inst the foreign rule and
finally brought about the Moorish War of 1909, which was terminated by
Spain only after the Spanish troops had experienced a number of
defeats and after a considerable expenditure of money and life.

[Illustration: Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia.]

During the second half of the nineteenth century Spain went through
a comparatively large number of revolutions, dynastic changes and
other internal difficulties. In 1886 Queen Isabella, a member of the
Bourbon family, was driven out of the country by a revolution of her
subjects. The latter, however, decided in favor of a continuation of
the monarchial form of government and thereupon set out to find
some European prince who would be willing to assume the burden of
the Spanish crown. We have already heard that this quest was one of
the principal direct causes of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870,
because Napoleon III attempted to force a promise from King William
of Prussia to the effect that the latter would not permit his
relative, the Prince of Hohenzollern, to accept the crown of Spain
which had been offered to him. In 1870, however, the Spanish people
succeeded in inducing Amadeus of Italy, a relative of the ruler of
the newly formed Italian kingdom, to become King of Spain. Only two
years later, in 1872, the so-called Carlist War broke out which had
its basis in the attempt of Don Carlos, also a member of the Bourbon
family, to secure the crown of Spain to which he claimed to have
prior rights to those of Queen Isabella's branch of the family. This
war, which really was a civil war, was accompanied by a great deal
of bloodshed and cruelty and finally brought about the abdication of
King Amadeus. For a short time after that Spain became a republic,
but in 1874 the people decided that their interests would be better
served by a monarchy and they made the son of Queen Isabella,
Alfonso XII, their King. The latter was married twice, first to
Princess Mercedes and after her death to Archduchess Marie Christine
of Austria. Of the former marriage the issue was one girl, Mercedes,
who at the death of Alfonso XII in 1885 became Queen of Spain with
her stepmother as regent. In 1886, however, a posthumous male heir
was born who immediately upon his birth became legally King of Spain
as Alfonso XIII. Of course Queen Christine's regency continued until
Alfonso XIII became of age. During her regency Queen Marie Christine
faced an arduous tas