Isabella’s son Alfonso de Borbon (later King
Alfonso XII
) and advocates of a republic. Elected king by the Cortes (parliament), Amadeus arrived in Spain on Dec. 30, 1870, the day on which Prim died from an assassin’s attack.
Bereft
of Prim’s help and feebly served by a series of short-lived ministries, Amadeus faced continuous turmoil. Support for Alfonso increased, along with republican agitation, and the Second Carlist War (1872?76) broke out. As soon as circumstances permitted, Amadeus
abdicated
gracefully and returned to
Italy
.
This article was most recently revised and updated by
Amy Tikkanen
, Corrections Manager.