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Maria Christina of Austria
Queen of Spain
Titles	HM Queen Maria Christina of Spain (1885-1929) HM The Queen of Spain (1879-1885) HI&RH Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria (1858-1879)
Born	July 21, 1858(1858-07-21)
	Židlochovice Castle, Brno, Moravia
Died	February 6, 1929 (aged 70)
	Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain
Consort	November 29, 1879 - November 25, 1885
Consort to	Alfonso XII
Issue	Mercedes, Maria Teresa of Spain, Alfonso XIII
Royal House	House of Habsburg-Lothringen
Father	Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria
Mother	Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria

Maria Christina, Princess Imperial and Archduchess of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (Maria Christina Désirée Henriette Felicitas Rainiera von Habsburg-Lothringen, 21 July 1858 – 6 February 1929) was the second Queen consort of King Alfonso XII of Spain and was Queen Regent of Spain during the minority of her son Alfonso XIII and during the abeyancy of the throne before his birth, from November 25, 1885 - 7 May 1902.

Known to her family as Christa, she was born at Zidlochovice Castle (Gross Seelowitz), near Brno, in Moravia, a daughter of Archduke Karl Ferdinand and his wife, Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria.

Her paternal grandparents were Archduke Charles of Austria and Princess Henriette Alexandrine of Nassau-Weilburg.

Maria Christina married King Alfonso XII of Spain on 29 November 1879 at the Royal Palace in Madrid, and became the mother of his only three legitimate children: Infanta Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain, and Alfonso (born posthumously). His previous wife was Mercedes of Orléans, who had died half a year after their marriage, leaving no issue.

When the King died, Maria Christina was pregnant, so the throne was in abeyancy, depending on whether Maria Christina's unborn child was a male or a female; a male would make that child king, while a female would place her elder daughter, Infanta Maria Mercedes, on the throne. During this period, Maria Christina ruled as regent until her child, a son, was born, who was Alfonso XIII of Spain from birth. Maria Christina continued as regent until Alfonso XIII attained his majority in 1902.

She died at the Royal Palace in Madrid and is buried at El Escorial.

• Campos y Fernández de Sevilla, Francisco-Javier. María Cristina de Habsburgo y la Regencia, 1885-1902. San Lorenzo de El Escorial: Estudios Superiores del Escorial, Real Colegio Universitario "María Cristina", 1994.

• Cancio R. Capote, Rita Maria. The Function of Maria Christina of Austria's Regency, 1885-1902, in Preserving the Spanish Monarchy. México: Ediciones Botas, 1957.

• Figueroa y Torres, Alvaro de, Conde de Romanones. Doña María Cristina de Habsburgo Lorena, la discreta regente de España. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1934.

• Martín Alonso, Aurelio. Diez y seis años de regencia, María Cristina de Hapsburgo-Lorena, 1885-1902. Barcelona: L. Tasso, 1914.

• Thoma, Helga. Habsburgs letzte Herrscherin: Maria Christine, Erzherzogin von Österreich, Königin-Regentin von Spanien. Wien-Klosterneuburg: Edition Va Bene, 2003.