General Notes

King Alfonso XII, b. Nov. 28, 1857, d. Nov. 25, 1885, is remembered for
bringing peace to Spain after years of civil war. Exiled with his mother,
Isabella II, in 1868 he returned as king in January 1875. His second wife,
Maria Cristina of Austria, bore him two daughters and a son (later Alfonso
XIII). Alfonso, a weak monarch, left politics to his premiers, especially
Antonio Canovas del Castillo (1828-97). During his reign the constitution of
1876 was enacted, the Carlists were defeated, and the Ten Years' War in Cuba
ended (1878) in a truce.