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Kings of Spain: Roman

HISTORY.-The peninsula which now forms the kingdom of Spain was first visited by the Phoenicians, who established colonies along the coast, such as Tartesus and Cadiz. Then came the Greeks, who first applied the name Iberia to the eastern coast, which, later on, was given to the entire country When Roman authority made itself felt, the name was changed to that of Hispania (whence the modern Spain). After the first Punic war came the Carthaginians, who established themselves in Spain, conquering cities and provinces, and founding what is now the city of Cartagena. It was not until after a war of over 200 years that the Romans secured control of Spain. It became one of the principal seats of Roman civilization and literature. Christianity was early introduced, and in the time of Constantine its Christianization was completed. In the 5th century the country was overrun by the Visigoths, one of the greatest of whose kings, Euric, gave to Spain its first written laws. In the 8th century the Arabs (or Moors) completed the subjugation of a portion of the country, and established an independent Ommiyade dynasty, under which agriculture, commerce, science, and art flourished. The wars between the Gothic princes, who had retained possession of the Cantabrian region, and the Moors, continued long, until finally, after three centuries, the Christian leaders, who, like the Mohammedan rulers had constantly warred among themselves, united their forces in a common effort and annihilated the foreign intruders. Before the end of the 13th century the Moorish dominion was restricted to the kingdom of Granada, which paid homage to Castile. After two centuries more of continual war, it finally succumbed to Ferdinand and Isabella. Among the Christian States of Spain, Aragon and Castile became the most powerful, and in the course of time absorbed all the others. It was in 1412 that Ferdinand, the Catholic, of Aragon, married Isabella of Castile, and having been chosen king by the Cortes of Aragon (the Catalonian line having become extinct), consolidated all Christian Spain into one kingdom. The monarch obtained from the Pope the right of nominating all bishops, expelled the Jews from Spanish soil, and reorganized the Inquisition. The political consolidation of the kingdom by the subjugation of Granada in 1491-92, the conquest of Naples, the discovery of America by Columbus, and the subsequent occupations of large portions of North, Central, and South America by Spanish generals, raised the new kingdom to the front rank among the powers of the earth. In the 16th century the conquest of Mexico by Cortes, and of Peru and Chili by Pizarro, poured new riches into the kingdom, but the European wars of King Charles depleted the treasury, and made the imposition of heavy and burdensome taxation a necessity. Portugal was conquered and held from 1581 to 1640, but disastrous wars during this period served to rob Spain of many of her possessions and cripple her resources. In 1800 the then territory of Louisiana in North America was ceded to France. Unfortunate wars followed between Spain and England from 1801 to 1805, entailing much misery on the former country. At the battle of Trafalgar alone, where Lord Nelson, commanding the British fleet, engaged the combined naval forces of France and Spain, the latter lost 12 ships of the line. Napoleon having removed Ferdinand from the throne, and made his own brother Joseph king in his stead, the country revolted against French rule, and formed an alliance with England. An English army under Wellington, was sent to the peninsula, and after years of bloody struggle the French were driven out. Ferdinand the VII. was recalled to the throne, and his reign was characterized by a succession of insurrections that were well-nigh ruinous to the kingdom. By the abolition of the Salic law, Isabella, the infanta, became heir to the throne instead of the king's brother Don Carlos. This gave rise to the Carlist intrigues to secure the throne. The misdeeds of Isabella's administration and her own personal misconduct led to many insurrections in 1865-68, and resulted in the defeat of the royal army in 1868, and the flight of the queen to France. In 1870, Amadeus, the second son of Victor Emanuel, of Italy, was declared king of Spain by the Cortes. All his efforts to rule the country as a constitutional monarch were failures, owing to the extreme dislike of the people for a foreign prince. He abdicated in 1873. Then ensued the insurrection led by Don Carlos, the brother of Ferdinand VII., who asserted his right to the throne, but without success. In 1873 the Cortes proclaimed a democratic federal republic, and chose a president, who, after serving a brief period, had two successors within the space of three months. Insurrections again broke out, and were carried on with varying fortunes. In January 1874, Castelar, who had been elected president in September 1873, resigned, the Cortes was dissolved, and a new ministry formed under General Serrano. The Carlist force were depredating the country, and one of the Carlist generals, Don Alfonso, brother of Don Carlos, the claimant of the Crown, made remarkable progress in defeating the troops opposed to him. Serrano held executive power until January 1875, when Isabella's son, Don Alfonso, who had been proclaimed king, landed in Spain and took the field against the insurgents. At first he met with little success, but finally tranquility was restored, Don Carlos gave up his pretensions to the throne, and the country was once more enabled to give its attention to the development of its resources. Alfonso was wedded in 1878 to Mercedes, daughter of the Duc de Montpensier, who lived but a few months. In 1879 he married the Archduchess Marie Christina of Austria. Repeated attempts were made to assasinate him, but all proved futile. He died Nov. 25, 1885. His posthumous son is heir to the throne. PORTUGAL.

Reigning King Carlos I., born September 28, 1863. Married Mary Amalie, daughter of Phillippi Duc d'Orleans, Comte de Paris. Succeeded to the throne October 19, 1889.