María Luisa

María Luisa (märē'ä lOOē'sä) [key], 1751–1819, queen of Spain, daughter of Duke Philip of Parma, consort of King Charles IV. Dissolute and domineering, she exerted, with her favorite Godoy, the real power in the government, thus contributing to the downfall of Spain at the hands of Napoleon I. She was present at the meeting in Bayonne at which Napoleon forced her husband and her son, Ferdinand VII, to abdicate. She shared her husband's confinement and exile. Goya painted several revealing portraits of her.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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